Salzburg abolishes free urinals and raises toilet fees in the old town to one euro

Background: Unequal treatment when using toilets

With the increase to one euro, the existing price difference between the sexes is eliminated. All users are to pay the same amount in the old town. Dankl also emphasized that equal treatment when using toilets is "kein Luxus, sondern Pflicht" ("not a luxury, but an obligation"). This will also remedy a long-standing organizational and financial shortcoming.

The financing of the toilet facilities also plays a role in the measure. According to Dankl, day tourists would "endlich einen Beitrag leisten" ("finally make a contribution"). The city hopes that the uniform fee will generate additional revenue to ensure the operation and cleaning of the toilets in the heavily frequented city center.

Fees also for day tourists

According to Dankl, the change applies only to the city center area around Salzburg's old town. In the other districts outside the old town, however, the toilets would "weiterhin kostenlos" ("continue to be free of charge"). This means that the offer of free toilets outside the core tourist area is retained for local residents and less mobile people.

Exceptions outside the old town

The exact effects on the existing urinal infrastructure are still unclear. It is unclear whether the existing urinals will be dismantled or repurposed, and how many additional paid toilet cabins will be created in the old town. The city has also not yet publicly specified the timeline for the switchover.

The case is part of a broader debate about equal treatment in public space, which is also being held in Vienna, for example. Comparable models in other Austrian cities show that the question of who may use which toilet at what price is regularly politically charged. In Salzburg, the reform should now at least bring clarity at the municipal level.

One thing is certain: With the end of the free urinals, a decades-old privilege for men is disappearing from Salzburg's city center, which was considered no longer timely by parts of the population. The uniform fee of one euro is to ensure in the future that all visitors to the old town are treated equally.