Innsbruck, 22 July 2026
The KHM-Museumsverband and the director of Schloss Ambras Innsbruck, Veronika Sandbichler, have agreed to the amicable termination of their employment relationship and will not comment further on the background of the months-long conflict.
Background of the Conflict
The settlement was reached after weeks of tension between the Vienna KHM headquarters and the site management in Tyrol. As the KHM-Museumsverband announced on Tuesday in a joint press release, both sides affirm that „the collaboration is being ended by mutual agreement and refrain from further statements on the background“. According to the release, confidentiality was agreed upon regarding the precise details of the arrangement.
The conflict had publicly intensified in March of this year after Sandbichler accused the leadership of a „toxic leadership culture“. The KHM had subsequently terminated the director, who had been on leave since the end of March, by year-end. This termination only became publicly known on 10 July. Sandbichler's attorney Martin Maxl announced at the time that he would challenge the termination in court.
The External Expert Opinion
In the background, an external expert opinion by labor law specialist Sieglinde Gahleitner had already been prepared in mid-June. It exonerated Director General Jonathan Fine and his management colleague Paul Frey. Sandbichler herself had raised the accusations against the KHM leadership, without the specific details of the expert opinion being made public.