They say it’s the highest museum in Europe for vintage motorcycles, and a year ago it burnt to the ground and took a vast collection of interesting and valuable bikes with it.
During the early morning hours of January 18 of 2021, fire crews were rushing up the mountain towards the enormous timber-framed museum. But when they arrived, they found the structure fully involved and, as it was not fitted with fire suppression equipment, the building was beyond saving. It’s still not known where or how the fire started, but the remote location posed additional challenges in putting out the fire. What is known is that the blaze destroyed many rare and precious machines.
The Top Motorcycle Museum is located high in the mountains of Austria near a ski resort in Hochgurgl. While it may not be as expansive as the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum in Alabama, it did include a wonderfully varied and curated selection of motorcycles.
After the fire, the museum’s owners pledged to rebuild, but at the time, that plan seemed to be so much wishful thinking on their part. But even as they were faced with the construction challenges of building atop a mountain and battling the vagaries of the pandemic situation, it seems a bit of a miracle is about to unfold.
After the museum burned and lost more than 280 motorcycles, the Scheiber brothers, Attila and Alban, just announced that they plan to reopen in a stunning 10 months. That’s an epic effort when you consider that the 32,000 sq-ft facility was entirely consumed by flames.
“We want to offer more than a world of experiences, the goal is to offer something also to non-motorcyclists,” they said. “There will be 250 motorcycles already promised by collectors from all over the world. Today we have great news for you. Time has passed very quickly and with it the progress of the construction. We are pleased to announce that our museum will be open again from 18th of November.”
It’s not known how many of the bikes managed to survive in one form or another, but what is certain is that any of the collection that made it through the conflagration would require extensive renovation and repair.
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