Georg Trakl Research and Memorial - Salzburger Kulturvereinigung

Poem Plaques

Since 1985 plaques with Trakl-poems have been installed across the city of Salzburg. They are situated on different places that have been important in his personal live and that are mentioned in his poems.

Birthplace

Waagplatz 1a: In the courtyard is a calligraphic designed bronze plaque with the poem ‘Die schöne Stadt’ (The beautiful city). In it, Trakl has processed the impressions he got from the window of his flat at Mozartplatz.

St.-Peters-Cemetery

This place has influenced Trakl in a very special way. You will realize this when reading through the poem ‘Sebastian im Traum’. Furthermore the prose poetry ‘Traum und Umnachtung’ and the poem ‘St. Peters Friedhof’ show his special relationship to this site. The last poem mentioned can be found on the plaque situated on the hillside entrance.

Mönchsberg

Trakl frequently was taking a walk over this centrally located town hill. He used it as an opportunity to escape the pressures from his family and the school. The poem ‘Am Mönchsberg’ placed above the St. Peter’s Abbey impressively reflects his passion.

Evangelische Christuskirche,

Schwarzstraße 25 (Salzachkai): This is the place where Georg Trakl and his siblings were baptized. As a part of his general education he also had his religious classes twice a week in the rectory. You can find the poem ‘Ein Winterabend’ (A winter evening) with its religious motives next to the church’s northern entrance.

Railway Bridge

The plaque of the poem 'Vorstadt im Föhn' is placed on a pillar of the railway bridge that is situated close to the former urban slaughterhouse Trakl has used as a motive for this piece. Since he liked it to walk along the river Salzach, the northernmost pedestrian bridge of the city was named after him. (‘Trakl-Steg’)

Mirabell Gardens

The plaque with the poem ‘Musik im Mirabell’ is fixed on the eastern garden wall (directly next to the Barock Museum). Since his sister Hermina was living in the Mirabell Palace for several years, the garden was well known to Trakl.

Engel Apotheke

Linzergasse 5: After having completed the 7th grade level of the secondary school, Trakl was starting an internship in the drugstore ‘Zum weißen Engel’ for the period of three years (1905-1908). After having graduated from University of Vienna with a degree in pharmacy, he returned to the local drugstore for another two months. The poem ‘Im Dunkel’ reflects this period in his life.

Park of the Hellbrunn Palace

Trakl has adopted the special atmosphere of this site in some of his texts. The poem “Die drei Teiche in Hellbrunn” directly refers to it and can be found on the octagon.

Anif

In the poem ‘Anif’ Trakl directly refers to the amazing scenery of this area. Anif is located near Hellbrunn on the south outskirts of Salzburg. The plaque is fixed at the pavilion next to the entrance of the municipal library.

Trakl House

From a historical point of view the small square ‘Waagplatz’ is an important location. According to the well-preserved floor mosaic, the square was already populated during roman times. The existence of a building at this location was firstly mentioned in a document in the twelfth century (1181). The Admont Abbey has changed its owner several times – it was owned inter alia by the archbishopric Salzburg, the Admont Abbey and one uncle of Salome Alt von Altenau and Kaspar Freysauf. In 1815 he sold the building to F. A. Schaffner – that’s why from this time on it was called the ‘Schaffner-House’. In 1885, firstly a flat on the first floor of the building was rented by the Trakl-family. On February 3rd in 1887, at about 6:30 p.m., Georg Trakl was born in the building. Six years later, in 1893, the family moved into a building situated in the opposite on Waagplatz 3. Since the opening of the Trakl-Memorial in 1973 the house is named after the Trakl-Family. Currently it is owned by the Province of Salzburg and hosts several cultural organisations.

Georg Trakl Archiv

The archive of the Georg Trakl Memorial and Research Centre contains:

1. Trakl-editions: from the first edition to the new Innsbruck Trakl-edition

2. Translations of the oeuvre or a different extensive selection in 31 languages.  Oeuvre or extensive translations in: English, Dutch, Danish, Russian, Polish, Ukrainian, Italian, Spanish, Catalan, French, Rumanian, Hungarian, Japanese, Greek, Georgian.  Selection of translations: Norwegian, Swedish, Flemish, Friesian, Gaelic, Czech, Slovakian, Serbo-Croatian, Slovenian, Serbian, Portuguese, Turkish, Lithuanian, Arabian, Korean, Chinese.

3. Secondary literature: publications in book form and a collection oft the most important essays.

4. Literature by and about Trakl’s contemporaries

5. Movies about Georg Trakl

6. Examples of the delving into the work of Trakl of visual artists.

7. Examples for Trakl-settings, partly with scores

8. Literature of the Trakl-prize winners (since 1952)

Trakl International Forum

Celebrating the 50th birthday of Georg Trakl, the Trakl International Forum was founded by the Salzburg Cultural Association in 1987. Its aim is to appreciate and to foster the international importance of the poet.

