Swietelsky | History & 90 years of construction excellence

LAYING THE FOUNDATION

1936

Hellmuth Swietelsky founds the "Straßenbauunternehmung Ing. Hellmuth SWIETELSKY" road construction company in Gmunden, Austria. Soon afterwards, he moves the headquarters to Linz, the capital of Upper Austria.

OUR HISTORICAL RESPONSIBILITY

1936-1945

The history of SWIETELSKY dates back to one of the darkest chapters in human history. This historical legacy obliges us to take responsibility. That is why Swietelsky AG commissioned an independent commission of historians, in collaboration with the Documentation Centre of Austrian Resistance (DÖW), to comprehensively review its own corporate history from 1936 to 1945.

The independent historians prove that the company benefited from the power structures and Aryanisation that caused suffering among forced labourers. They found that Hellmuth Swietelsky was able to gain economic advantages during the Nazi era without being politically active in support of the regime or openly identifying with its ideology.

COMMITTED TO HISTORICAL CLARITY

The results of this research were published in 2025 in the form of a comprehensive book. Swietelsky AG is committed to a responsible culture of remembrance that focuses on transparency, integrity and ethical conduct. The past must neither be glossed over nor suppressed. All insights from history form the basis for a future characterised by humanity and respectful coexistence across cultural and linguistic boundaries.

Pawlowsky, Verena; Wendelin, Harald (eds.).: Unternehmergeist und Komplizenschaft. Hellmuth Swietelskys Baufirmen in der NS-Zeit. böhlau Verlag, 2025.

ISBN 978-3-205-22314-6

POST-WAR ERA

1949

Hellmuth Swietelsky builds a repair workshop and residential barracks for workers on a plot of land in St. Martin near Linz. The difficult post-war years are overcome. Reconstruction gains momentum.

EXPANSION

1962

A branch in Munich with offices in Traunstein and Emmering is opened. New branches are constantly added in Austria. At the end of the 1960s, concrete construction leads the push into other sectors.

LABORATORY

1974

SWIETELSKY's central laboratory is authorised to operate as a "state-authorised testing institute" in St. Martin (Austria). Project monitoring in Mauritania, Cameroon and the former USSR also brings the laboratory international renown.

EASTERN EXPANSION

1989

The 1980s are marked by the continuous expansion of the range of services, especially in building construction. The company also pushes ahead with mechanised track construction. As a result of the "opening up of the East" in 1989, subsidiaries are founded in Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Poland and Croatia.

FOUNDATION OF SWIETELSKY RAIL BENELUX

2010

In 2010, the Benelux branch was established under the name Swietelsky Rail Benelux B.V.

In 2011, Swietelsky Rail Benelux obtained certification for Track & Railway Construction.

3rd LARGEST CONSTRUCTION COMPANY

2014

Following the insolvency of a major competitor, around 1,000 new employees are successfully integrated into the company in Austria. As of 31 March 2014, construction output has increased to around EUR 1.9 billion and SWIETELSKY has risen to become Austria's third-largest construction company.

GROWTH PHASE BENELUX

2015-2020

Between 2015 and 2020, Swietelsky Rail Benelux took significant steps to further professionalise and broaden our rail infrastructure activities. In 2018, we obtained certification for Overhead Line Equipment, followed later that year by certification for Power Supply. In 2019, we added certification for Signalling, further expanding our scope for integrated rail projects.

In 2020, we celebrated our 10th anniversary and received the Safety Culture Ladder certificate at level 5 for the first time. That same year, we also obtained certifications for Cables & Pipelines and delivered our first light rail project.

BUILDING EVER BETTER

2024

DI Dr. Peter Krammer takes over as the new CEO of Swietelsky AG. With a strategy update and a sharpened positioning, SWIETELSKY enters a new era in 2024 with the slogan "Building ever better."

READY FOR THE FUTURE

2025

Swietelsky is growing—and we can feel it. We’re quite literally outgrowing our current facilities. That is why we are expanding our office, warehouse and parking facilities in Oisterwijk, preparing for the future. In addition, Swietelsky Rail Benelux celebrates its 15th anniversary this year.