100 days of downtime – Protz department store now even needs its own security guard

A building frame right in front of the windows. The construction site equipment as a deterrent for customers. Toilet containers at the front door and finally the fear of vandalism at night. The residents and entrepreneurs around the concrete block Signa on Mariahilfer Straße suffer every day from the machinations of the financial juggler René Benko. The construction site has now been shut down for 100 days. But there is no end in sight. Ultimately, the company – like many other companies from the Signa empire – went bankrupt.

Construction site kept to a minimum
At least the neighbors could celebrate a small stage victory. Because the enormous cranes and toilet containers in Karl-Schweighofer-Gasse are history. And the construction site itself was also kept to a minimum. These were the wishes of the residents, to which curator Clemens Richter now complied. Judge: “An audit has shown that the costs of decommissioning giant cranes are higher than dismantling them and possibly rebuilding them later in a smaller form.” It’s almost like someone is looking at money for the first time.

Security company that is on duty 24 hours a day
The residents have also requested a security service. Signa’s legacy is now guarded by guards 24 hours a day. Neighbors feared that the block would become a magnet for youth gangs or the homeless. All this is paid from the estate.

No quick end in sight
The construction site itself has been approved until the end of May. However, a resolution in the coming weeks is unlikely. Judge: “We have started a sales process. We are currently receiving offers from all over the world. I cannot yet say when this process will be completed.” Doesn’t sound like a quick ending.

Blockage, mistake, accident: criticism has been ignored for years
The “Krone” has been warning about the glass monster on the Mahü since 2021 – but too much trusted Blender Benko. From a large luxury department store to a windowless ruin. Nobody saw it coming. You can’t quite put it that way, because the ‘Krone’ has been warning since 2021 about the blockade on Mariahilfer Strasse, which is rotting away after the bankruptcy of Signa as an eyesore and as a reminder of René Benko’s failure.

Of course, the editors cannot see into the future, but anyone who listened to the people in the shop quickly knew: this nonsense made of glass for luxury customers does not fit in on Mariahilfer Straße.

Voices from the population
This is what the “Krone” headlined on May 5, 2021: “Residents against Mahü-Klotz”. “Of course the construction site is annoying. What I absolutely do not agree with is that the building on Mariahilfer Straße should be higher than usual in the area,” explains neighbor Herwig Schreiter (57).

“I am desperately dissatisfied with the developments”
But not all politicians were blinded by Benko. There were certainly critical voices about the bloc. From the FPÖ district councilor Monika Mühlwerth (“I am desperately unhappy with this development” to Gallus Vogel (SPÖ, “The previous plans clearly exceed the requirements for the protection zone”) to the red climate councilor Jürgen Czernohorszky (“It is a shame that the “The old Leiner will be largely demolished and architectural highlights such as the beautiful staircase will be lost.”

Punch and Judy of the week
And when we mentioned Benko Punch and Judy in October 2022, our headline was: “Is he in more trouble than millions already?” Nowadays you can say: the ‘Krone’ was perfect.