Almost every second second home is in the Salzkammergut

There are almost 30,000 second homes in Upper Austria. 12,000 of them are spread over the two districts of Gmunden and Vöcklabruck – i.e. the lake area. This means that more than 40 percent of all leisure residences are in a region that has a population share of only around 16 percent.

Against this background, the Greens are calling for a package of measures from the state government to slow down this development. “Thousands of apartments in the districts of Vöcklabruck and Gmunden are hardly used and stand empty most of the time. On the other hand, the floor is permanently sealed and at the same time living space is becoming increasingly expensive. It just doesn’t go together,” says Rudi Hemetsberger, Mayor of Attersee and spokesman for regional planning for the Greens in the state parliament. Six percent of all second homes in Upper Austria are in his own municipality alone. The property prices at the Attersee are already between 800 and 1000 euros per square meter.

“It’s not about criticizing people who have bought a second home in the Salzkammergut,” says Hemetsberger. “But this is a development that is unhealthy for the Salzkammergut. Deserted districts are created here, which are only inhabited in summer. I also notice that the population has long had this issue under their nails.”

From the point of view of the mayor of Attersee, the measures that have already been decided on in recent years are not sufficient. “The direction was right, but we have to come up with more ideas. Municipalities may need more control over who is actually using the second home.” (ebra)