Salzburg, Austria
Demolished 2004
Access to the Mönchsberg cliff in Salzburg was originally via an external lift that allowed visitors to reach the famous Cafe Winkler on the top. When the Cafe was demolished in connection with the construction of the new Museum der Moderne in 2004, the old lift was also removed. Originally, a new exterior lift was planned but the discovery of rare nesting sites in the cliff required the construction of a new lift inside the cliff. The building on the front right of the painting was a school. The painting is based on an uncredited postcard of the first lift from the Salzburg Wiki.
When the electric elevator to the Mönchsberg was built as a panoramic elevator in 1890, it was one of the highest elevators in Europe. In its time it was considered a technical marvel and became a model for modern elevator constructions in the skyscrapers of America. This elevator also shows the development of the Mönchsberg as a vantage point over Salzburg. In addition, this project was considered by very clever gentlemen who set up an electric power station and created a major consumer for their electricity with the elevator. In 1947 the lift was relocated to the interior of the Mönchsberg in order to be able to transport more people. Elizabeth I.
My old school, a building erected in 1873 on the site of “Old Thurnitz”, the oldest barracks in Europe. I had just turned 16 in 1969, when it was announced that it would be demolished. To be frank, the comfort level of the school left something to be desired. Each room was heated by a single coal-fired oven. In the event the heating was forgotten, we attended class with coats and mittens. Despite this, I have mainly positive memories of my school time. One of the reasons for this was the school’s location in the city center. Cinemas, shops, restaurants and cafes were all nearby. My classmates used this to meet up, sometimes even to cut classes. However, the optimism and belief in the future that characterized my and my classmates in the 1960s, stood in start contrast to the school deteriorating state and its aging teachers. There was a low building in front of the school, built in the style of the 50s that was called the “Mississippi Steamer” by the locals. It held a bar and a restaurant with a roof terrace. It also disappeared around 1974. Anon / Meine alte Schule, ein Gebäude das 1873 an Stelle der ältesten europäischen Kaserne, der “alten Thurnitz” errichtet wurde. Ich war 1969 gerade 16 Jahre alt geworden, als bekannt wurde, dass es abgerissen werden sollte. Der Komfort in dieser Schule liess allerdings zu wünschen übrig. Jeter Raum wurde durch einen einzigen Kohleofen beheizt. Vergass der Pedell die Klasse, so wohnte Mann Bein dem Unterricht mit Mantel und Handschuhen bekleidet bei. Trotzdem verbinden mich vor allem angenehme Erinnerungen mit meiner Schulzeit. Eine der Grunde war die Lage der Schule im Stadtzentrum. Es gab in unmittelbarer Nähe Kinos, Geschäfte, Wirtshäuser und Cafes. Meine Mitschülerinnen nutzten sie um sich in der Freizeit zu treffen, manchmal aber auch um den Unterricht zu schwänzen. Der Optimismus und der Zukunftsglauben er 60er Jahre von dem ich und mein Altersgenossen beseelt waren, standen allerdings in groteskem Gegensatz zur Baufälligkeit dieser Schule und ihrer alt gewordenen Lehrerschaft. Vor der Schule stand damals ein niedriges Gebäude im Stil der 50er Jahre, von der Bevölkerung als “Mississippi Dampfer” bezeichnet. Es bot eine Bar, ein Restaurant with Dachterrasse. Auch diese Gebäude verschwand kurz darauf im Jahr 1974. Anon