Living Moments - N°4 Edition 2017

7TaTYR 8ZXPY_^ Edition 4 · 2016/17 58 Kraft des Winters und die Gestaltung des Sommers nach den großartigen natürlichen Voraussetzungen. Eine Gefahr des Abweichens hiervon lässt sich nicht leugnen, es wird über- sehen, dass Kitzbühel für sich allein ein Begriff ist. Es bedarf daher nicht einer Unterstreichung der Sportstadt, gar der Kongressstadt, der Musikstadt oder einer Vielzahl von Veranstaltungen wechselnden Gegenstandes mit Kos- ten, die bei der Pflege des geschlosse- nen Angebotes fehlen. All dies kommt bei einer Unterstreichung des Ski- sports mit seinen nunmehr geschaffe- nen, nahezu unbegrenzten Möglich- keiten und der Unterstreichung des Sommers mit dem Genuss der Natur und wenigen begleitenden Angeboten zum erwünschten Ziel. Allerdings wird in vielen Belangen eine Verbesserung, und zwar bald, erfolgen. Dazu zählt manches, wie etwa Radfah- ren und Wandern im Tal, der nicht ent- sprechende Zustand der Straßen, wie eine Regelung des Verkehrs überhaupt. Eine deutlichere Leitung zu den ge- wünschten Zielen unsere Gäste, etwas mehr an hilfreicher Höflichkeit. Auf einer solchen Grundlage wird Kitz- bühel auch für die Zukunft ungebro- chen bleiben. Beweis hierfür ist die so häufige und auch ins Inflationäre gera- tene Verwendung der Silbe »Kitz«. Haben Sie herzlichen Dank, Herr Dr. Reisch, liebe Frau Dr. Reisch, für die- se ganz persönlichen Momente und Gedanken. Dear Dr Reisch, your wife and you have been among the very few true contemporary witnesses of the unique development of Kitzbuehel over many decades. You have experienced history and the modern age in person, and you have characterised it significantly, like no one else. For many generations your family has played a very special role, particularly regarding the flagship known all over the world – the popular downhill ski run on the Streif. Can you again describe to our readers your own view and memories of how today’s legend began back then and how the traditions have developed and changed over the past years? Born between the two major wars, I have witnessed history since almost the turn of the century throughmy own ob- servations and from many records, par- ticularly from my parents’ personal me- mories and the many witnesses who are still alive. Kitzbuehel was a peaceful town. For many decades it escaped conquests and devastation. The affluence shown by the closed construction and pleasing and impressive state of the buildings gave way to gradual impoverishment and decline, due to the drying-up of na- tural resources. My grandfather, Franz Reisch, was born in Kufstein, in a city that saw a different history with its decisive geographical location between Bavaria and Tyrol. Trade flourished there and the city re- flected this picture. One of my grandfather’s brothers oper- ated a gingerbread bakery and candle factory, he died unmarried and childless. My grandfather’s prematurely widowed mother controlled her children and the factory in Kufstein and ordered the grandfather, who had already been paid off, to undertake the business in Kitzbuehel. His experience of the world in America was the fillip to revive the lost signifi- cance of Kitzbuehel. He acquired the highly indebted Hinterbräu, which had shared Kitzbuehel’s destiny, with tavern, brewery and farm, expanded the assu- med business of his brother into the ho- tel Reisch, built the sports hotel, acqui- red the biggest part of the Kitzbuehel Horn, built the local Gipfelhaus, along with a private electrical network and a laundry service. He had the first taxi and the first cinema, created walkways, provided the impetus to develop the Grand Hotel, later the Hotel Reischhof. With all this, summer tourism began to flourish and the basis for the subse- quent ski sports, with the significant founding of the active Kitzbuehel Ski Club, had been initiated. With these milestones associated with its name, Kitzbuehel’s image became a legend. The FirstWorldWar ended this develop- ment and darkened everything that had been achieved. The early demise of my grandfather in 1920 forced many of the still underage children and recently grown-up sons, Ernst and Hermann Reisch, my father, to pursue their father’s work. This was also achieved by means of many improvements to the infrastructure, like the dance hall Casi- no, today’s Tenne, the building of a ten- nis court and many garages, as well as the acquisition of a corner house in Vor- derstadt,whichisinFranzBeckenbauer’s possession today. The World Economic Crisis in 1929 also ended development here, but not Franz Reisch’s and his children’s reputation. In the mid-1930s the seeds sown were to be reaped by flourishing tourism, parti- cularly from England.The SecondWorld War put an end to that.When it ended, the power of the family emerged undi- minished. With my mother’s help, my father, out of all the hotels, reopened the Reisch- hof. Walter Reisch created an infra- structure, which made the Kitzbuehel Horn accessible in the summer as well, Guido Reisch built the tourist centre at the Tenne and they improved, preserved and expanded things everywhere they could. This was a family contributing to the success of the town over two ge- nerations and with essential funda- mentals for Kitzbuehel. In these decades, peerless fundamentals were created