Richard Siegfried "Mörtel" Lugner[4] (11 October 1932 – 12 August 2024) was an Austrian businessman in the construction industry, a Viennese society figure, and an independent politician.[5][6][7]
Richard Lugner | |
|---|---|
 Lugner in 2019 | |
| Born | Richard Lugner 11 October 1932 |
| Died | 12 August 2024 (aged 91) Vienna, Austria |
| Occupations |
|
| Spouses |
|
| Children | 4 |
He was known for constructing Vienna’s first mosque and renovating the city’s main synagogue. He also opened Lugner City, a prominent shopping mall, and became famous for inviting celebrities to the Vienna Opera Ball.
Early life and family
editRichard Lugner was born in Vienna, the son of lawyer Richard Lugner Sr. and his wife Leopoldine.[8] His father went missing in 1943 after becoming a prisoner of war in Russia during World War II.[9]
After completing his general school education, Lugner graduated from the Federal Technical and Commercial College specializing in building construction in 1953.[10]
Business career
editLugner spent the first few years of his professional career working for a Viennese construction company and then moved to the construction department of the mineral oil company Mobil Oil Austria.[11] Lugner got a licence to work as a building contractor (Baumeisterkonzession) in 1962 and at first specialized in the building of filling stations and the renovation of old buildings. His company started to prosper, and he eventually became known to a wider public with the 1979 completion of Vienna's first mosque, the Vienna Islamic Centre, situated on the banks of the river Danube.[8] While the majority of his competition at this time was striving for the numerous large contracts of the reconstruction period and economic expansion, Lugner was able to assert himself with his company with relatively small contracts. He also became known for the 1988 renovation of the Stadttempel, Vienna's main synagogue.[11] From 1997, Lugner gradually withdrew from the operative construction business and handed over the management of the construction company, which remained 100% owned by him, to his sons.[12]
Lugner City
editIn 1990, Lugner opened his own shopping mall, Lugner City, the seventh largest shopping center in Austria at the time. Lugner City was opened in a working class district of Vienna, and from the start Lugner aggressively advertised his business by regularly inviting celebrities—starting with Thomas Gottschalk—who would perform there and sign autographs, a marketing strategy not very common in a city that back then had hardly any shopping malls. Through his shopping mall, Lugner was one of a small group of businesspeople who helped change Austrians' shopping habits by pushing to the limits the various regulations concerning opening hours. In a city where shops generally closed at 6 p.m. Mondays to Fridays and from noon on Saturdays until Monday morning, Lugner strongly advocated late night shopping on at least one weekday and an extension of shopping hours to Saturday afternoon, even when that meant raising the trades unions' opposition. Together with his lawyer Adrian Hollaender, Lugner tried several times to overturn the restrictions on store opening hours for Lugner City.[13][14] He opposed the smoking ban in restaurants, even though he was a non-smoker himself.[15] In 2003, Lugner City was transferred to Volksbanken-Immoconsult by means of a leaseback arrangement.[16] Ten years later, the repurchase took place at the earliest possible contractual date by way of a share deal.[17]
In September 2005, he opened the Lugner Kino,[18] a multiplex cinema with 13 auditoriums offering space for 1840 visitors.[19]
Since 2007, a jury at an annual casting in Lugner City chooses an "Opera Ball Princess".[20]
Vienna Opera Ball
edit
In 1992, Mörtel Lugner and Mausi Lugner (his former wife Christina) brought Harry Belafonte to Lugner City, and also took him along to the Vienna Opera Ball. Each year thereafter, the couple would pay a celebrity to visit the shopping centre and then accompany them as their guest to the ball. The only star Lugner was unable to have as his guest, despite several attempts, was Liz Taylor.[21] In November 2023, Lugner stated he would be leaving the decisions on future guests to his daughter Jacqueline.[22]
List of guests of the Vienna Opera Ball[23][better source needed]
edit| Year | Guest(s) |
|---|---|
| 1992 | Harry Belafonte |
| 1993 | Joan Collins[citation needed] |
| 1994 | Ivana Trump[citation needed] |
| 1995 | Sophia Loren[citation needed] |
| 1996 | Grace Jones[citation needed] |
| 1997 | Sarah Ferguson |
| 1998 | Raquel Welch[citation needed] |
| 1999 | Faye Dunaway |
| 2000 | Jacqueline Bisset, Nadja Abd el Farrag[citation needed] |
| 2001 | Farrah Fawcett |
| 2002 | Claudia Cardinale |
| 2003 | Pamela Anderson |
| 2004 | Andie MacDowell |
