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The Enns and Ybbs have a few things in common: in addition to a short name with four letters, both Alpine rivers flow into the Danube on the right bank. Both gave cities their names and both provide material for a colorful range of wonderful stories. The Enns, for example, with a length of 254 kilometers, the longest inland river in Austria, separates the federal states of Lower and Upper Austria in its lower reaches, or - to take the river by its name - the land below the Enns from the land above the Enns.
The most recent work by Wolfgang Fingernagel and Manfred Pregartbauer, authors of the river biography “Lebensader Leitha” (2023), is about “interesting places and current-relevant topics,” as they note in the introduction (page 9). Allegorical representations in Vienna (Donnerbrunnen, Danubiusbrunnen and Schönbrunn Palace Park) and Graz (Erzherzog Johann Fountain) are also mentioned here. Also worth mentioning is the Ennstal Wiki, which only covers Styria but brings together more than 16,000 entries. Enriched with this information from the foreword, the series of 37 chapters opens, starting with "Along the Enns - short biography of a river" and ending with the final question "Back to nature? - A look into a possible future" on page 228.
The table of contents is impressive because of the variety of titles and topics that arouse curiosity. Let's start at the mouth, i.e. at the end of the book. The city of Enns is record-breaking, entitled “Oldest city, highest tower” (page 213 ff.). On the east side of the 60 meter high stone city tower is written in large letters: "Enns City Charter April 22, 1212". This date can be found, as we learn on page 213, in a "certificate issued on this day by Duke Leopold VI of Babenberg and preserved in the original". But there was no mention of an explicit city charter. Rather, the same was virtually derived from a number of other rights that the Duke confirmed to the citizens of “Ense”.
To quote another record, a look back at the occupation period (1945 to 1955) when the river formed the border between the Soviet and American occupation zones, between Lower and Upper Austria. The then Upper Austrian governor, Heinrich Gleißner, found the following words for the Enns Bridge: "The longest bridge in the world, which leads directly from Moscow to Washington." (page 218).
A little further up the river, in Steyr (page 193 f.), it's not just about the vehicle industry, but also about weapons production. This is closely linked to the name of Josef Werndl, who was born in 1831. The resourceful armorer had electric street lighting installed here in the summer of 1884. That was the first in Europe and so we have the next record (page 196). Continuing your search for superlatives, you arrive at Liezen with the following key facts: it has been the seat of a district administration since 1868, but has only been a city since 1947. Since 2015, the Liezen district has included all communities along the Styrian Enns and is therefore number one in terms of area - the "tenth federal state" - in the Alpine republic (page 107).
About Mandling, the westernmost town in the district, you can find out on page 49 under "Separation and Understanding" that the border between the federal states of Salzburg and Styria runs in the divided town; So much for “separation”. As far as “communication” is concerned, reference is made to the St. John’s Chapel, which was consecrated ecumenically in 1986. Catholic and Protestant services take place here regularly.
Gerhard Zeillinger and Martin Reingruber, both from the Ybbstal, present the region along the Ybbs from a historical perspective, illustrated with postcards and beautiful black and white photos. The introductory essay, "Historical journey into the Ybbstal" (page 6ff), tells how the region was increasingly developed by rail from 1872 and became attractive for summer holiday guests. The well-known feature writer Daniel Spitzer was here as early as 1878. There is an authentic contemporary witness report from him, he writes that the “little town” of Waidhofen was “very popular among older single women” back then. This resulted in “a considerable export of hysterical conditions, knitting wool and small dogs from Vienna,” says Spitzer in the original sound on page 7. In fact, the railway – albeit in a narrow-gauge version – was gradually extended southwards as the region's pulsating lifeline. But in 2010 operations were stopped in the upper Ybbstal and the rails were then removed. “A wound remained, a recognizable defect,” the authors say on page 11.
Like a string of pearls, eleven Ybbstal communities are strung together, i.e. depicted, starting in the lower reaches with Amstetten, Allhartsberg, Kematen, Sonntagberg, through Waidhofen an der Ybbs, Ybbsitz, Opponitz, Hollenstein, St. Georgen am Reith, Göstling and all the way to Lunz.
After a short introduction with key historical and topographical data, there are series of images that could be titled “from the good old days”. The range of partly colorful postcards and black and white photos spans the period from the late 19th century to the 1960s. The people photographed here were in no hurry; they were happy to be photographed and waited patiently until the photographer was finished with his photos.
Anyone who loves nostalgia will get their money's worth here. If you leaf through the lovingly designed book, you breathe the fresh air of the foothills of the Alps, smell the scent of dry hay and hear the snorting steam locomotive every few pages, which hardly ever reached its permitted top speed of 60 km/h.
Conclusion: "Along the Enns - A River Biography" is a book whose short stories invite you to explore the region downstream from the source to the mouth. "The Ybbstal - From Amstetten to Lunz - in old views" is a beautifully made historical series of pictures that awakens memories of the time of summer vacation upstream from the late 19th century, when everything was much more leisurely. (Thomas Hofmann, November 14, 2025)