Hackerberg in transition: Citizens are calling for a say in street names!

Hackerberg in transition: Citizens are calling for a say in street names!

In the small town of Hackerberg, where over 370 people live and the streets are named after the year of construction of the houses, a fundamental change is imminent. Mayor Karin Kirisits (ÖVP) plans to introduce official street names to facilitate orientation for rescue organizations. A new Burgenland postcode is also to be introduced. These decisions were taken in the local council a year ago, but the population is split. The initiative "We for Hackerberg" criticizes that the decision was made without sufficient citizen participation. In a conversation with ORF Burgenland, they explained that the blue light organizations and the mail use the existing systems and that the introduction of street names was not necessary.

referendum threatens to fail

The mayor emphasizes that information about the project was presented at an evening event and that many citizens submitted suggestions. However, the information evening is also questioned, since a representative of the initiative claims that incorrect information and dissatisfied street names were chosen that do not reflect on what the residents want. Although a referendum is planned on July 6, 2025, Riedl fears that this decision will not be made due to legal doubts. In the past few months there have been numerous collections of signatures, votes and paper war on this topic, which has led to confusion.

At the same time, the name of streets is discussed in Ried. The existing street name catalog brings interesting information about various streets and its historical background, including names of locally important people such as Georg Achleitner and Adalbert Stifter. These insights into the naming show that many streets in Ried are named after historical characters that have played an important role in the history or culture of the region, while the discussion in Hackerberg continues to select the street names, as the local reporting on ried.at