The first gramophone

"Grandfather - you were ka superhuman, you never were so dan..." - It has become, at least in Austria, a popular song, the song of S.T.S. And: It provides me with the introduction to a piece of contemporary history. In the series "Stories with History", originals and/or contemporary witnesses are supposed to have their say. He was both, my grandfather. He lived from 1894 to 1988 and therefore experienced a period of time that included the beginning of the automobile age until long after the moon landing. And the living conditions and everyday life in a small Tyrolean village at that time - he lived in Stans - can also be recounted here at first hand. Namely, he recorded his childhood and youth memories. Here is his (life) story:

"The first major event that impressed itself on my memory was the assassination of Empress Elisabeth (Sissi) of Austria on September 10, 1898 in Geneva by the anarchist Lucheni. It was a sensation - understandably, the whirlwind that the news caused was also imprinted on my barely five-year-old brain. And only later did I understand the reaction of the adults. When the court procession with the coffin of the empress passed the field in which Stans peasants were working, one of the group of farmhands shouted: "There she goes - the Boar-Sau! (Note: Bavarian sow). The memories of the firebombing of Schwaz and Vomp in the course of the Tyrolean wars of freedom in 1809 by the Bavarian troops were still too strong. And Elisabeth came from Bavaria...

On the day of the consecration of the parish church of Stans on October 28, 1896, I can not remember, because I was not even three years old at that time, very well to the construction of the arcades, the construction of the cemetery and the consecration of the same in November 1898. Yes, even to the first deceased, which was buried eight days before the inauguration of the cemetery - it was the old "Marschall" landlady Maria Hechenblaickner. When I walk through the cemetery today (note: 1971), to the grave of my parents and my unforgettable wife Johanna and my two innocent children Anna and Josef, I see that now soon the whole, large cemetery is occupied. It would be interesting to know how many dead there are, in any case three generations in my life (Note: in the meantime there is - at the "old" Laurentisukirche already a new cemetery).

When I think about it like this, I only realize how many sacrifices of money and labor these old staners have made, and for free. Because the church and cemetery construction lasted from 1884 to 1898, that is 14 years, where every Sunday almost all able-bodied Staner worked. All the building material was supplied free of charge, as well as the necessary timber. Today, in times of boom, we are hardly able to maintain this building - that is the difference between yesterday and today...

May 2, 1900 was my first day at school. The school was in the old Widum, which stood on the site of the present municipal office. Marianna Herbst was the name of my teacher. A very good teacher who died in 1918 during the great flu epidemic. Around 1900, the Stans train stop was opened, connecting the small village (600 inhabitants) to the railroad network. In 1901, my father (Huberbauer) bought the first milk centrifuge - and was laughed at. Because the other farmers put the milk in the box and skimmed only the next day.

I was a rascal in the second school year, when the master baker came to us at the invitation of my brother Toni with a mords (note: huge) box and a monstrous funnel. He put this monster on the big, round parlor table, tinkered around with the device and all at once this box started to rattle (note: make noise).

A song, a march and now he even starts to talk! Darn, yes where is he talking? Hesitantly I sneak with my brother Hans to the table, and - overcome by curiosity - we dare to look into this mysterious funnel - because there must be the infernal ghost inside. Oh dear, nix we saw... This is how we experienced the first gramophone of Stans.

I can still remember well that in the area of the Fiechter Spitze (note: mountain at the entrance to the Stallental) was shot by Count Konstantin the last bear of North Tyrol. Logically, this was a tremendous experience for me, a little squirt. The old "Obal" (Johann Lindebner, a farmer whose stories would have been a credit to Baron Münchhausen) was still young at that time and was appointed bear driver by the hunter. Yes and really - so he described later - suddenly the bear stood before him. "Yes, what did you do then?", he was asked. His answer: "G'fressen has he mi" - He became over 80 years old.

(Note: This tall tale is also built into the description about the Wolfsklamm and St. Georgenberg)

At the age of eight, I learned to milk together with my two years older Hans at a very old cow - each on one side. The father has argued with the fact that with this cow is not much to spoil and it will come anyway soon to the butcher. The cow was well-behaved and almost imagined that she had two milkers so young. It was getting better every day, so soon we were able to help the father. And that's when we realized that there was a catch to the whole thing: because when we were ready, we had to get up with the father at five o'clock in the morning! "Buam (note: boys) get up, go milking, but right away!", was his wake-up call, which we logically did not dare to resist.

And so ran an Advent Sunday (note: the last four Sundays before Christmas) with us: 5 o'clock milking, because at 6 o'clock was solemn Rorateamt (early services in Advent), which we logically had to attend. Afterwards we had a bowl of soup and then we went back to the barn: mucking out while father fed the cattle. Then at 8 o'clock was the main service, which never lasted less than an hour and a half with Father Gallus. He was a good but very persistent preacher. When the consecration rang, the dumplings (which were served every Sunday) were put into boiling water by the mother at home. They were served without meat soup - in summer they were served with home-grown salad, in winter with cabbage. There was meat only at Christmas, when the fattened sow was slaughtered, further on the light mesday (note: 2. February) as "light roast", as well as at Easter and on the church day.

When this work was done, there was dinner and - as a Sunday conclusion - the evening rosary prayed on his knees, which was never allowed to fail. Now was really Sunday - in the two, three hours to nine o'clock was sung, or let's say honestly - shouted -, a song around the other, accompanied by the father with the Klampfen (note: guitar) and - if she was well laid out, by the mother with the harmonica.

No one could imagine that one day a radio or even a television set would be a matter of course in every house. Our entertainment consisted of singing, making music and playing games - Lauboberzupfen (note: a card game), Schwarzer Peter, Mühle, Fuchs und Henne, Mariaschen and the like. It was great fun when our father took a calf rope between his teeth and asked us to pull him off the stove bench with it. Of course, we never got him off the spot - I'm still surprised today that we never pulled his teeth out. Yes - those were the Sundays in Advent. But don't think we were unhappy - certainly not, it was the most natural thing in the world.

Christmas tree there was none at home (although we had a forest), but we were richly gifted by Santa Claus. Once he came even seeing (note: personally) and of course accompanied by the Klaubauf (note: Krampuss) to chastise us bad boys or even drag away in the big basket. After a long council of war, Hans and I decided to fight back with all permitted and unpermitted means. We procured quite tough hazelnut sticks and decided to entrench ourselves behind the parlor stove and defend ourselves to the utmost. And right, after the instruction of St. Nicholas, who reproached us with all the sins of the past year, the Klaubauf - equipped with a rod and a large basket - wanted to go after us scallywags with a long, red tongue, just like in pictures with the devil.

But we quickly fled behind the stove and the fight began. We defended ourselves, as if it was for our lives and Hans threatened with the club on the head of the devil. In short: we remained victorious and the Klaubauf had to leave defeated. The other day, the head of our big brother Toni was full of pee (note: bumps) - the spook was blown and we had come behind the secret of Santa Claus and Klaubaufs....!"

@ Peter Hörhager