50 years for Salzburg

The uprising of the mothers and the “Mozart affair”

The Amadeus statue is encased in hundreds of shopping trolleys. The "Krone" criticized this severely and the trolleys were removed. It is an episode from 50 years of "Salzburg Krone" that Hans Peter Hasenöhrl looks back on.

(Bild: Wolfgang Weber)

The "Salzburg Krone" celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Long-time editor-in-chief Hans Peter Hasenöhrl looks back on some moving stories. Part 2 of the series, 1984-1994: The Chernobyl disaster. The sawed-up politician's wife and the WEB magician. The "Mozart affair" moves the city of Salzburg.

HYMNE 
"Armies made of jelly babies, tanks made of marzipan. Wars are eaten up. A simple plan. Childishly ingenious." Herbert Grönemeyer, whose brilliant concerts in Salzburg are always accompanied by special reports in the "Krone", wrote the lyrics to the world song "Kinder an die Macht". It is the new mission statement of the "Salzburg Krone".

RADIOACTIVE 
April 26, 1986: Everyday life changes dramatically for generations. The fourth reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant explodes. Salzburg University scientist Friedrich Steinhäusler as Man of the Year and "Krone" author. Because the wind drives a cloud towards Salzburg. It is raining. Steinhäusler sounds the alarm: the professor checks sandpits and forest floors with his Geiger counters. Salzburg records the highest radioactive precipitation in Austria, the soil, the mushrooms, the vegetables - all contaminated to an extent that is harmful to health.

The "Krone" front page of June 23, 1986: Thousands of mothers and children from Salzburg demonstrate peacefully against the nuclear plans in Wackersdorf, Bavaria.

(Bild: Schuster Fritz/Fritz Schuster)

REVOLUTION 
A unique campaign is formed: Mothers Against Nuclear. Dr. Karoline Hochreiter gathers fellow campaigners. The "silent spring", when our children are not allowed on the playgrounds, remains in our memories. Sand is exchanged, uncontaminated food is offered and a new social movement - supported by the "Krone" - is formed: the burden on mothers in everyday life, in the few supermarkets and in overcrowded buses, becomes a general topic.

LIMITLESS 
The women dare to take a unique action: on a Sunday, thousands march with baby carriages across the border at Freilassing into Bavaria, past the astonished customs officials, and demonstrate against a planned nuclear reprocessing plant in Wackersdorf. The Salzburg state government officially raises objections to the project, the "Krone" prints legally substantiated signature lists on a daily basis. Tens of thousands of forms flood the editorial office. The enormous pressure works: The much-hated WAA sinks into the drawers. Instead, Bavaria builds a factory for solar batteries there. At Salzburg's Mozartplatz, activists erect a monument from parts of the construction fence.

The signature roll in front of Café Tomaselli in Salzburg's old town.

(Bild: Weber Wolfgang/Wolfgang Weber)

MAGIC TRICK 
But there is also joking in this decade in Salzburg: in front of 400 guests in the auditorium of the university in Hellbrunn, SPÖ provincial deputy Wolfgang R. celebrates his 40th birthday. A magical spectacle is programmed for the climax: The politician's wife climbs into a box, which is locked. WEB general manager and amateur magician Bernd S. saws the box in half. Standing next to him, smiling, is Provincial Councillor Othmar Raus (convicted years later in the financial scandal involving speculation with taxpayers' money) as a "sorcerer's apprentice" with white gloves. He helps the young lady as she climbs out of the wooden crate unscathed to applause. The exciting trick dates back to 1921 and is called "The Sawed-up Virgin".

DREAM PICTURE 
Like many people in the room, the viper "Krone" photographer Weber already knows about the impending WEB debacle and brings his camera into position. The dream photo appears on page 1 of the "Krone" after the implosion of the financial construct and is one reason for the resignation of the provincial vice president. In 1989, Gabi Burgstaller, a young consumer advocate from the Chamber of Labor, files fraud charges against 30 bankers and WEB employees. 25,000 investors suffer a loss of 140 million euros. After fleeing to Panama, the WEB magician is sentenced to nine years in prison. Bernd S. had also always organized the "Black Night", the ÖVP balls, but it seems like a crazy rule: nasty scandals from the biotope of the People's Party always dry up the red fields. SPÖ mayor Josef Reschen is also leaving.

CONFRONTATION 
It gets even worse: the new deputy mayor of Erzrot, Herbert Fartacek, takes a pronounced left-wing stance and covers the "Krone" with lawsuits because of critical reports - to no avail! He supports a house for stranded punks and is happy about a campaign against the Mozart cult in Salzburg: the Amadeus statue is encased in hundreds of shopping trolleys. The "Krone" criticizes this massively and demands a clear view of Mozart. The initiators of the campaign distribute 15,000 flyers in the city with the title: "Resign, Mr. Hasenöhrl!" The people of Salzburg are on the side of the "Krone". The new mayor Harald Lettner buckles and has the banners removed. The SPÖ tears it apart.

FIASKO 
In the following elections, the party loses nine seats from its absolute majority and suffers its biggest defeat in history. Fartacek splits from his comrades with three loyalists and surprisingly elects the ÖVP man Josef Dechant as mayor. A left-wing affair, according to close observers of the scene. Newspaper scholar DDr. Aurelius Bruck writes his own booklet about the time, "The Mozart Crown". We are delighted with the double-digit percentage increase in sales. Because more and more Salzburgers want to know what is written in the wildly controversial "Salzburg Krone".

PRINTED 
The newly built printing plant next to the romantic "Kuglhof" inn in Maxglan also gives our newspaper the opportunity to report everything that happens in Salzburg up to midnight. We are usually quicker than radio and television with their first broadcasts, as home delivery is made to every doorstep in the entire province of Salzburg by six o'clock in the morning at the latest.