Curious city tour

Anton Bruckner: Organ, cider and felt slippers

Wolfgang Hack and the bust on Brucknerplatz in Steyr;(Bild: Horst Einöder/Flashpictures)

He traveled by carriage or on foot: Anton Bruckner spent his summer vacation in Steyr 20 times. Wolfgang Hack follows in the composer's footsteps and discovers his favorite places. From April 13, there will also be two exhibitions about the genius in the romantic town.

Anton Bruckner had a special relationship with Steyr: the composer spent 20 summers here, playing the piano in the Mesnerhaus and the organ in the town's parish church. "He composed the eighth and ninth symphonies here and was financially supported by wealthy local industrialists," says Wolfgang Hack, Austria Guide, who knows a lot about Bruckner's traces in the old Eisenstadt. Somehow he is also close to him: "Bruckner adored my wife's grandmother."

The sacristan's house next to the parish church in Steyr is currently being renovated so that an exhibition can be set up.(Bild: Einöder Horst)

Anton Bruckner played this organ in the parish church(Bild: Einöder Horst)

Swimming and haircuts
Hack has many anecdotes to tell: "He was a good swimmer and enjoyed swimming lengths at swimming school. He appreciated the felt slippers from the Viertl company on the town square. And he was well connected and had many friends." One of them was the dialect poet and hairdresser Sepp Stöger, who collected Bruckner's hair because he firmly believed that it would be worth something one day.

Bust with strange fingers
The bust on Bruckner Square is still the butt of jokes today: "We like to say that Bruckner's finger points to his favorite inn, the Schwechater," explains Hack. "But he is only presenting his honorary doctorate ring if you look closely at the bust."

Felt slippers in Bruckner style(Bild: Einöder Horst)

New attractions in the anniversary year
Because Bruckner has left many traces in Steyr, new tourist attractions are being offered in the anniversary year in which the composer's 200th birthday is being celebrated. The multimedia exhibition "Un#erhört, dieser Bruckner" (Un#heard, this Bruckner) will open in the Innerberger Stadl city museum on April 13, at the same time as a Bruckner exhibition in the Mesnerhaus, which Hack is curating. In addition to a piano, a historical classroom and a life documentary, there will also be a store where you can buy cider and Bruckner's favorite shoes.

Guided tours with Wolfgang Hack: [e-mail]