Klosterneuburg unveils plans for former Magdeburg barracks

Klosterneuburg has presented initial plans to redevelop the former Magdeburg barracks, according to ORF. The proposed Pionierviertel district would focus on education, housing, jobs, business and public safety.

About 7.3 hectares are planned for housing, workplaces and emergency services, while around two hectares would be reserved for an education campus. On Friday, the municipal council will ask the Lower Austrian government to carry out an individual-case assessment under the Environmental Impact Assessment Act. The result is expected in the first quarter of 2027.

The city said it would then prepare a detailed development plan. At the same time, negotiations are to begin on a spatial-planning agreement and the groundwork for a rezoning procedure.

The largely unused, sealed-off site has been the subject of a cooperative redevelopment process since 2014. Mayor Christoph Kaufmann said the city’s vision for the currently vacant Pionierviertel would be adapted to changed conditions while building on the original plan developed with broad public participation.

With effective flood protection along the Danube, the city believes new housing could be built on the site. Kaufmann said he wanted to prevent young people from continuing to leave because Klosterneuburg lacked suitable housing for them.

Funding for a new location for the private secondary school was recently secured by the federal government and Lower Austria. Deputy Mayor Maria Theresia Eder said the site could also provide enough space for the required middle school and, for example, a special-needs school. Modern office and workplace facilities are also planned, while an emergency response centre, such as for the Red Cross, is another possibility.