Kurt von Schuschnigg, die letzter diktatorisch Bundeskanzler des Bundesstaates Österreich

Kurt von Schuschnigg was born in Trento, South Tyrol, Austria-Hungary, on 14th December, 1897. He fought in the Austro-Hungarian Army during the First World War. After the war Schuschnigg became a lawyer in Innsbruck. He joined the Christian Social Party and was elected to the Nationairat in 1927.

Chancellor Schuschnigg at an Austrian Fatherland Front rally, probably the proclamation of Chancellor Schuschnigg as Front fuehrer on October 10th 1936.

In 1932 Engelbert Dollfuss, the Austrian chancellor, appointed Schuschnigg as his minister of justice. The following year he became minister of education. When Dollfuss was assassinated in 1934, Schuschnigg became the Austria's new chancellor. He attempted to eliminate the threat to his government by Heimwehr, a national paramilitary defence force, by disbanding it on October, 1936
Schuschnigg capitulated to Adolf Hitler at Berchtesgaden in February, 1938. He attempted to gain control of the situation by arranging for a plebiscite to be held on 13th March, 1938. However, this move was undermined when the German Army invaded two days before the plebiscite was due to take place. Schuschnigg was imprisoned by the Nazi Government until he was liberated by American troops in 1945.

Sepulchral plate of Kurt von Schuschnigg, parish church in Mutters, Tyrol

After the Second World War Schuschnigg was a professor of political science at St. Louis in the USA (1948-67) and wrote The Brutal Takeover (1971). Kurt von Schuschnigg died in Mutters near Innsbruck, Tirol, Austria on 18th November, 1977.

Elizabeth Pöll - Miss Tirol 2013

The 17-year-old Elizabeth Pöll from Kirchberg was chosen as the Miss Tirol 2013. The election took place on Saturday 4 May at Hotel Grand Tirolia in Kitzbühel.

Elizabeth Pöll

Foto source: www.tirol.orf.at

Osterbräuche in Österreich und Tirol

In Austria and especially in Tirol Land many customs of the Easter festival are still more religious than the rather commercialised Christmas.
Das Heilige Grab in der Pfarrkirche Peter und Paul in Telfs, Tirol

On Palm Sunday, people in rural communities take bouquets made of seven different weeds, each with its own symbolism, attached to a stick to church. Together with foods the bouquets, called Palmbuschen, receive good blessings. They are meant to symbolise Christ′s arrival in Jerusalem. They are later placed on fields to protect the crops, where they stay normally until they rot (blessed items are traditionally not thrown away in Austria).
Passion crib /Passionskrippe/ in parish church in Zirl Tirol, fragment

Passion plays are organised in some communities. Eggs are painted and decorated. Branches of fruit trees (mostly cherry) or bushes are cut and decorated with eggs or Easter ornaments. Most families paint or stain eggs - they are then knocked against each other in a competitive manner ("Eierpecken").
Passion crib /Passionskrippe/ , parish church Telfs

Church bells are not in use from Green Thursday until the resurrection service in Easter Night (Saturday). Traditionally, children are told that they have flown to Rome. Minister boys walk from door to door and make noises with wooden instruments called "Ratschen" instead. During Easter Night, many communities in the Tyrol burn large stacks of woods in bonfires, which is derived from pagan traditions.
Text based on: www.tourmycountry.com

Spieglein, Spieglein an der Wand, welches ist das schönste Gebäude im ganzen Tirol?

Mirror Mirror on the wall, where is the most beautiful building of the whole Tyrol?

Innsbruck Innenstadt

About Innsbruck City, the capital of Tyrol Click Here

Das Phänomen "Föhn" im Alpenraum

Foehn is a warm dry wind coming off the lee slopes of a mountain range, especially off the northern slopes of the Alps, Tyrol and Inn Valley. Winds of this type are called "snow-eaters" for their ability to make snow melt or sublimate rapidly.
Above the clouds - Alps

As the name implies, Foehn winds are dry and hot. They descend along the leeside of mountains, and are special to mountainous regions. Foehn winds are caused by the subsidence of moist air after passing a high mountain. The air is forced to move upslope when encounters a mountain barrier. As the temperature decreases with height, the moist air will become saturated and condense to form clouds and rain when it rises to a certain height. The amount of water vapour that remains in the air therefore decreases. After passing the ridge and descending along the leeside of the mountain, the air becomes warmer. Temperature of drier air will rise even faster. This results in dry and hot winds. Foehn winds are rather common in mountainous regions around the world, such as the Alps in Europe, Rockies in the United States, Tianshan and Qinling in China. Apart from bringing warmer and drier weather, Foehn winds can cause serious natural disasters. They bring droughts, dry up plants and farmlands, and exacerbate forest fires. They also melt snow, causing avalanche and floods.

