{"id":120976,"date":"2017-03-08T11:11:52","date_gmt":"2017-03-08T10:11:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.salzburgerland.com\/en\/?p=120976"},"modified":"2017-03-29T17:08:04","modified_gmt":"2017-03-29T15:08:04","slug":"mattsee-lake-big-in-ship-and-car-manufacturing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.salzburgerland.com\/en\/mattsee-lake-big-in-ship-and-car-manufacturing\/","title":{"rendered":"Mattsee lake – big in ship and car manufacturing"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Salzburg Lake District, with its four deep blue lakes, the gentle hill landscape and the picturesque towns built right by the water, is one of those regions I like to visit over and over again and experience extraordinary moments. Whether at the beautiful and cosy outdoor swimming facility at Mattsee lake, where you can enjoy the summer in all its glory, the pretty places around Wallersee lake, or with a cold drink while taking in the sundown right at Obertrumersee lake. However, it was only on a Saturday last August when I found out that Mattsee lake is also a central hub for car and boat manufacturing.<\/p>\n

A dream on four wheels<\/h2>\n

A visit to the fahr(T)raum museum<\/a>, a kind of car manufacturing theme park located directly in the town of Mattsee, has been on my bucket list for a long time. Finally, I decided to go and see Ernst Pi\u00ebch\u2019s collection of historical cars that he has brought together here in the Lake District and made available to the public. Pi\u00ebch, incidentally, also happens to be Ferdinand Porsche\u2019s grandson and a genius car builder in his own right. Supposedly, his collection is mainly made up of the \u201cAustro Daimler\u201d brand, as well as tractors, all designed by his grandfather. I\u2019ve heard many great things about his collection, so you can imagine my excitement. I can\u2019t believe my eyes when I finally face the entrance to the snow-white building, a former shoe factory, meticulously rebuilt by Pi\u00ebch and his team. And that sense of astonishment would accompany me for the rest of the day. But one thing after another.<\/p>\n

Perfectly restored antique cars guide visitors and sparkle in the sun as if wanting to compete with the Mattsee lake not too far away. The elegance, the grace, it\u2019s simply unbelievable. Inside of the fahr(T)raum museum, everything revolves around the work of Ferdinand Porsche and his immense contribution to the development of motorised mobility in the 20th<\/sup> century. Many of the things that we take for granted today would have been impossible without the visionary\u2019s work. Curiously, I continue to read the many information displays, looking at every single one of the many videos, looking deeply into the engine compartments of the wonderful exhibition pieces and testing my skills at the driving simulator as well as the lovingly crafted slot car race track.<\/p>\n

My astonishment must have been rather obvious because just as I move closer to one of the bulkier cars, I hear a friendly voice behind me saying, \u201cThis one was built specifically for the emperor, even though he preferred to drive around in horse carriages for most of his life.<\/em>\u201d Surprised, I turn around and see the friendly face of an older gentleman, with the awakened and curious eyes of a young man. \u201cErnst Pi\u00ebch<\/em>,\u201d he introduces himself, looking at my probably rather surprised-looking face. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to introduce yourself<\/em>,\u201d I say, \u201cit is a great honour, Mr. Pi\u00ebch. Incredible what you have put together here.<\/em>\u201d \u201cI\u2019m very glad that you like it,<\/em>\u201d my host responds before asking me if I would like to go on a tour around the building. An offer which I, of course, accept. I\u2019m told stories on almost every single exhibition piece, I learn that Porsche was a speedy driver and that he piloted many of the race cars on display here across the finish line himself. How about that for tangible history! Laughing, Ernst Pi\u00ebch also tells me how he was taught to drive by his grandfather and that he did get the occasional spank if he failed to engage the right gear. It\u2019s amazing to hear such anecdotes from the life of a legend on a first-hand basis. The fahr(T)raum museum, so my guide tells me, served to fulfil a long-held wish to bring all of his cars together in a single space. And there are quite a few of them that he managed to put together over the years. As mentioned before, they are mainly Austro Daimler models, all created by Porsche himself. Among them is also an Austro Daimler 28\/32 from 1908, which belonged to archduke Leopold Salvator. My personal highlight, however, is a Lohner Porsche from 1901, a hybrid car with an electric and combustion engine. Crazy! They already had electric cars back then, and they\u2019re not far removed from today\u2019s e-engines in terms of their basis technical design.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t

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