25 October 2022

Female mountaineer and founder of Vienna's oldest sporting goods shop Mizzi Langer-Kauba is one of Austria's sport pioneers from the turn of 1900 presented at the exhibition 'Alpine Rope Teams' at Landesgalerie Niederösterreich in Krems

At first glance, the upcoming exhibition 'Alpine Rope Teams' at the Landesgalerie Niederösterreich in Krems, Lower Austria, appears like a historical story about alpinism in Austria told with paintings and some posters promoting the rising sport of mountaineering around 1900. A closer look at the press preview reveals posters and catalogs for the Sporthaus Mizzi Langer-Kauba such as on view on this page with closer information about the range of the sports store 'Ausrüstung u. Bekleidung f. Hochtouristen' (equipment and clothing for 'tourists in altitudes' in the meaning of mountaineers) and the shop's address, 7th district of Vienna at Kaiserstrasse 15. According to several sources, the Sportshaus Mizzi Langer-Kauba is with founding year 1896 the oldest sporting goods shop (today 'Bergfuchs') in Vienna. Mizzi Langer-Kauba is legendary, not only for her pioneer retail business which was focused on a rising sport. The 1872 in Vienna born Marie Langer was the only woman who took part in the legendary alpine downhill race, a slalom, in 1905 on the Muckenkogel near Lilienfeld in Lower Austria, and she was a prominent mountaineer - the rock face and until today used climbing garden 'Mizzi-Langer-Wand' is named after her. The 'Alpine Rope Teams' exhibition presents the circle of friends and comrades of early mountaineering in Austria. Athlete and sports store pioneer Mizzi Langer-Kauba was part of this circle like one of the most important painters of the alpine environment from the turn of the century Gustav Jahn who studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna and was exhibited internationally such as during the St. Louis World Fair 1904. Painter, mountaineer, skier, ski jumper Gustav Jahn illustrated over several years the catalogs of the Sporthaus Mizzi Langer-Kauba. A detailed biography of the female athlete, review of the visual concept and content of the catalogs as well as photographic views of the sporting goods store Mizzi Langer-Kauba are published at gustav-jahn.at/mizzi_langer.html.

The exhibition opens on 5 November with a special event: The State Gallery of Lower Austria, the Landesgalerie Niederösterreich, will be climbed for the first time; details at the post on Instagram. 'Alpine Rope Teams. Mountaineering Around 1900' is open to the public from 5 November 2022 until 8 October 2023.

Images, from left: Gustav Jahn, Rope Team (Seilschaft), around 1912/13. © Landessammlungen NÖ. Right: Gustav Jahn, sales catalog of the mountain sports store of Mizzi Langer-Kauba, 1914. © Landessammlungen NÖ.