| 2005 | Geri Halliwell |
| 2006 | Carmen Electra |
| 2007 | Paris Hilton |
| 2008 | Dita Von Teese |
| 2009 | Nicollette Sheridan |
| 2010 | Dieter Bohlen |
| 2011 | Karima "Ruby“ el-Mahroug´ |
| 2012 | Brigitte Nielsen, Roger Moore[citation needed] |
| 2013 | Mira Sorvino, Gina Lollobrigida[citation needed] |
| 2014 | Kim Kardashian, Kris Jenner |
| 2015 | Elisabetta Canalis[citation needed] |
| 2016 | Brooke Shields |
| 2017 | Goldie Hawn[citation needed] |
| 2018 | Melanie Griffith[citation needed] |
| 2019 | Elle Macpherson[citation needed] |
| 2020 | Ornella Muti[citation needed] |
| 2023 | Jane Fonda[citation needed] |
| 2024 | Priscilla Presley[citation needed] |
Political ambitions
editIn the late 1990s, Lugner handed over his business to his two grown sons from an earlier marriage, Alexander and Andreas Lugner, and went into politics. In the 1998 presidential elections, he finished fourth in a field of five candidates, receiving 9.91% of the popular vote; incumbent Federal president Thomas Klestil, who had been running for a second term of office, received 63.4%. For the parliamentary elections that took place the following year, the Lugners organised a separate platform called Die Unabhängigen ("The Independents") but, as they only received 1.02% of the vote, did not get any seats in the Nationalrat. Nevertheless, at the end of the millennium, a survey found that more than 90% of Austrians recognized the name Lugner. For the 2016 presidential election he announced his intention to collect the necessary signatures in order to participate.[24] He received 6,000 supporting votes in time to be admitted to the election[25] and received 2.26% in the first round.[26]
Media appearances
editDie Lugners ("The Lugners") was a reality TV show that first aired in 2003, produced by private television broadcaster ATV which showed Richard and Christina Lugner, their daughter Jacqueline, and Richard Lugner's mother-in-law Martha Haidinger at home, at work, and on holiday. It was modeled on the US series The Osbournes.[27]
Lugner appeared weekly in the show Wir sind Kaiser, which has been broadcast since 2007.[28] In 2010, he played the role of Mr. Buttler at the Karl May Festival in Gföhl.[29] In 2016, he appeared with his then-wife Cathy in the RTL II documentary soap "Lugner und Cathy – Der Millionär und das Bunny."[30]
Controversies
editIn a public controversy in early February 2007, opponents of abortion criticized Lugner for renting out a space in Lugner City to the VenusMed sexual medicine center. This led to a public conflict with Auxiliary bishop Andreas Laun.[31][32]
In 2002, Lugner made a property available to the Church of Scientology for one week for public relations work. In 2011, he wished the organization "all the best for the future" in an email to the president of the Austrian L. Ron Hubbard Foundation, which was criticized as sympathetic to Scientology.[33]
In March 2022, a few days into the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Lugner told the Puls 4 channel in an interview about FPÖ party leader Herbert Kickl, "they should send him to Ukraine sometime so they can shoot him."[34]
Personal life
editLugner had four children: His two sons, Alexander and Andreas Lugner, are from his first marriage from 1961 until 1978 with Christine Gmeiner. He had another child, Nadin, with actress Sonja Jeannine. His youngest child, daughter Jacqueline (born 1993), is from his fourth marriage with Christina Lugner.[4] The couple divorced in 2007.[35][36]
In September 2014, Lugner married German Playboy model Cathy Schmitz at a ceremony held at the Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna.[37] Schmitz was a Playboy Bunny at the Playboy Club in Cologne before being the cover model of German Playboy in 2013. This was Lugner's fifth marriage.[4][38] They divorced in 2016. After their marriage, Schmitz confirmed that she received monthly financial benefits from Lugner in the form of income.[39] In July 2021, his relationship with Simone Reiländer was announced, to whom he became engaged in October. The engagement was broken off in December 2021,[40] followed by reconciliation and marriage in June 2024.[3] When choosing a partner, Lugner often sought advice from astrologer Gerda Rogers.[41]
In October 2019, Lugner unveiled his wax statue at the Madame Tussauds wax museum in Vienna.[42]
In 2016, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, which he declared defeated after several months of radiotherapy in spring 2017.[43] After an injury during a vacation in the Maldives in 2020, he was diagnosed with skin cancer.[44] He subsequently underwent surgery and was found to be cancer-free. The disease returned in 2021, which resulted in another operation.[45] In July 2024, he had to undergo an emergency operation because of a leaky heart valve.[46]
