Landlady and musician

Pielachtal mourns the loss of two popular originals

Mourning for landlady Rosemarie Utz and musician Friedrich Enne

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/zVg, privat)

With the passing of "Stoa Fritz" and Utz Rosi, two legends who shaped the Pielach Valley for decades have closed their eyes.

We will miss them both in village life, but they will always live on in our hearts", assures the former tourism director of the Pielach Valley, Gerhard Hackner, somewhat sadly.

With the Styrian harmonica
Friedrich Enne - popularly known as "Stoa Fritz" - often turned up at inns, family celebrations and other events in the Dirndl Valley. For decades, the 72-year-old farmer from Soisgegend in Kirchberg an der Pielach thrilled audiences with his lively performances on the Styrian harmonica, to which he played folk songs at the top of his voice. But the musician, who mostly performed as a solo entertainer, also played the Hammond organ, and his instruments have now fallen silent forever.

Quaint pub run
No less sorely missed in the Pielach Valley is Rosemarie Utz, who ran a quaint and long-established inn of the good old kind in the center of Kirchberg. "She shaped the gastronomy of the entire valley for a small eternity and was a landlady with heart and soul," says Hackner - a legend himself - finding the right words of farewell here too. What is particularly touching: The "Stoa Fritz" was connected in a very special way to the landlady, who has now passed away at the age of 75 after a long illness, through his performances in her inn.