Josef Elsinger (1923-1998)

Founder of the nature trail

Josef Elsinger was born in Nikolsburg/Mikulov (South Moravia) and came to Austria in 1945. From 1964 he was the town gardener in Purkersdorf and from 1968 he laid the foundations for the later nature park with the nature trail along the Wien River to a forest playground in Deutschwald.

Along the path, he placed wooden plaques with the names of the trees and shrubs, and on his initiative, several information stations were set up, on which weatherproof ceramic tiles with colourful depictions of flowers, insects and mushrooms, made by the Viennese artist Anni Eisenmenger, were placed. A year later, a second part of the nature trail was added, leading past the game enclosures and around the Schöffelstein back to the Kellerwiese.

"Always full of good ideas, he always endeavoured to beautify our town. During the Advent season, he made many flower arrangements and Advent wreaths, bringing much joy. All the gardening work to beautify the townscape, the design of the nature trail and the nature park, hard work in redesigning the Anton Wildgans path and the Georgenberg path and much more in such areas has Purkersdorf to thank him for" (translated from Schlinter 2003, p.56). 

Building on the already existing basis of the nature trail, the entire area of the Purkersdorf municipal forest plus some peripheral zones was finally declared a "Sandsteinwienerwald Nature Park" and opened on 26 April 1975 (the Austrian "Day of the Forest" at the time).

Awards

1970: Golden Badge of Honour of the Municipality of Purkersdorf 1970.
1975: Silver Medal of Merit of the Province of Lower Austria. 
1985: Josef Schöffel Award of the Province of Lower Austria for his life's work 1995: Nature Park Decoration of Honour of the Province of Lower Austria

Source: Kurt Schlintner: Keyword Purkersdorf. The Vienna Woods town from A-Z. Municipality of Purkersdorf. Updated edition 2003 (electronic text entry: Burkhard Weigl). Published by Brüder Hollinek, Luisenstraße 20, Purkersdorf. S.56.