No money, but Linz dreams of a 5 million gastronomic adventure

What is going on in Linz city politics? Linz is scratching the 1 billion euro debt limit this year and yet mayoral candidate Dietmar Prammer (SPÖ) wants to throw even more money out the window. Prammer currently wants to buy the corner house at the Urfahraner Brückenkopf and revitalize the Lindbauer inn there: “Linz has no money, but Prammer wants to continue walking around in the SPÖ style with donor pants. Apart from that, Linz has shown anything but a lucky hand with its restaurants in recent years,” says MFG-Linz district spokeswoman Petra Lindner.

The Lindbauer House on the Urfahraner bridgehead could cost an estimated three million euros, and the building, which was built in 1904, is likely to be in serious need of renovation. The inn there closed a few years ago and was never reopened despite investor Philipp Kaufmann’s big plans (the building is owned by the Kaufmann Foundation). Nevertheless, Linz’s SPÖ mayoral candidate Dietmar Prammer dreams of buying the building – not with his own money, but with tax money, of course.

In addition, in a few years, the new Linz city train will pass directly in front of the guest garden – every 7.5 minutes a train will rush past just four meters next to the tables. “Anyone who wants to sit down and enjoy a schnitzel can only be a masochist,” says Petra Lindner. She demands: “Schuster, stick to your guns, stay away from another gastronomic adventure. Linz already has more than enough problems with its restaurants – and Prammer has also proven in his three years as the responsible city council that he has two left hands when it comes to restaurants“, said LAbg. Manuel Krautgartner, MFG-OÖ Klubobmann.

He refers to the Oberwirt in St. Magdalena, which also belongs to the city of Linz and which has had to repeatedly struggle with vacancies and several problematic changes of tenant in recent years. “There were also repeated problems in the city’s own restaurant Cubus in the AEC.” In addition, everyone knows the current general situation in the catering industry with rising prices and staff shortages (for example, a business the size of the Lindbauer inn would need a staff of around 20 people – illusory in the current situation). In this mixed situation, dreaming of yet another inn with a more than uncertain future is almost negligent.

Lindner demands that the city of Linz concentrate on its core tasks again. Apart from that, there is no money: “Including renovation and adaptation, the Lindbauer adventure would cost up to 5 million euros. If Mr. Prammer has a treasure of gold at home somewhere, he should say so – or stay away from such nonsensical projects,” concludes Krautgartner’s request.