Photo: Armin Walcher

Waggerl Haus Museum

Wagrain, Salzburg

ausstellungmuseumstour

What to expect: The market town of Wagrain, a charming mountain village at the entrance of the Kleinarltal valley, was the home of the poet Karl Heinrich Waggerl for over 50 years. Karl Heinrich Waggerl is one of Austria's most important writers. His literary work is closely linked to the description of his immediate homeland and Wagrain. Born in 1897 in modest circumstances in Bad Gastein, he moved to Wagrain in 1920 with his wife Edith as a teacher. From the beginning until his death in 1973, he lived in the "Waggerl Haus," which was first documented in 1776 and where his literary works were also created. Through a donation by Edith Waggerl (+1990), the market town of Wagrain was able to transform the house into a museum together with the team of the Wagrain cultural association "Blaues Fenster" and with scholars, opening in 1994. The most important rooms have been preserved as Waggerl inhabited them. Throughout the house, examples of Waggerl's craftsmanship as a bookbinder, painter, draftsman, photographer, and collector can be seen. In some side rooms, information panels, display cases, three listening stations, and a video film have been set up, which critically and informatively deal with the person and work of the poet. The museum aims to be a place for getting to know, reconnecting, and engaging with the poet. Additionally, it contains aspects of a "homeland museum," as the concept of "homeland" was central to Waggerl's work.