That's how Richard Lugner became the "Murderer".
Richard Lugner was a phenomenon. He caused decades of massive media frenzy - and overshadowed the serious side of his life.
Even just before his death, Richard "Concrete" Lugner was omnipresent. He married publicly at the age of 91 to a much younger woman. "Marrying for the sixth time at that age is either radically romantic or has pragmatic reasons," wrote the Austrian "Standard".
Lugner - known beyond his home country of Austria - gained fame through his media-savvy appearances at the Vienna Opera Ball, accompanied by Hollywood stars who received a hefty fee. And then there were his marriages to much younger women, whom he dubbed with animal names - "Mausi", "Hasi", "Kafer", "Bambi", "Kolibri".
Lugner was born in Vienna in 1932. He shaped the city not only as a flamboyant, pain-free "party lion", but also as a coolly calculating construction entrepreneur. His life's work is the "Lugner City" shopping center in Austria's capital, with 110 stores and 56,000 rentable square meters.
There, Lugner had an office on the third floor until his death and still worked there for at least nine hours a day, according to "Profil". "Because it's fun. And because I still can," he told the magazine. Lugner may not be the quickest anymore and his hearing is not the best. "But for 90 years, he's fit as a fiddle," said "Profil".
Mosque, Church, Synagogue
Lugner started in the construction industry in the 50s. He was active in the construction department of the oil company Mobil Oil Austria, among others. In 1962, he became self-employed and founded his company, Baumeister Ing. Richard Lugner GmbH. His first deal: renovation work in a Vienna hourly hotel. Lugner took on no job too small. He specialized in the renovation of old buildings and the construction of gas stations, and his company grew quickly.
With a major project, Lugner achieved business breakthrough: in 1975, he received an order from Saudi Arabia to build a mosque in Vienna. Lugner held his first press conference, and many more followed for the rest of his life. "The public Richard Lugner is born," as "Profil" puts it.
Among the next Vienna projects of the engineer were the conversion of an archducal palace into the seat of the OPEC fund, the Greek-Oriental Church on the Fleischmarkt, and a synagogue. The Steffl shopping center and the delicatessen store "Julius Meinl" in the heart of Vienna also belonged to his projects.
His most famous and largest project began in the 80s. He bought the first plot of land for "Lugner City". In 1990, the shopping center was opened and expanded piece by piece in the following years. At times, Lugner's construction company had more than 600 employees. Lugner reached his professional peak and earned the nickname "Concrete".
Millions saved on real estate transfer tax
He was the best marketing tool himself. The stars he hired for the Opera Ball had to give press conferences and autograph sessions in the shopping center. Just last week, he posted a spot on Facebook, in which he, standing on crutches and accompanied by his wife, promoted a piercing studio in his shopping center.
End of the 90s, Lugner handed over the leadership of his construction company to one of his sons. The company faced significant financial difficulties, nearing bankruptcy. Lugner sold the shopping center to a subsidiary of a Volksbank and leased it back. His construction company recovered, and Lugner bought the Volksbank subsidiary, renaming it "Lugner Immo GmbH" - and his life's work was his again. The "Standard" notes that Lugner saved millions in real estate transfer tax through this deal.
However, the relationship between father and son has suffered from this failed handover, the newspaper writes. The two barely speak to each other. The son still has his office in the "Lugner City". Lugner's youngest daughter, Jacqueline, is also not on good terms with her father because he revealed a private detail about her life. Jacqueline Lugner runs the cinema with eleven halls in the shopping center.
For his succession at the top of the company, Lugner seemed to have decided on someone else shortly before his death: In June, he married Simone Reiländer. "She fits very well with me professionally, and also in terms of astrology," Lugner told the "Standard" in May. The 42-year-old was deputy branch manager at the Hornbach DIY chain and started working in the "Lugner City" - as Simone Lugner. "If she works in the company and is the boss, she should also be called Lugner," said "Mörtel".
At the heart of the Lugner empire are two foundations, to which the builder has reportedly transferred large parts of his wealth. Six GmbHs belong to Lugner himself, partly to the foundations, and partly both Lugner and the foundations are the owners.
According to the "Kurier", Lugner's company network had debts of around 40 million euros in February. "The foundation and Lugner Immo currently have these debts with the Erste Bank," Lugner told the newspaper. "I pay my credit installments regularly, and what's around it is not burdened and also has some value." The central company is the Lugner Sons Private Foundation, which, according to Lugner, is "positive" economically.
The debts are due to the sale and repurchase of the "Lugner City", with mortgages being entered for the financing bank. The costs have been divided over 99 years, which generates the debts. "Therefore, the debts are still there, but they are only on paper," said Lugner. "I can't explain it to you exactly, only my tax consultant can do that."
The "Kurier" reported that Lugner Immo GmbH showed 132.1 million euros in liabilities and 14.67 million euros in net loss for the 2022 financial year. Lugner City GmbH, Lugner Garages GmbH, and Lugner Kino GmbH had a positive balance sheet.
Lugner will be remembered not as an entrepreneur, but as a flamboyant spectacle. He twice attempted to enter politics in a high-profile manner: in 1998 and 2016, he ran for the position of federal president. In 1998, he achieved a respectable result of almost ten percent of the votes, but in 2016, he only got 2.3 percent. In the reality TV show "The Lugners", "Mörtel" revealed his private life in around 100 episodes on Austrian television.
"I am satisfied with my life," Lugner told the "Standard" in 2021. "I've made mistakes, but overall, it was okay. I haven't missed out on anything."
Despite his extravagant personal life and media-savvy antics, Richard Lugner was not one to hide his business dealings. "I'm not going to lie," he once admitted, referring to his financial transactions involving the "Lugner City" shopping center.
In the latter stages of his life, Lugner's company faced significant financial difficulties, nearing bankruptcy. However, Lugner managing to save millions in real estate transfer tax through a clever deal to buy back the shopping center, demonstrating his shrewd business acumen.
