Kitzbühel

Who is the most typical Kitzbühel native? Toni Sailer, the Black Lightning, the skiing legend who became a film star? Not a bad tip. Hansi Hinterseer, who switched from slalom to pop star and still looks just as bearded, cheerful and resilient at the age of 60 as he did as a young mountain boy? Quite possibly.

And yet: the most typical of all Kitzbühel residents is or was probably Alfons Walde, the painter (1891-1958). He used artistic means to document the rise of the town of Kitzbühel to a world-famous winter sports centre and at the same time contributed to this reputation. For decades, the elitist art world resented the fact that he himself disseminated his numerous winter sports motifs and landscapes en masse via postcards and poster prints. In the meantime, however, the view has prevailed that Walde's work is of high quality even apart from its touristically effective content.

Kitzbühel is and still offers everything that Walde painted: "Mondäne Wintergäste" (1927) in sumptuous fur coats, the sheer overwhelming beauty of freshly snow-covered mountain landscapes, the breakneck speed of winter sports enthusiasts. And by the way: the Kitzbühel chamois, the town's famous logo, was also designed by Alfons Walde.