Field of activity:

- Georg Trakl Memorial and Research Centre (archive, library, documentation)

- Academic research into Trakl’s life and work by involving international experts

- Publication of works by Trakl and of academic publications discussing the poet

- link to contemporary literature, especially to lyrics and to other areas of arts (Trakl-prize, settings to music, movies, fine art)

- Organisation of events discussing the poet’s work or that of the Trakl-prize winners, usually on Trakl’s birthday and in his day of death (February 3rd and November 3rd)

The advisory board (15 seats) consists of representatives of several arts organisations and political institutions. In addition, there are corresponding members from six different Austrian states. Currently the advisory board is chaired by em. Professor Dr Alfred Doppler (University of Innsbruck). Chief executive: Mag. Dr Hans Weichselbaum

Georg Trakl Publications

Available at the Georg Trakl Memorial and Research Centre:

Georg Trakl poems - Facsimile reproduction of the first Georg Trakl poem edition, published by Kurt Wolff Verlag, Leipzig (1913)

Brochures with lectures about Georg Trakl at events in the Trakl-House (€ 1,50 each)

• Kemper, Univ.Prof. Dr. Hans-Georg (Tübingen): „Gestörter Traum“ – Zur Interpretierbarkeit von Georg Trakls Lyrik. (1974/1999)

• Benedetti, Univ.Prof. Dr. Gaetano (Basel): Ein Schicksal der radikalen Verzweiflung (1976)

• Finck, Univ.Prof. Dr. Adrien (Straßburg): Trakl in Frankreich (1987/2000)

• Braungart, Univ.Prof. Dr. Wolfgang (Bielefeld): Zwischen Protestantismus und Katholizismus: Zu einem poetischen Strukturprinzip der Lyrik Georg Trakls (1999)

• Neun Vorträge und Projektberichte zum Thema: Die Dichtung Georg Trakls im Unterricht (2001), € 3,-- Members of the International Trakl-Forum as authors or editors of the following

Trakl-studies published by Otto Müller Verlag Salzburg (available also in bookstores)

• Wetzel, Heinz: Konkordanz zu den Dichtungen Georg Trakls. (Trakl-Studie VII, 1971)

• Salzburger Trakl-Symposion 1977. Hg. Walter Weiss und Hans Weichselbaum. (Trakl-Studie IX, 1978)

• Londoner Trakl-Symposion. Hg. Walter Methlagl und William E. Yuill. (Trakl-Studie X; 1981) – vergriffen

• Hanisch, Ernst und Fleischer, Ulrike: Im Schatten berühmter Zeiten. Salzburg in den Jahren Georg Trakls. (Trakl-Studie XIV, 1986) – vergriffen

• Trakl-Forum 1987, Hg. Hans Weichselbaum. (Trakl-Studie XV, 1988)

• Trakl in fremden Sprachen. Hg. Adrien Finck und Hans Weichselbaum (Trakl-Studie XVII, 1991)

• Antworten auf Georg Trakl. Hg. Adrien Finck und Hans Weichselbaum (Trakl-Studie XVIII, 1992)

• Deutungsmuster. Salzburger Treffen der Trakl-Forscher 1995. Hg. Hans Weichselbaum und Walter Methlagl (Trakl-Studie XIX, 1996)

• Doppler, Alfred: Die Lyrik Georg Trakls. Beiträge zur poetischen Ve rfahrensweise und zur Wirkungsgeschichte. (Trakl-Studie XXI, 2002)

• Androgynie und Inzest in der Literatur um 1900. Hg. Hans Weichselbaum. (Trakl-Studie XIII, 2005) – vergriffen

Georg Trakl Forschungs- und Gedenkstätte

There are no translations available.

Georg Trakl

"VERFALL"
Am Abend, wenn die Glocken Frieden läuten,
Folg ich der Vögel wundervollen Flügen,
Die lang geschart, gleich frommen Pilgerzügen,
Entschwinden in den herbstlich klaren Weiten.
Hinwandelnd durch den dämmervollen Garten
Träum ich nach ihren helleren Geschicken
Und fühl der Stunden Weiser kaum mehr rücken.
So folg ich über Wolken ihren Fahrten.
Da macht ein Hauch mich von Verfall erzittern.
Die Amsel klagt in den entlaubten Zweigen.
Es schwankt der rote Wein an rostigen Gittern,
Indes wie blasser Kinder Todesreigen
Um dunkle Brunnenränder, die verwittern,
Im Wind sich fröstelnd blaue Astern neigen.

Im Jahr 1973 wurde im 1. Stock des renovierten Geburtshauses des Dichters Georg Trakl (1887 – 1914) von der Salzburger Kulturvereinigung in den Räumen der ehemaligen Wohnung der Familie eine Gedenkstätte eingerichtet. Eine testamentarische Zuwendung von Erinnerungsstücken aus dem Familienbesitz durch Frau Maria Geipel, der ältesten Schwester des Dichters, und eine kleine Trakl-Sammlung der Salzburger Kulturvereinigung bildeten den Grundstock für die Einrichtung, der seither kontinuierlich erweitert worden ist.
Der wichtigste Zuwachs war der Erwerb des Trakl-Nachlasses von Erhard Buschbeck, einem Schulfreund Trakls (1978). Er wurde durch eine Schenkung von Frau Prof. Lotte Tobisch-Labotyn 2008 ergänzt. 1987 wurde anlässlich des 100. Geburtstages von Georg Trakl die Gedenkstätte räumlich zur Forschungs- und Gedenkstätte erweitert. Heute kann sich der Besucher anhand noch vorhandener originaler Möbelstücke eine gewisse Vorstellung von der Atmosphäre im Hause Trakl machen. Autographen des Dichters, Schulzeugnisse, Fotos von Familienmitgliedern und sein Selbstporträt sind wichtige Teile des Bestandes. Eine Tonbildschau steht als Einführung in Leben und Werk des Dichters zur Verfügung (ca. 35 Minuten).
Die Forschungs- und Gedenkstätte kann im Rahmen von Führungen besichtigt werden.

Salzburger Kulturvereinigung

Georg Trakl

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