In a side valley of the Traisen, south of the state capital St. Pölten, lies the community of Eschenau in the middle of forest areas. Hikers familiar with the area may know the Kaiserkogel with the refuge of the same name, of which the earliest photo dates back to 1920. I you look closely, you will see the eloquent brushstrokes of the vegetation both in the fore- and background. For pictorial documents that were created before the 1930s, people in rural areas usually rely on postcards from the emerging tourism, because hardly anyone owned a camera at that time. Group photos of the fire brigade, local council and school classes are the earliest photographic sources, as our cover photo shows. This oldest school photo in Eschenau to date from 1895 immortalizes 57 children with their teacher. The signs of wear have made some faces unrecognizable. Presumably it was the favorites of the owners of this photo who were pointed at all too often, so that the image-bearing layer of the photo paper came off. With just a few clicks, follow Eschenau‘s past with floods, fire services, structural changes as well as club and parish life. In addition to the mayors, you will also find a number of photos of state governors – here is an example from 1965 – which are also unique finds for the state‘s history. And who knows – maybe you know someone else?