14,000 members

A Facebook group as a photo album of old Graz

Jakominiplatz in Graz in 1929.(Bild: Robert Engele/Alfred Steffen)

Six years ago, Christian Zaic opened a Facebook group for collective nostalgia: Graz residents use it to collect memories and photos from the history of the provincial capital. What triggered the creation of the group and why not everyone is allowed to become a member.

"It's a bit like the photo album you find at home with your parents," says Christian Zaic. This refers to the Facebook group that the 53-year-old set up six years ago and now has over 14,000 members. Graz residents collect photos and stories from times long past in the provincial capital.

For example, an old photo of the Joanneumring in Graz, dated 1929, catches the eye, showing the former streetcar line 2 and a man in a black suit, hat and white gloves directing traffic. If you dig a little deeper in the Facebook group, you can even find pictures of the horse-drawn streetcar before it was electrified in 1899.

The horse-drawn streetcar ran as far as Jakominiplatz.(Bild: Gerald Neger)

The "Zweierlinie" in 1933 at the Zinzendorfgasse stop.(Bild: Robert Engele/Tramwaymuseum Graz)

The "Zweierlinie" crossed the Joanneumring (photo 1929).(Bild: Gerald Neger)

"It's an educational mission in a charming form," Zaic sums it up. The fact that there is so much interest in it surprised him himself: "I was already impressed with 300 members," he says. It is also the shared nostalgia that unites everyone. Zaic has always been interested in history, and today he likes to post photos from private albums.

Old photos from the Kastner & Öhler department store in Graz.(Bild: Robert Engele)

Old motifs from the Kastner & Öhler department store in Graz.(Bild: Gerald Neger)

Memories of his own childhood
Zaic is particularly fond of one childhood memory: born in Salzburg, he used to visit Graz in the summer. He used to ride up and down the balcony railings of that housing estate in the north of the city in toy cars. This motif of him as a little boy inspired him to found the group. He moved to Graz in 1990 and is now often in Budapest on business.

The aforementioned childhood memory of Christian Zaic.(Bild: Christian Zaic)

"The group runs on the side, I like doing it and I do it for fun," says the 53-year-old. Nevertheless, he sees it as his job to check Facebook every day and moderate certain discussions. "You have to read the posts a bit to make sure no nonsense gets out." He is particularly critical of right-wing ideas. "I rarely have to intervene, but I don't shy away from it either," says Zaic.

Not everyone can join the group
He is also selective when it comes to joining the Graz in old views - Vintage Graz group and lets interested parties answer questions first. After all, he sees it as their task to depict the past as accurately as possible. "Not everything was better in the past," he says and talks about a settlement in Puntigam, which served as a temporary housing camp for refugees in the post-war period.

This collective memory has led to many personal contacts over the years. For example, Zaic invited member number 10,000 for an ice cream - and there is now a regulars' table at the Graz Museum where material brought along is analyzed scientifically. However, many in the Facebook group are simply silent observers and enjoy the tidbits that are published. "Only a fraction post regularly," explains Zaic. The rest browse through the posts like their parents' photo album.