The name föhn originated in the alpine region. From Latin (ventus) favonius, a mild west wind of which Favonius was the Roman personification. The German word "Fön" (without the "H", but pronounced the same way), a genericized trademark, is also used to mean "hairdryer". /Wikipeia/.

Our body reacts negatively to negative electric charges, and in “meteoropathic” subjects who are particularly sensitive to the variations in the weather, this provokes nervousness, anxiety, migraine and irritability. A statistical study carried out in Switzerland, where this wind is called Favonio, correlated the days of Foehn winds with an increase in the number of suicides, homicides and aggressions.
The first clinical review of these effects was published by the Austrian physician, Anton Czermak in the 19th century. A study by the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München found that suicide and accidents increased by 10 percent during föhn winds in Central Europe.
Regionally, these winds are known by many different names. For example:
Föhn - Austria, southern Germany, Switzerland, France, 
Favonio - Ticino and Italy
Sirocco - Italy
Bergwind - South Africa
Chinook - Rocky Mountains and the Cascade Range in the United States and Canada, 
Fogony - Catalan Pyrenees
Halny - Poland (Central Europe)
Hnúkaþeyr - Iceland
Lyvas - Greece
Puelche - Chile
Zonda - Argentina
Wuhan - China 

Mutige Lawinenhunden - ÖGV Suchhundeteam Tirol

The SAR Dogs /search and rescue/ of the Tyrol has a long tradition. Already in the 1960’s, young puppies were brought and trained to search for people buried by an avalanche. The importance of avalanche dogs in spite of modern technology still are. 
Suchhundeteam Tirol - dog handlers together with their four-legged companions

Not every kind of breed has the right disposition to become a SAR-dog. Even with the right genes, very intense training is necessary before a dog can be used to search for missing persons. Already as puppies, the dogs are being prepared for their future task in a playful way. It is the goal to extend the search phase step by step and to increase the level of difficulty. Whenever the dog does a good job, it gets rewarded with a food treat.

Suchhundeteam Tirol, Siggi and dog Stanley

About dog Stanley Click here
Unlike with electronic detectors, the work with SAR – dogs is a very time-consuming task. It is not possible to just turn a dog on and off if needed. In order for this collaboration to work in a case of emergency, it is important that the dog is trained all year round. Six training courses per year are obligatory for SAR – dogs. As soon as winter comes around, the training units are getting intensified.

Suchhundeteam Tirol

Most of the SAR – dogs are exclusively trained to detect avalanche victims. Some of them, however, can be used all year round in order to search for missing persons. After the dogs have traced the tracks of the missing, they signal – depending on the kind of training they have had – by either barking or going into the “sit” position.

Suchhundeteam Tirol, Michael, chairman

Suchhundeteam Tirol

The dog learns to show victims - Hund lernt Opfer anzeigen "gezogene Anzeige"

Suchhundeteam Tirol

Suchhundeteam Tirol

Suchhundeteam Tirol

Suchhundeteam Tirol

All photos by Elisabeth Fazel: training near Friedensglocke, Mösern, Tirol Mitte, Austria. More photos: Click here

Text based on: www.kaikkialla.com

Schnaps in Alpenländern

Distilled following an ancient Tyrolean tradition. In Austria, Switzerland, southern Germany, and the French region of Alsace, a type of Schnaps called Obstler or Obstbrand is very popular.

The main kinds of fruit used for Schnaps are apples, pears, plums, and cherries. Apricots are another popular fruit; they are used to make an Austrian Schnaps called Marillenschnaps. Apples are used along with pears to make a fruit brandy called Obstwasser. Pears are used to produce Poire Williams (Williamsbirne); plums make Zwetschgenwasser, and cherries make Kirschwasser. All schnapps and liqueurs produced in Tirol, used for distilling only local pomace! Think that to get 9-12 liters of grappa need 100kg of fresh pomace.