Spectacular renovation – managers instead of monks: the monastery is now an office

Lunch break instead of Mass, managers instead of monks: where the Capuchins used to pray, tax advisors and lawyers will soon wave their pens. The Capuchin Monastery in the center of Linz, which was desecrated in 2016, has been converted into a spectacular office complex over the past two years. In the spring of 2025, 350 employees of the tax consultancy firm LeitnerLeitner and the law firm LeitnerLaw are expected to move.

Old and new
During the “Krone” on-site inspection, construction workers just dragged the last pieces of furniture up to a total of six floors. “Emphasize the old things and add new ones,” one of the architects, Klaus Landerl, describes the concept.

The centerpiece is the old Capuchin Church, which has been converted into a staff café. In the future, lunches will be served there under the organ and next to the preserved confessionals. The architects had to take many things into account, such as the acoustics in a large church. Textile elements on the walls ensure that people can now ‘talk sensibly to each other’, according to Landerl.

8000 square meters of usable space
Despite the now harmonious acoustics, there were also dissonant sounds during the construction project. The parent association of the directly adjacent Michael Reitter School criticized the cooling system at the monastery construction site: the noise would be harmful to the students, some of whom have hearing problems.

ARBOR real estate management financed the renovation, LeitnerLeitner is rented. At a market price of 16 euros per square meter, approximately 130,000 euros per month in rent will probably be due for the approximately 8,000 square meters of usable space. Amen!