Paul Ofner?s life and work as a local historian in HengsbergPaul Ofner (1908-1991) ? a human companion, helper, friend and neighbour.He was grown-up in Weißenbacherhube in Schaldorf, St.Marein Mürztal, attended the catholic school for former priests ?Fürstbischöfliches Knabenseminar? in Graz and graduated there. After that he attended the College of Education in Innsbruck. He had his first job as a teacher in Oberwölz, afterwards he came to the primary school of Hengsberg, district Leibnitz, Styria, first as a teacher and later as director of the elementary school.Born in the 20th century, Paul Ofner lived in the time of the First World War, in the difficult times after it, in the era of Nationalsozialism, the revival of the Austrian state and the second Republic till his death in 1991.He could not take part at the military service in the 2nd World War, but after 1945, he had to go through the denazification process. He wrote a "draft curriculum for the upper distribution of rural schools (5th, 6th and 7th / 8th grade)", a book about Hengsberg, a book about the family home in Schaldorf, called ?Court History of Weissenbacherhube" and much more. He initiated different organizations like the so-called ?Landjugend? in Hengsberg and made presentations to different topics of life and history. He studied the history and ethnology of Hengsberg?s community, founded a museum with an ethnologic collection. He worked as a registrar and also for the school of St. Martin in Hengsberg. For his outstanding accomplishments, Paul Ofner received numerous awards and honors.He initiated for Hengsberg the 1100-year anniversary held in 1992, but he died before this event.On the occasion of his 100th birthday the cultural organisation ?Kulturpark Hengist? organised in 2008 and 2009 an exhibition entitled "Paul Ofner and the Styrian homeland research" in Hengsberg. |