He was given the nickname "Mörtel" by Austrian tabloid journalist Michael Jeannée.[47]
Richard Lugner died in Vienna on 12 August 2024, at the age of 91.[48][49]
Awards
edit- 1987: Awarded the professional title of "Technischer Rat" by the Federal Ministry for Buildings and Technology[50]
- 1992: Awarded the Silver Medal of Honor for Services to the State of Vienna on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of his company[51]
- 2024: Honorary member of the Villach Carnival Guild[52]
References
edit- ^ Fidler-Stolz, Pamela (21 April 2024). "Lugner (91) marries for the sixth and last time". Kronen Zeitung. Archived from the original on 12 August 2024. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
- ^ "Richard Lugner über seine fünf Ex-Frauen: "Cathy war mein größter Flop"". kurier.at (in German). 29 April 2024. Archived from the original on 12 August 2024. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
- ^ a b Deutschland, RedaktionsNetzwerk (2 June 2024). "Richard Lugner heiratet Simone Reiländer". www.rnd.de (in German). Archived from the original on 12 August 2024. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
- ^ a b c Gasteiger, Carolin (13 September 2014). "Richard "Mörtel" Lugner: Hauptsache, die Leute schauen". Süddeutsche.de (in German). Archived from the original on 12 August 2024. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
- ^ "Richard Lugner to Run for Austrian President". Vindobona.org | Vienna International News. Archived from the original on 17 October 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- ^ SPIEGEL, DER (4 March 2011). "A Gem of a Date: 'Bunga Bunga' Meets High Society at the Vienna Opera Ball – DER SPIEGEL – International". Der Spiegel. Archived from the original on 5 July 2022. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- ^ "Billionaire has debts of €65 million". www.thelocal.at. 26 January 2015. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- ^ a b Tanja Fischl (23 April 2024). "Richard Lugner: So erfolgreich ist der Opernball-Stammgast". news.at. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ^ "Opernball? Er ging lieber zur Jagd". FOCUS Online (in German). Archived from the original on 17 October 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
- ^ Robert Jaeger (2 January 2017). "Streber, Fünfer, Nachzipf". diepresse.com. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ^ a b Jonas Vogt (16 March 2023). "Richard Lugner: Der Meister und sein Mörtel". profil.at. Archived from the original on 31 May 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ^ "Ing. Lugner Bau GmbH in Konkurs". derstandard.at. 24 November 2006. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
- ^ "Lugner klagt wegen Menschenrechten". wien.orf.at. 12 November 2012. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
- ^ "Lugner schließt Sonntagsöffnung ab". derstandard.at. Archived from the original on 15 June 2024. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
- ^ "Lugner: Ein Nichtraucher im Kampf für die Raucher". heute.at. 13 September 2021. Archived from the original on 14 June 2024. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
- ^ "Rettung für Lugner". tagblatt-wienerzeitung.at. 1 December 2003. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
- ^ "Lugner kauft Lugner-City". derstandard.at. 6 November 2013. Archived from the original on 9 July 2024. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
- ^ "Lugners Kino City". orf.at. 1 September 2005. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
- ^ "Mörtels cineastische Erlebniswelt". derstandard.at. 12 December 2005. Archived from the original on 25 June 2024. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
- ^ "Lugners Opernball Prinzessin". vienna.at. 27 January 2010. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
- ^ "Lady Gaga der Wunschgast für den Opernball". gala.de. 9 October 2022. Archived from the original on 9 July 2024. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
- ^ "Lugner entscheidet nicht mehr selbst über Opernballgäste". derstandard.de. 13 November 2023. Archived from the original on 9 July 2024. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
- ^ "A brief history of Richard Lugner's Vienna Opera Ball dates". telegraph.co.uk. 5 February 2016. Archived from the original on 26 July 2024. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
- ^ Political Earthquake in Austria Archived 2 July 2022 at the Wayback Machine indicates received 2.4% in lowest turnout on record
- ^ "Wahlbehörde bestätigt: Sechs Kandidaten am Stimmzettel". diepresse.com. 24 March 201. Archived from the original on 21 June 2024. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
- ^ "Wahlergebnisse seit 1951". bundespraesident.at. Archived from the original on 21 June 2024. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
