Wolfgang Porsche bought "Villa Zweig", a luxurious residence known for being the home of the city's famous son, author Stefan Zweig, in the 1920s.
Zweig is said to have loved the house on the hill precisely because of its inaccessibility, but Porsche sees it differently. He wants to complement the villa with a half-kilometer-long car tunnel into the mountain, and an underground garage with space for at least ten vehicles.
Previous authorities in Salzburg have given the green light to the idea, but now protests are growing. Flyers with calls to "stop Porsche's private tunnel" are being distributed in the city. Activist Tobi Rosswog says, according to the APA news agency, that they are proclaiming a "tunnel festival" which will serve as the "scene for protests against this grotesque project".
The tunnel is expected to cost over 100 million kronor, which is more than what Porsche paid for the house in 2020. He plans to pay for the construction himself, but it is still seen as unfair. "When someone has money, the city acts, but when it comes to expanding public transportation, everything suddenly becomes difficult", writes another critic, Nicol Makula, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The now 81-year-old Wolfgang Porsche is the son of "Ferry" Porsche, who in turn was the son of the car manufacturer's founder Ferdinand Porsche (1875–1951).
