Top fit senior girls

The “Golden Girls” and their secret of eternal youth

Ingeborg Laußer, Herta Edlinger and Maria Kocher (from left) have been meeting for games afternoons for 18 years. A joint trip to South Tyrol is planned for the beginning of September.

(Bild: Hörmandinger Reinhard)

In Obertraun on Lake Hallstatt, three cheerful ladies have been meeting on Fridays for 18 years to play cards. The youngest is 87, the oldest 98 years old. 97-year-old Herta Edlinger still comes to the meetings on her bike. If it's not raining, she still swims in the lake. 

Glasses? "I don't need them," Herta Edlinger reveals to the "Krone" shortly before she gets on her red bike, pedals hard and rides off. Remarkable: the Obertraun resident celebrated her 97th birthday this July. "When it's not raining, I still go swimming in Lake Hallstatt every day," smiles the 18-times grandmother and 19-times great-grandmother. Her secret to "eternal youth": "A good husband and a lot of work," says the former postwoman and waitress. In her youth, she spent eight years working on a mountain pasture at 1800 meters above sea level.

Oldest Obertraun woman sang in the church choir for 73 years
During this time, she was also separated from her friend Maria Kocher. She was one year older and remained just as young. They attended elementary school together, sang in the church choir or danced in the home group. "I was in the choir for 73 years," says Kocher.

Mayor Egon Höll with the two oldest Obertraun women and the town's most loyal guest.

(Bild: Hörmandinger Reinhard)

They have been meeting for games afternoons for 18 years. Ingeborg Laußer from Rückersdorf near Nuremberg also often sits at the table. She first came to Obertraun 63 years ago. "I've come every year since then and feel like a local," says the 87-year-old over a game of cards. The atmosphere is great, the banter is going well. "I lose and Herta always wins," says Kocher, annoyed. "The stupid ones are the lucky ones," counters Edlinger.

I'm sad that I don't have a cat. But it's all about common sense. She could do anything with me. But if she had to go to an animal shelter, it would be even more difficult for her.

Maria Kocher, älteste Obertraunerin

Things only get serious when it comes to community life: "Obertraun has gone backwards. We no longer have a post office or a bank," says Kocher. Fortunately, there are still hairdressers and chiropodists in the village of 750 inhabitants: "I go to the hairdresser every second Wednesday and for a pedicure every third Thursday."

Gardening keeps you fit
She prefers to spend time in the garden - and in front of the TV with her favorite shows: "Der Bergdoktor" and "Liebesg'schichten und Heiratssachen". "It never ceases to amaze me what misconceptions people have when looking for a partner," says the oldest Obertraun woman with amusement.