Indeed, of the eighty pupils who entered the school in the fall of 1953, only 10 managed to pass all eight years, including myself. My first school years still belonged to the harsh post-war period which ended symbolically with the new Austrian State Treaty and the departure of all Allied troups in 1955. Some of the tongue-in-cheek stories of the earlier years described herein could not, or would no longer, happen today. At a recent visit I realised how much the school has shared in the tremendous re-emergence of a prospering Austria, not only economically but also culturally. Previously the school, with students primarily from all four courners of the country, had played the role of a local enclave. Today, by going co-ed and and increasing the portion of non-boarders, it has opened itself up to the populace of the second largest Austrian city and become embedded in its fabric much more than during my own school years.

Even though I have seemingly assigned each of the following little sketches to a particular year (accessed through the links at the top or bottom), they nowhere nearly explore the full fan of experiences and anecdotes lodged in my memory. The restrictions are self-imposed, merely for not letting the volume of this web site get out of hand. Please read on - and chuckle.