On February 19th at 9:20 p.m. on ORF 2
Vienna (OTS) – Christoph Feurstein will present the following contributions in “Thema” on Monday, February 19, 2024, at 9:20 p.m. on ORF 2:
25 years of Galtür – memories of the avalanche accident
“It brought us all closer together”, “Coping with it makes you stronger”, “A scar will always remain” – this is how the residents of Galtür still remember the events of 25 years ago. On February 23, 1999, an avalanche that fell directly into the small Tyrolean ski resort killed 31 people. The next day, a second avalanche buried parts of the neighboring town of Valzur. Seven people die. It had snowed more than six meters in the previous weeks. The ongoing snowfall makes quick help almost impossible, the roads are impassable and helicopters cannot fly. The people in the affected areas are on their own for the first few hours. Locals and holidaymakers work together to search for missing people. “Suddenly things that were previously important no longer have such great importance and you also appreciate it when you have really good and strong friends,” says the then mayor of Galtür and today’s Tyrolean governor Anton Mattle . In the “Theme” review by Eva Kordesch in collaboration with the Tyrol State Studio, people from Galtür and the emergency services from back then talk about their impressions that have shaped them forever.
House building fair – what happened to the dream of owning your own home?
“Building your own house – that has always been my dream,” says Stefan Nistelberger from Weiz in Styria. The 26-year-old was able to achieve this last year. But that was only possible because the property was already owned by his parents. The increased construction costs and interest rates often make the dream of owning a home shattered, even though most people in Austria still have it. In addition, newly built single-family homes are criticized because of the soil sealing with regard to the climate. The Auenweide housing project in Lower Austria shows that there is another way. “The togetherness here is simply the best thing. And that can also be done with consideration for the climate,” says Nadia Mürwald, who lives there in wooden houses with 45 other people. “When it comes to sustainable construction, obstacles are often put in the way due to laws,” says the “Thema” team there. Savanka Schwarz and Leon Hoffmann-Ostenhof also visited the Vienna House Building Fair for “Thema” and looked at the future of home ownership there.