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HIDDEN TREASURES

Porsche heir’s incredible plan to build £8.5m underground supercar garage inside a MOUNTAIN – with secret tunnel network

The villa once belonged to Austria's famed Jewish writer Stefan Zweig
An image collage containing 2 images, Image 1 shows Aerial view of Salzburg, Austria, showing the Salzach River, historic architecture, and the Kapuzinerberg hill, Image 2 shows Claudia Huebner and Wolfgang Porsche at the Salzburg Festival

THE heir to Porsche has announced plans to build a private tunnel and underground garage beneath his mansion.

Wolfgang Porsche's £8.5million project, reminiscent of a James Bond villain's lair, has sparked outrage in Salzburg.

Claudia Huebner and Wolfgang Porsche at the Salzburg Festival.
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Wolfgang Porsche, with his former wife, Claudia Huebner in 2017Credit: Getty
Aerial view of Salzburg, Austria, showing the Salzach River, historic architecture, and the Kapuzinerberg hill.
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The 81-year-old plans to drill an underground private tunnel below his villa on the KapuzinerbergCredit: Getty
Illustration of proposed 500m tunnel to Wolfgang Porsche's Salzburg home, sparking protests.
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The 81-year-old struck a deal with the Austrian city's former conservative mayor, Harald Preuner, in 2024.

It included plans to drill an underground private tunnel below his 17th-century villa on the Kapuzinerberg.

It would allow him to park up to a dozen of his cars underneath the Paschinger Schlössl.

Under the deal, the billionaire paid €40,000 to gain the rights to dig a tunnel on city-owned land.

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A steep and narrow road that can turn icy when temperatures drop currently leads up to Porsche's mansion.

Some politicians have complained that the city council had not been briefed about the heir's plans.

Local Green leader Ingeborg Haller has led the protest criticising what she called a "back-door deal" that was handled in a "very intransparent" way.

"Salzburg is UNESCO-listed. We are also in a nature reserve here and this is simply a highly sensitive area," Haller said.

She said any kind of "special treatment for the super-rich" was unacceptable.

In response to criticism, a court-certified expert was appointed by the incumbent Social Democratic mayor, Bernhard Auinger.

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According to the expert's report made public, the compensation paid by Porsche was deemed "appropriate".

Porsche bought the historic villa located near a Capuchin monastery on the forested hill in 2020.

The mansion, which is currently under renovation, once belonged to Austria's famed Jewish writer Stefan Zweig.

Zweig lived there for 15 years and penned several well-known works there before fleeing to Britain during the rise of Nazism.

The city council is expected to decide in mid-May whether or not to let the project go ahead as planned.

It would have to approve a zoning plan change for the garage.

Wolfgang is the grandson of Austrian-born Ferdinand Porsche, who founded the car company.

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He acts as the chairman of Porsche's supervisory board.

A spokesman for Wolfgang Porsche declined to comment on what he called a "private matter" with no connection to the Porsche company, a subsidiary of the German car giant Volkswagen.

The Paschinger Schlössl, viewed from a pathway with a small shrine.
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A steep and narrow road that can turn icy currently leads up to Porsche's mansionCredit: Google Maps
Black and white photo of Stefan Zweig in Salzburg.
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The mansion once belonged to Austria's famed Jewish writer Stefan ZweigCredit: Getty - Contributor
Wolfgang Porsche, chairman of the board of Porsche AG, in a Porsche 911.
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Wolfgang acts as the chairman of Porsche's supervisory boardCredit: Alamy
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