Rubble removed and old inn demolished
The Münzkirchen firm's work at the Turmareal has pleased Mayor Stefan Krennbauer and hikers using the popular 810 A long-distance trail, according to Passauer Neue Presse. Visitors can enjoy autumn views toward Passau, the city of three rivers, and the Bavarian Forest.
The cleanup included both the collapsed tower's remains and demolition of the adjoining Turmgasthof, an inn abandoned years earlier. Grünberger estimated that the remaining tower rubble alone amounted to nearly 700 cubic meters. Construction rubble, metal, cables and wood were separated for proper, environmentally sound disposal or recycling.
Fronberg is one of Passau's local mountains and is home to the ORF Schardenberg transmitter. The Fatima pilgrimage chapel stands in the Fronwald east of the summit.
Insurance dispute held up the cleanup
The tower collapsed on May 10, 2024. Its owner, Passau entrepreneur Hans Wimmer, said authorities had inspected its structural stability in October 2023 and found it sound.
Wimmer and his insurer have remained at odds over the cause of the collapse, delaying clearance for years, according to meinbezirk.at. The parties put the damage at around 2 million euros.
In June 2026, Krennbauer issued a removal order covering the rubble and the Turmgasthof. It required the tower's remains to be cleared by the end of August 2026.
A landmark closed since 2016
Built in 1929, the eight-story masonry viewing tower stood 32 meters tall. It succeeded a 30-meter wooden tower erected in 1886.
The masonry tower underwent restoration in 1994 and later also served as a mobile communications site. Structural deterioration led to its closure to visitors in 2016, eight years before it collapsed.
Replacement plans await the owner's next step
Plans presented to Schardenberg's municipal council call for a 43-meter reinforced-concrete viewing tower clad in larch wood. Visitors would reach a 36-square-meter viewing platform on the seventh floor by climbing 182 steps or taking a panoramic elevator. A new restaurant building with a panoramic terrace is also planned.
For now, Wimmer is prioritizing another project in his orchards at Passauer Klosterberg, where he has begun work on what is planned to be one of the region's largest agri-PV installations.
Christian Hartinger, who looks after the tower site, said the redevelopment could take more concrete shape at the end of 2026 or in January 2027. The proposed sequence is to build the new viewing tower first, followed by the new inn.
