Interview: Why an Austrian is buying the artificial island of Ostervilm in the Greifswald Bodden

Tell me, Mr Pesendorfer, what’s a Styrian doing on an island in the Baltic Sea?

I’m not quite sure myself yet. If your readers have any ideas, I’m still open to suggestions.

That said, it’s quite an expensive project you’ve got off the ground there – how much have you spent on the island?

60,000 euros, but the rescue will cost a further 1.5 million euros.

Why so much?

The island consists of a 720-square-metre platform resting on around 600 piles in water 10 metres deep. They are surrounded by a concrete ring, which is crumbling and needs to be repaired.

But that didn’t stop you from buying it…

Before the auction, it wasn’t possible to view the island at all. But now we were there and assessed the current state of affairs so that we could decide what needed to be repaired, how and when.

So, you bought a pig in a poke?

We’d seen videos beforehand, and it was already clear from those that the island was in a bad state. But we couldn’t have foreseen just how bad it actually is. Last winter, the pressure from the ice caused some of the crevasses to widen even further. There is a real need to carry out repairs as soon as possible. That is exactly what we intend to do, to prevent the island from falling apart.

How did you first come across Ostervilm, anyway?

A colleague of mine came across it. An Austrian newspaper article reported on the auction. So we decided to buy it and with our Mc Cube products to implement a sustainable regeneration plan.

Will you be listing one of your prefabricated houses on the platform?

We’ll set up one or two there, but our main focus is on sustainability and the environment. And we realised fairly quickly that events or a large building wouldn’t make sense, because the island can’t support that much and the authorities would probably not grant permission.

How do you intend to finance the project?

I bought the island together with my business partner, Daniel Pflieger, and We are transferring them to a co-operative that we are currently setting up. A total of 999 shares, each worth 999 euros, can be purchased.

And can these shareholders then decide for themselves how it is used?

Have a say, not make the decisions. Everyone has a vote and everyone can have their say.

Has there been any feedback yet?

Yes, an astonishing amount. Immediately after the first report in *Bild*, I think we sold between 150 and 180 shares. And we’re still receiving emails and enquiries to this day. It really is astonishing just how much interest there is.

Did that already go hand in hand with suggestions as to what might be done about it?

No, not at all. People are simply keen to get involved. What we do know already is that we’ll be having a YouTube creator work on something there who takes a very creative approach to buildings. I can’t say any more than that at the moment, as we haven’t signed a contract yet. However, there’s also the possibility that other YouTubers will produce content there on the island.

What sort of content might that be?

You know what they’re like – they tend to come up with rather crazy ideas. We’ve also been in talks with a medium-sized yacht manufacturer about whether we could hold a yacht presentation there once the event space has been adapted and is ready. They weren’t averse to the idea. But nothing’s been finalised yet.

And when sailors approach you with ideas for how to use it…

…go ahead. The drive-in for pleasure boats has, however, already been ruled out. But we’re very open to all suggestions. I’m a keen sailor myself, though so far I’ve only sailed on the Adriatic.

At the moment, it’s not easy to moor at the island.

But jetties will definitely be built, making it possible to moor on the leeward side at all times, so you’ll be able to moor a sailing boat there too.

Does that mean visitors can moor there? Or is the island reserved for comrades?

We still need to discuss that. The bigger problem in recent years has been vandalism. If we simply make it freely accessible, that could happen again. But there will definitely be a way for sailing ships to moor there.

The next port is Lauterbach on Rügen…

… That’s right, I think that’s three nautical miles, so not far.

Will there be a shuttle service for day visitors during the season?

That’s already been considered. But to do that, you’d first need the jetty and then people who can provide the service – in other words, external companies. You’d need a larger boat to be able to operate regardless of the weather; otherwise, someone might have booked a trip to the island but be unable to get across because the waves are too high.

What motivates you to save a dilapidated GDR facility, situated in the middle of the water in the deepest inland region, from certain ruin?

The intention to preserve something of value. Not simply to say: ‘Nobody’s doing anything, so we won’t do anything either.’

• Click here for information about the co-operative
• Click here to visit the Ostervilm Island page