Kirchberg am Wechsel in Lower Austria is best known as a region for nature and recreation. International attention, however, comes from its connection to Ludwig Wittgenstein: since 1976, the renowned International Wittgenstein Symposium has been held here. The event is organised by the Austrian Ludwig Wittgenstein Society, which is headquartered in the town.

The location is not accidental: in the 1920s, Wittgenstein worked as a primary school teacher in several nearby villages and occasionally visited Kirchberg am Wechsel as well.

External link:

• Austrian Ludwig Wittgenstein Society (ALWS)

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In 1922, after having spent two years as a primary school teacher in Trattenbach, Ludwig Wittgenstein briefly took up a teaching post in Hassbach [Haßbach], Lower Austria. A commemorative plaque on the school building, which was later used as a kindergarten, marks this period of his life. He subsequently moved on to Puchberg am Schneeberg.

Source: Monk, R. (1991). Ludwig Wittgenstein: The Duty of Genius. Vintage.

The post Primary School Hassbach first appeared on Wittgenstein’s World.

From 1920 to 1926, Ludwig Wittgenstein worked as a primary school teacher in Lower Austria, including in the villages of Trattenbach and Otterthal. His journeys to these remote places took him via the railway station at Gloggnitz. In 1926, Gloggnitz was the site of the court hearing in which Wittgenstein had to answer charges of having mistreated a pupil (the so-called Haidbauer incident). Although the trial ended in his acquittal, the episode marked a decisive turning point in his life and led him to abandon his career as a primary school teacher. He subsequently devoted himself, together with the architect Paul Engelmann, to the construction of the Palais Stonborough – today known as the Haus Wittgenstein – in Vienna’s third district.

Sources:

• Monk, R. (1991). Ludwig Wittgenstein: The Duty of Genius. Vintage.
• Wittgenstein, L. (2013). Gesamtbriefwechsel / Complete Correspondence (2nd release). Innsbrucker Electronic Edition. InteLex.

The post Gloggnitz – Verhandlung im „Vorfall Haidbauer“ first appeared on Wittgenstein’s World.

At this address stood the publishing house of Hölder-Pichler-Tempsky, which in 1926 published Ludwig Wittgenstein’s Dictionary for Elementary Schools [Wörterbuch für Volksschulen]. The dictionary was compiled during his time as an elementary school teacher in Otterthal.

Directly next door stood the house in which the composer Johann Strauss II lived and died.

Source: Janik, A. S., & Veigl, H. (1998). Wittgenstein in Wien: Ein biographischer Streifzug durch die Stadt und ihre Geschichte. Springer.

The post Johann-Strauß-Gasse 6 – Wittgenstein’s Dictionary first appeared on Wittgenstein’s World.

During his time as a primary school teacher in Puchberg am Schneeberg, Ludwig Wittgenstein undertook hikes on the Schneeberg. A photo taken in 1923 shows him together with his students.

Source: Monk, R. (1991). Ludwig Wittgenstein: The Duty of Genius. Vintage.

The post Schneeberg first appeared on Wittgenstein’s World.

From 1919 onwards, Wittgenstein attended the Teacher Training College in Kundmanngasse (formerly Sophienbrückengasse), where he trained to become a primary school teacher.

The college, which still operates today as a College Preparatory School, is located directly next to the Haus Wittgenstein, which Wittgenstein designed from 1926/27 onwards in collaboration with Paul Engelmann for his sister.

The classrooms of the Teacher Training College were located on the second floor, including those facing Geusaugasse – the side from which this photograph was taken.

Sources:

Baumann, X., & Students of the College Preparatory School Kundmanngasse in Vienna. (2023). 1919–1920: “To a teacher’s training college to become a teacher.” In R. Schweitzer (Ed.), Ludwig Wittgenstein’s Tractatus Odyssey: The Great War and the Writing of the Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus (pp. 153–167). DoppelHaus Press.

Monk, R. (1991). Ludwig Wittgenstein: The Duty of Genius. Vintage.

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From 1922 to 1924, Ludwig Wittgenstein worked as a primary school teacher in Puchberg am Schneeberg. A commemorative plaque on the school building still serves as a reminder of this time.

A photo taken in 1923 shows Wittgenstein with his pupils during a hike on the Schneeberg.

Monk, R. (1991). Ludwig Wittgenstein: The Duty of Genius. Vintage.

The post Primary School Puchberg am Schneeberg first appeared on Wittgenstein’s World.

Between 1924 and 1926, Ludwig Wittgenstein taught at the primary school in Otterthal, near Trattenbach. During this period, he compiled his Dictionary for Elementary Schools (Wörterbuch für Volksschulen), commemorated today by a memorial plaque on the school building. He took his meals in nearby taverns, some of which still exist to this day.

Sources:

• Monk, R. (1991). Ludwig Wittgenstein: The Duty of Genius. Vintage.
• Wünsche, K. (1985). Der Volksschullehrer Ludwig Wittgenstein. Suhrkamp.

The post Primary School Otterthal first appeared on Wittgenstein’s World.

In Trattenbach, where Ludwig Wittgenstein worked as a primary school teacher from 1920-1922, a circular trail traces the path once taken by Ludwig Wittgenstein to a farmhouse for his lunch. Along the route, boards featuring selected aphorisms of Wittgenstein invite visitors to pause and reflect.

External link: Wittgenstein Hiking Trail Trattenbach

The post Wittgenstein Hiking Trail first appeared on Wittgenstein’s World.

Ludwig Wittgenstein worked at this primary school in Trattenbach from 1920 to 1922. Today, the school is named after him.

Source: Monk, R. (1991). Ludwig Wittgenstein: The Duty of Genius. Vintage.

The post Wittgenstein Primary School first appeared on Wittgenstein’s World.