16 Jul Bern.Dorf – A Place That Creates Opportunities
This village follows the rhythms of a factory, but the values of a community. And you can feel it: ingenuity is in the air. Not just because Aichelin—the international leader in heat treatment—operates at this location. The fire in the furnaces has remained, because passion burns on. An expedition through layers of paint and master cabins.
The spacious halls at the Mödling site are no longer needed on this scale for the highly specialized production of Aichelin furnaces. Their magnificent shed roofs now shed light on new uses and new possibilities. Within these walls, the pulse of machinery and productivity can still be felt. Remnants of long shifts and a close-knit workforce are still visible; sometimes subtle, sometimes distinct, the history can even be smelled in the occasional whiff of oil.
Old postcards, fan stickers, and calendar pages on the walls are proof that this wasn’t just a place to work—it was also a place to live. The values that were held dear by the staff are set to return to this place.
In the future, this place will combine the best of both worlds: the productivity of a factory and the warmth of a village—industrial halls will be transformed into open workshops, think tanks, shared workspaces, sports courts, and event spaces. In the spirit of a village community, the village green at the heart of the site will come alive, and Mödling will gain a new village square.
Thus, the (already demolished) cold storage facility will be transformed into a sustainable wooden building for the internationally renowned company, which will retain its headquarters in Mödling. The property owner, Berndorf Immobilien AG, aims to preserve as much of the existing structures on the site as possible and repurpose them without sealing off additional land. On the contrary: A fountain will soon be splashing in the center of the “village square.” The names of the halls and rooms draw inspiration from the site’s successful history. Virtual walks through the village are also available at www.bern-dorf.at.
An Invitation to Entrepreneurs, Visionaries, and Village Strollers
The first Village People have already moved in. But as always with our projects, we place great importance on building a vibrant community. If you’d like to become a Village Person, please contact us right away at https://www.bern-dorf.at/anfrage/ or come to the first village festival on July 23. You can find all the information here: https://www.bern-dorf.at/grand-opening-am-23-juli/
