Ignaz Märzinger from the Rohrbach Heimatverein writes about an unsolved mystery or even a criminal case in his essay “Tief inside the Bohemian Forest”. In the 19th century the inhabitants of the Šumava belt lived off what the barren soil threw off. But the Šumava was also interesting for smuggling. The Lackenhäusler gang of smugglers was feared far and wide, especially by the border guards.
Hated tax officials
In the capital Vienna, the leak at the border in the border triangle in the Bohemian Forest was of course known, and additional barracks were gradually installed in the problem area around Schwarzenberg. The staff was recruited from the local population. Border guards were hated by the population, as most of the locals were “blacks”.
outlaw girls
If a girl danced with a “financier”, she was bullied by the local boys.
The mysterious story that Ignaz Märzinger researched for the Rohrbacher Heimatverein fell into this period.
A young woman disappears
In 1905 the mentioned family tragedy happened: Maria Weißenberger, a landlord’s daughter, disappeared without a trace at the age of 33, leaving behind four children between the ages of two and nine and her 56-year-old husband – a financier. “It is suspected that she may have gotten lost in the Bohemian Forest while collecting blueberries or drowned in Lake Plöckenstein,” says Märzinger. Despite an intensive search, the body or traces of it were not found. The financier’s wife has not released the Plöckensteinersee to this day either.
The fact that the Weißenberger family no longer lived in Oberschwarzenberg in 1905 is evident from the baptismal records of the last two children. Frida (1902) and Leopoldine (1904) were born in Hinteranger. Josef Weißenberger inherited the “Secretary House” at Kollerschlag 28 in 1908.
His only son of the same name attended the public school in Oberplan in Bohemia. Every weekend he walked six hours to see his father in Kollerschlag. Josef Weissenberger Sr. remained alone until the end of his life in 1933. Maria, the older of the four siblings, was only 16 years old and managed to emigrate to Canada with a group of clogs, where she stayed. Son Josef attended the teacher training college in Linz after graduating from public school. He finally ended up in the Frankenmarkt secondary school, where he worked as a director. The municipality of Frankenmarkt awarded him honorary citizenship and gave him an honorary grave in the local cemetery after his death.
successful offspring
The sons of the headmaster Josef Weißenberger, Guntram and Josef, studied architecture. Guntram Weißenberger founded the “Westover Company” in Philadelphia (USA), today a construction company worth millions. He remained a Frankenmarkter at heart and, like his father, received honorary citizenship. The star architect published his memoirs in the book “My Town, the life of a building contractor”. Josef Weißenberger founded the renowned architectural office Weißenberger & Ratschenberger in Hof near Salzburg with a fellow student. The over 90-year-old still lives with his family in Salzburg.
Memorial for missing grandma
Josef Weißenberger always maintains close contact with his relatives in the Upper Mühlviertel, although he was born in Frankenmarkt and grew up there. The mysterious disappearance of his grandmother Maria Weißenberger in 1905 left him no peace. In order not to forget her disappearance without a trace and because she has no grave, he decided to erect a memorial in the Bohemian Forest. He would have found a suitable job near the Plöckensteinersee, but the Czech authorities refused. Eventually he found what he was looking for on the climb to the Plöckenstein. At the “frozen woman” he received permission to set up an iron cross. A plaque reads: “Mementos of Maria Weißenberger from Kollerschlag, born 1872, née Leitner, died in an accident in 1905”.
Source: Nachrichten
