Franz Josef Böhm

The actor and keen amateur photographer Franz Josef Böhm took advantage of a guest performance in Mürzzuschlag to produce, from nearby Krieglach and Alpl, photos of the region now known as the ‘Waldheimat’ (Forest Home). Here he met the art and culture aficionado Tony Schruf, who, with the assistance of Peter Rosegger, was able to persuade him to give up his acting career and settle down in Mürzzuschlag as a photographer. In this role, he documented the continually changing landscape in the wake of industrialisation, the hunting expedition of Emperor Franz Josef with the Russian Tsar Nicholas II in Mürzsteg, and the ‘Nordic Winter Games’ that took place in Mürzzuschlag in 1904.

The special exhibition sets out to show the varied life of the art and culture enthusiast Franz Josef Böhm, from actor to photographer, autograph collector and museum founder. Special consideration is given to the photographic depiction of the agricultural and socio-economic changes that occurred in the Mürztal.