On Friday 21 March, the opening and presentation of the Stadt-Topothek took place in front of around 250 interested guests in the auditorium of Oberndorf secondary school.
Oberndorf is a municipality in the north of the Salzburg region in Austria, situated on the right bank of the Salzach River. It gained fame for being the place where the Christmas carol ‘Silent Night, Holy Night’ premiered in 1818. Historically, Oberndorf was a suburb of the Bavarian town of Laufen and belonged to the Duchy of Bavaria. However, after the Treaty of Munich in 1816, it became Austrian and a border town between Bavaria and the Austrian Empire. The municipality of Oberndorf started organizing weekly and annual markets in the 19th century, and it officially became a market town with a coat of arms in 1929. In 2001, it was elevated to the status of a town. The Topotheque contains a collection of over three thousand historical documents that offer a glimpse into the craftsmanship of the past. One example is a series of photographs from the 1940s depicting the interior of a ropemaker’s workshop, creating an atmosphere of bygone days.
The nostalgic atmosphere continues with images of a traditional scout center kitchen, which contrasts with the modern amenities children are familiar with today. However, the modernity is evident in photographs of a hospital, with its contemporary architecture and a scene of a hospital room from the early 1970s. These photographs capture a time that has since transformed, with plastic elements replacing the old-style bedheads. If one is interested in exploring these different glimpses into history, the Topotheque offers a unique opportunity for digital wandering.
oberndorf-salzach.topothek.at