Strabag

Origins

The business has its origins in two businesses:

Baumeister Lerchbaumer-Isola-KG, which was founded as a craft workshop business known in 1835. The business was developed by Anton Lerchbaumer (1879–1954) and his son-in-law, Franz Isola (1901–1968). It evolved to become Baumeister Lerchbaumer-Isola-KG in 1929. In 1954 Anton Lerchbaumer senior died. Franz Isola became the sole manager of the largest private building company in Austria. In 1968 Franz Isola died and Anton Lerchbaumer junior (1913–1974) became manager of the company. The company became known as Ilbau AG in 1972.

Strassenwalzenbetrieb was founded in 1895 and known as Strabag from 1930.

Holocaust profiteering

Strabag was one of the main profiteers of the Nazi building projects during World War II and before. It was a main contractor of Todt organisation and built concentration camps, the Westwall and Norway's Blood Road. The British Secret Service report concluded "[...] Enough large building firms offered their services to put the entire construction [of the Westwall, S.G.] on a voluntary basis. [...] Nor is there any basis later for assuming that firms in any large numbers became so reluctant to work for the OT as to make mass conscriptions of such concerns necessary. This willingness is due to the attractive profits obtainable from OT contracts."

Later history

These two businesses came under the common ownership of Bibag Bauindustrie Beteiligungs Aktiengesellschaft (subsequently renamed Strabag SE) – a company listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange – in 1998. In 1999, Strabag acquired Strabag. In the same year, the company was delisted from the Vienna Stock exchange.

In 2000, the holding company Bauholding Strabag (or Strabag SE since 2006) started a strong brand strategy throughout Europe, unifying all under the core brand "Strabag". In Austria Ilbau and Stuag merged into the new Strabag AG. The following year, the holding company became the major shareholder in German company Strabag AG, based in Cologne.

Subsequent acquisitions included Deutsche Asphalt GmbH in 2002, Walter Bau Group in 2005, a majority stake in Ed. Züblin in 2005, Adanti SpA, KIRCHNER Holding GmbH, F. Kirchhoff AG and Deutsche Telekom Immobilien und Service GmbH in 2008.

In 2007, Strabag SE launched its initial public offering on the Vienna Stock Exchange.