Gazprom’s Austrian property to be auctioned – media  

A total of 240 items including a pipeline map of Europe and a historic map of the Russian Empire will be sold to the highest bidder

Inventory belonging to the Austrian subsidiary of Russian energy giant Gazprom will go under the hammer on May 24, Austrian media reported on Monday.

It comes after Gazprom Austria GmbH filed for insolvency at the Vienna Commercial Court in April following “the cessation of natural gas deliveries by Gazprom Export Ltd., St Petersburg,” according to a statement by lawyer Georg Unger.

The furnishings of Gazprom’s Vienna-based subsidiary, comprising 240 items, will be auctioned off on behalf of the insolvency administrator by Austrian auction house Aurena, according to media reports.

The lots include high-quality office furniture, paintings, acoustic equipment, plants, computers, telephones, safes, document shredders, and even a wine-tempering cabinet. Among the items is a historic map of the Russian Empire, titled in Latin as "Mappa generalis totius Imperii Russici."

Aurena said that anyone, be it a company or an individual, can place bids in the online auction and that it has already received numerous applications.

READ MORE: Finland scraps pipeline gas supply deal with Russia

The auction “offers the opportunity to learn more about the history and importance of Gazprom's subsidiary in Austria and would allow interested parties to own a part of current economic and political history,” Austria’s Vindobona news outlet wrote. The pipeline map of Europe “can provide insights into network structure and European energy supply” while the aerial photograph of the Baumgarten natural gas station illustrates infrastructure and transport routes of natural gas, the outlet said.

Austrian media has suggested that some of the paintings from Gazprom’s former Austrian office may also have artistic value, as they could be works by regional or international artists.

Find more stories on economy and finance in TROIB business