- ^ ""Die Lugners" auf den Spuren der "Osbournes"". derstandard.at. 11 September 2002. Archived from the original on 21 June 2024. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
- ^ "Endlich bekam Richard Lugner seine Audienz beim Kaiser". kleinezeitung.at. 17 February 2020. Archived from the original on 21 June 2024. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
- ^ ""Mörtel"- Lugner umgarnt Berlusconis Gespielin". spiegel.de. 25 February 2019. Archived from the original on 15 August 2024. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
- ^ Anja Rützel (5 January 2016). "Die Margarine und der süße Rammler". spiegel.de. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
- ^ ""Kirchenherren sollen sich zurückhalten"". derstandard.at. 6 June 2007. Archived from the original on 16 July 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
- ^ "Debatte um Abtreibungen in Lugner-City: Schönborn will 'Mörtel' nicht exkommunizieren". news.at. 5 February 2007. Archived from the original on 19 September 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
- ^ Marc Felix Serrao (12 June 2012). "Mörtels umstrittene Zeltgäste". sueddeutsche.de. Archived from the original on 20 July 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
- ^ "Lugner will Kickl "in die Ukraine schicken, damit sie ihn erschießen"". oe24.at. 1 March 2022. Archived from the original on 16 July 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
- ^ "Die Lugners sind geschieden". wiev1.orf.at. 2 August 2012. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
- ^ Sebastian Berning (3 May 2024). "Im Sommer heiratet er zum sechsten Mal". focus.de. Archived from the original on 1 June 2024. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
- ^ "Richard Lugner heiratete Cathy Schmitz". derstandard.at. 13 September 2014. Archived from the original on 15 August 2024. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
- ^ Playboy Model Cathy Schmitz, Aged 24, Marries 81-Year-Old Billionaire Richard Lugner Archived 13 August 2022 at the Wayback Machine, Toyin Owoseje, International Business Times 15 September 2014
- ^ "Abrechnung mit Ex-Mann Richard Lugner". gala.de. 12 December 2016. Archived from the original on 29 February 2024. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
- ^ "Richard »Mörtel« Lugner trennt sich von seiner Verlobten". spiegel.de. 27 December 2021. Archived from the original on 19 September 2023. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
- ^ Anton Rainer, Nora Gantenbrink (12 November 2023). ""Es gibt Frauen, die mich unbedingt wollen"". spiegel.de. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
- ^ "Richard Lugner enthüllte sein Ebenbild bei Madame Tussauds". kleinezeitung.at. 10 October 2019. Archived from the original on 19 September 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
- ^ Herbert Neubauer (16 January 2019). "Richard Lugner hat den Krebs besiegt". diepresse.com. Archived from the original on 15 August 2024. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
- ^ "Krebsdiagnose – Sorge um Baulöwe Richard Lugner". heute.at. 13 September 2021. Archived from the original on 29 November 2023. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
- ^ Lisa Trompisch (18 March 2021). "Wieder Krebsdiagnose für Richard Lugner". kurier.at. Archived from the original on 22 December 2023. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
- ^ "Richard Lugner erfolgreich am Herzen operiert". standard.at. 17 July 2024. Archived from the original on 23 July 2024. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
- ^ Boris Halva (10 October 2022). "Der schüchterne Löwe". fr.de. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
- ^ Smekal, Caecilia; Baldauf, Michael; Kainz, Carina; ORF.at, alle (12 August 2024). "1932–2024: Richard Lugner ist tot". news.ORF.at (in German). Archived from the original on 12 August 2024. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
- ^ "Vienna Opera Ball stalwart Lugner dies aged 91". France 24. Agence France-Presse. 12 August 2024. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
- ^ ""Ich würde für mehr Glamour in der Hofburg sorgen, denn die politische Macht des Bundespräsidenten ist äußerst begrenzt."". tagblatt-wienerzeitung.at. Archived from the original on 23 July 2024. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
- ^ "75 Jahre, vier Ehen und 17 Ballgäste". wiev1.orf.at. 11 October 2007. Archived from the original on 23 July 2024. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
- ^ Leonie Katholnig (3 February 2024). "Der Villacher Fasching hat einen neuen Ehren-Narren". kleinezeitung.at. Archived from the original on 25 February 2024. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
External links
edit