Windhaag near Perg is the regional winner in Upper Austria. Townscape Prize 2025!

Windhaag near Perg is the regional winner in Upper Austria. Townscape Prize 2025!

On September 23, 2025, the Upper Austria. The 2025 Townscape Prize was awarded, and Windhaag near Perg emerged as the state winner. The “Village and Urban Development in Upper Austria” program aims to improve the quality of life in residential areas. The award ceremony took place as part of the 33rd edition of the Upper Austria. Townscape Fair 2023 will take place in Frankenburg am Hausruck. State Councilor for Economic and Spatial Planning Markus Achleitner praised the trade fair as a showcase for village and urban development and pointed out the high importance of the initiative.

The state winner, Windhaag near Perg, received the prize for the “Priorat Community Center”. This award comes with a sculpture, a certificate and a monetary amount of 5,000 euros. In addition, quarter winners were also recognized, each receiving 2,000 euros. The quarter winners include:

• Innviertel: Marktgemeinde Aspach für die „Neugestaltung des Ortsplatzes“.
• Mühlviertel: Gemeinde St. Oswald bei Haslach für den „Steilstufenwirt“.
• Traunviertel: Marktgemeinde Vorchdorf für den Umbau des ehemaligen Schmuckkastls zur Bäckerei-Café GWÖLB.
• Hausruckviertel: Marktgemeinde Lambach für den „Generationenpark Klostergartl“.

Award details

The award ceremony recognizes remarkable projects that advance the development of the townscape. The current figures show that 282 communities and 232 clubs in Upper Austria. Village and urban development programs are active. Five new communities were added to the program in 2023: Freinberg, Hinzenbach, Neufelden, Waldneukirchen and Gilgenberg am Weilhart.

The state winner's project is particularly noteworthy: the “Priorat Community Center” was completed in May 2024 after 16 years of renovation in four construction stages. Formerly a monastery from the late 17th century, it was acquired by the community in 2008 and is now a modern space for a variety of uses.

Successful quarter winners

The quarter winners also impressed with innovative projects. Aspach has upgraded its town square through greening measures and new meeting points. In St. Oswald near Haslach, the old elementary school was reactivated and will open in June 2025 as the “Steilstufewirt”. In Vorchdorf, a listed building was converted into Café GWÖLB, which contributed to the improvement of the public space. Lambach's generation park “Klostergartl” serves as a place for cross-generational encounters and relaxation.

The Upper Austria. The townscape fair impressively shows the potential that communities have to improve the quality of life. The award-winning projects are examples of the success of village and urban development in Upper Austria, which is also confirmed by ooe.orf.at.

Further information about the award ceremony and the winning projects can be found at kommunal.at.