Travel through time with Topothequer Erich Hauer through the images of Groß-Sieghart´s Topoteque © Alexander Schatek

A / NOE: Groß-Siegharts: Citizens make history

Under the motto „Citizens make history“, a whole Sunday afternoon was dedicated to regional memories with lively participation from the people of Groß-Siegharts. In the spacious auditorium of the new middle school, an extensive photo exhibition formed the focal point for discussions and stories, and the individual events took place in the neighboring lecture hall until the evening. It started at 1 p.m. with the ceremonial opening of the Groß-Siegharts Topotheque by Mayor UIrich Achleitner. This ceremony was already planned for 2021, but had to be postponed to this Sunday due to the corona. Eriche Hauer, from the group of around 10 Topothequers from the Groß-Siegharts, explained the possibilities of searching the Topotheque at the visitor level in simple terms. He then led on a virtual tour through the past of the community. As an interesting detail, it should be noted that the many circular tracks on an aerial photo from the 1940s represent the gannets (German: “Göpel”). These circles are the well-trodden paths of oxen or cows, which walked in circles on a wooden pole and thus set in motion an axle from which the transmission belts for various stationary agricultural machines could be driven. After these highlights from the Topotheque, Hans Widlroither presented his new book and this was followed by the lecture on the long history of ribbon weaving in Groß-Siegharts, which, in addition to the history of technology and trade, also featured aspects of family and social history. The historical afternoon ended with a second tour on the big screen with the help of the Topotheque.