The Lower Austrian market town of Geras in the Horn district has long been a particularly popular destination for day trips and holidays in the Waldviertel region, thanks to Geras Abbey, the nature park and the art academy. And now the municipality is opening its “digital treasure chest”, offering a glimpse into its history through the Topotheque platform.
A brief look back: as is so often the case, it is old postcards from around 1900 that serve as historical documents. According to the “Address Book of Austria”, in 1938 the market town of Geras was home to a doctor, a veterinary surgeon, a notary, two solicitors, two taxi operators, two bakers, two coopers, a roofer, an ironmongery, three butchers, a barber, a carrier, six innkeepers, four general merchants, a glazier, a midwife, an agricultural produce trader, a chimney sweep, a saddler, two locksmiths, two blacksmiths, a tailor and two seamstresses, a cobbler, a soda water manufacturer, a tobacconist, three joiners, a wheelwright, a knacker, a land surveyor and several farmers. There was also a hotel.
Perhaps further old photographs from those or later times may yet come to light, in order to preserve the history of the municipality in as varied and rich a manner as possible for future generations in digital form. The dedicated Topotheque team warmly welcomes any support, as well as old photographs, videos, documents and the like.