Beate Hemmerlein

1000 hours in appreciation for Mautner Markhof

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A project of this dimension – meaning the present website – cannot be completed with conceptual know-how, creative strength, willingness to work and perseverance only. It is the soul of a work that forms its perfection – and I had good companions who made it possible for me to accomplish this work with soul. Each one of them has strengthened and motivated me again and again – each in his own way; some of them actively, some of them just by thinking, some some of them sporadically, some of them constantly. They are the ones whose contribution I do not want to leave unappreciated:

For Adolf Ignaz

Whose pioneering spirit, diligence and will (like his motto to match the coat of arms) made incredible achievements possible for generations over a period of only half a human life. A self-made man with the heart in the right place, whose memory has to be valued far beyond his social achievements and whose biography – as I hope – gives all his descendants the motivation not to just limit themselves to inherited social privileges.

For Carl Ferdinand

The one that touched me inside. As a boy, already looking after his family at a young age and still simple and modest, as a young adult, dutifully treading the predetermined path at his father´s side, when a mature man was forced to do so, he saw himself to choose suicide. And this with the simple touching final request for forgiveness, but not to refuse him the sacraments of death.

For Victor

Not caring about social advancement through marriage, having remained childless, devoted to the fine arts and individual joie de vivre, I cannot avoid the fact that this historically proven cheerful and pleasant contemporary, brother and uncle always brings a smile to my lips.

For Manfred II.

In memory of the dear Professor, who has always been friendly and benevolent towards me and who has always shared his office at the Seilerststätte with me when necessary. I will never forget our last meeting in the lift on the Stubenring.

For Viktor

The best, most correct and most reliable partner that one can only ask for and who has never spared the time and effort to bring the project up to date with the most detailed content that we can present on this website.

For Theodor Heinrich

Who sent me on this historic journey at the beginning of 2017, which not only took me through a large part of Austrian history, but also finally made me understand all the stories that I had been listening to – more incoherently – over the past two decades. It is only thanks to his vision and drive that everything that started in Bohemia with Adolf Ignaz and was taken up by Georg (IV.) JE in the 1990s, was able to find its way out of the paper archives. Now, through the use of contemporary media it can also be preserved for future generations worldwide.

 

1,000 hours of Mautner Markhof – may the exciting journey bring many more hours of Mautner Markhof.

Theodor Heinrich Mautner Markhof

The passing on of the fire

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The history of the Mautner Markhof House is a story of many fates. A story of tradition, of success and of course also setbacks. Outstanding are the pioneers, who passionately pursued their visions and thus influenced society at the time, some of them sustainable.

You can’t choose a family, as the saying goes, that of course also applies to each of us, with all its advantages and disadvantages. However, what Mautner Markhof is able to give to all its members and descendants is the certainty that all dreams, wishes and ideas can be realized with dedication, commitment, faith, will and perseverance.

Adolf Ignaz was brave, progressive, creative and groundbreaking. He created, effected, shaped, produced and – above all else – had the heart in the right place. Preserving his spirit therefore means not only being the beneficiary of material and social values, but also courageously treading new paths, believing in oneself and creating one’s own trend-setting ideas and projects.

„Innovate don´t imitate“ – oder um es mit Gustav Mahlers Worten zu sagen „Tradition ist die Weitergabe des Feuers und nicht die Anbetung der Asche“.

“Innovate don’t imitate” – or to put it in Gustav Mahler’s words: “Tradition is to pass on the fire and not to worship the ashes”.

In order now to make this possible and to all family members, wherever they may be, to get their roots, I have in the age of new media seized the opportunity to use its powers and laid the foundation for this as part of the website. I wish and hope that in every future generation a few descendants find that to continue what my cousin Viktor and I have initiated and thus preserve what Adolf Ignaz began so outstanding.

 

 

Written by Theodor Heinrich Mautner Markhof