History

1869

PORR starts its business activities as "Allgemeine österreichische Baugesellschaft". On 8 April 1869, the company is listed for the first time on the Vienna Stock Exchange. By the turn of the century it has constructed no fewer than 108 buildings in Vienna - including numerous Ringstrasse buildings and hotels as well as seven exhibition pavilions on the occasion of the World Exhibition of 1873.

These include the house in Philharmoniker Strasse in Vienna's 1st district, built from 1873 to 1874. It was acquired by Eduard Sacher and opened two years later as the luxury Hotel Sacher.

1908

Around the turn of the century, rapid progress is made in the field of reinforced concrete construction. It makes sense to win over its most important expert. In 1908, the A. Porr Betonbau company was founded together with the civil engineer Arthur Porr. He was one of the world's leading engineers and construction pioneers of his time. He revolutionised reinforced concrete construction and made Austria the leading country in construction technology.

1920s

After the First World War, housing construction comes to a virtual standstill. But there is no stopping the pioneering spirit: PORR erects numerous support and guyed masts in often inhospitable and difficult-to-access areas. To this day, these so-called PORR masts supply remote areas with electricity.

PORR also consolidates its position in road construction and makes a significant contribution to the expansion of the transport infrastructure in Austria. At the end of the 1920s, numerous tram tracks in Vienna are laid in rolled asphalt to promote urban development.

1927

Allgemeine Baugesellschaft merges with A. Porr Betonbau-Unternehmung to form "Allgemeine Baugesellschaft - A. Porr Aktiengesellschaft". In 1930, the company launches the Grossglockner High Alpine Road, a challenging construction project of superlatives and the highest precision, with work in largely undeveloped territory at an altitude of up to 2,600 metres.

1938 - 1945

After Austria's annexation by the German Reich, Allgemeine Baugesellschaft - A. Porr AG is also brought into line with the Nazi regime. Employees who were politically unpopular or - in the diction of the Nazi regime - "non-Aryan" had to leave. This leads to a total change both at the top of the company and in the shareholder structure. At the end of a series of transactions, the German noble house of Hanover-Braunschweig-Lüneburg controls 42.7% of the share capital.

During the war, orders are also accepted from the German Todt organisation. All the large companies at this time use prisoners of war and "foreign workers" as well as prisoners. Allgemeine Baugesellschaft - A. Porr AG is commissioned as a subcontractor of IG-Farbindustrie AG, which is active in Auschwitz from 1941, for pile driving and structural engineering work. This is followed by the construction of a switch house in Auschwitz in 1942 and foundation work in Parchwitz in 1944.

1950s

After the Second World War, PORR is intensively involved in the reconstruction of Austria. Among other things, with the expansion of the Mariazell federal road across Lower Austria. Prestigious buildings such as the Vienna State Opera also have to be rebuilt. In this way, PORR actively contributes to leading Austria into a new and successful future.

1960s

The 1960s intensify work on a series of projects to use the Danube as an energy source. The construction of the Tauern power plant Glockner-Kaprun from 1951 to 1955 is the first in a series of notable power plant projects. PORR continues to play a significant role until the 1990s.

During the construction of the Ybbs-Persenbeug power plant, a spectacular new excavation technique is used for the first time. In order to make the construction pits watertight, planks are driven into the river bed for weeks before the actual work can begin.

1970s

The New Austrian Tunnelling Method is revolutionising civil engineering worldwide, laying the foundations for efficient tunnelling work that is constantly being further developed. Ready-mixed concrete becomes increasingly popular in cities, and PORR is also involved in the development of new road surfaces.

With the founding of subsidiaries outside of Austria, PORR positions itself as an international group from the 1970s onwards.

1983

Even before the fall of the "Iron Curtain", PORR recognises the potential in Eastern Europe. The airport in Budapest is one of PORR's largest construction projects in Hungary from 1983-1985. Further international airport projects follow in Germany, Switzerland and Romania.

1989

The Slab Track system is a joint development between PORR and ÖBB. First installed in 1989, it has been the standard system in Austria since 1995 and is used successfully internationally. Slab Track Austria technology is used in high-speed, mainline, suburban railway and underground as well as tunnel refurbishment projects. For example, in Stuttgart 21 Lot C in Germany and the Koralm Tunnel in Austria.

2011

The group is restructured and PORR Bau GmbH is founded. In 2013 the company name is changed to PORR AG. Three years later the decision is made to spin off the real estate division - PORR becomes a "pure player", a pure construction company.

As a European construction company, PORR concentrates on its strong home markets and expands its project markets, ensuring "intelligent growth" in the long term. With the restructuring, project markets such as Qatar, Norway and Great Britain are opened up in the following years.

2019

PORR is celebrating its 150th anniversary as one of Austria's largest construction companies and is one of the top players in Europe. As a full-service provider, it offers all services in building construction, civil engineering and infrastructure construction along the entire value chain in seven home markets.

This includes major contracts such as the construction of the Sibiu-Pitesti motorway, which stretches 123 km through Romania and thus represents one of Europe's most important connections to the Black Sea.

Today

As part of its Green and Lean strategy, PORR formulates answers to the major challenges facing society: decarbonisation, digitalisation, demographics and deglobalisation. For example, PORR helped to develop the Sequello platform, is considered the largest recycler in the construction industry in Austria, is expanding the alternative energy sector and is developing innovative new building materials.

Through energy-efficient and resource-saving construction, PORR, as Europe's leading infrastructure construction company, lives up to its ecological and social responsibility. Its largest projects include the Pfons-Brenner section of the Brenner Base Tunnel, the construction of buildings at the BMW plant in Munich and the record-breaking SKYSAWA skyscraper in Warsaw.