Peak Pioneers!

Austria is a nation of mountaineers – yet many of the most thrilling alpine stories do not necessarily come from the alpine region. In the last 200 years the mountain summits of the world have been conquered and Styrian mountaineers were actively involved in this history of expeditions. One high point in Styria’s alpine history was written 40 years ago: the first Austrians stood on the highest mountain in the world, Mount Everest! Robert Schauer from Graz, along with Wolfgang Nairz and Horst Bergmann from Innsbruck, were among the first Austrians to climb the ‘roof of the world’ on May 3rd, 1978. Trips to far-off destinations was not only to do with sports. An ‘expedition’ always meant generating knowledge as well, and documenting the same. The exhibition shows the expeditions made by Styrians who tackled Asia’s highest peaks. The adventurous tales of climbing come to life through a multimedial presentation of historical and present-day documentaries, combined with original objects on display.