For Thomas Punkenhofer, Mauthausen is “the most beautiful place on the Upper Austrian Danube.” As mayor of the market town, Punkenhofer may not be 100 percent objective. However, he is not alone in this conviction. Cycling and boat tourists are always pleasantly surprised by the appearance of the place.
This is also confirmed by Karl-Heinz Sigl, chairman of the Mauthausen Local History and Museum Association. He conveys the history of the old Danube market on his popular night watchman tours and regularly receives highly appreciative feedback: “We are in the fortunate position in Mauthausen to be able to show our guests many interesting historical places.” On his tours, Sigl has made it a habit to convey events that have shaped the location in front of those houses that are directly related to it: “If the exterior can be perceived as fitting in with the historical context, that is of course optimal.”
The white gold
The facades of the old town houses along the Leopold-Heindl-Kai in particular characterize the historical townscape. The families who made it prosperous in the salt trade lived here: until the 19th century, tons of salt were unloaded every day in Mauthausen from the transport ships that arrived in Mauthausen via the Traun and loaded onto horse-drawn carts. Up to ten four-horse vehicles transported around 60 tons of salt to southern Bohemia every day. From 1830 onwards, the salt trade via Mauthausen became less important due to the horse-drawn railway: from then on, Linz became the most important transshipment point for salt transport to the north. Several Mauthausen buildings still refer to the salt trade in Mauthausen today, from the salt tower to the K. & K. Salt Office to the salt store in today’s Donaupark shopping center.
To ensure that this heritage is properly maintained, the Mauthausen Tourism Association has honored two homeowners for the exemplary renovation of their properties. In appreciation of their services to the Danube tourist market, Franz Wahl and Herbert Brixner received certificates of honor. “We think regarding these honorary certificates very carefully in order to prevent an inflationary development,” says Gottfried Kraft from Mauthausen Tourism. In both cases, the renovation was particularly successful and contributed to the improvement of the townscape of Mauthausen.
