A year has passed and the Prangerschützen in Filzmoos are once again letting it rip. But this time not at a church event, but at the 2nd Filzmoos Prangerschützen Ball.
But what are the Prangerschützen anyway? Yes, that's what I asked myself and none other than the chairman himself gave me the answers.
Markus Pöckl has been chairman of the guards in Filzmoos since 2022. You're probably thinking: ‘Excuse me? 2022?’ Yes, the Filzmoos Prangerschützen is a very young club, and Markus is not only chairman, he also brought the tradition back to life and re-founded the Filzmoos Guards.
So, how did the new foundation in Filzmoos come about?
Markus tells me that he used to be an active member of the Mondsee shooting club. As it happens in life, love brought him to Filzmoos. With him came the so-called ‘Stutzen’ (hand cannon), because the weapon belongs to the man, as he explains to me. Some other Filzmoos residents became aware of this ‘Stutzen’ when Markus wanted to shoot the groom out in the middle of the night at a wedding. But don't worry, the shooting out is of course not meant literally. Shooting the groom out is an old tradition that wakes him up with a loud bang. The Filzmoosers' curiosity was great, and Markus explained everything about the shooting custom to them. This gave Markus the idea of founding his own shooting club in Filzmoos.
However, this plan was gradually forgotten during the pandemic. Until one day, there was an unexpected meeting with Franz Meissl, the former regional rifle commander of Salzburg, whom Markus knew well from earlier times. During this meeting, Franz drew Markus' attention to the fact that there were still no marksmen in Filzmoos. He encouraged Markus to find out whether there had been marksmen in Filzmoos in the past and promised that if there had been, he would give the Filzmoos people his full support in founding a new organisation.
Motivated by this encouragement, Markus began his research. It soon became apparent that there was indeed a historical connection - he found evidence in the archives that there had already been marksmen in Filzmoos in earlier times. With this discovery and the active support of Franz Meissl and Josef Braunwieser, the current regional marksman commander of Salzburg, the way was clear for the founding of a marksmen's association.
On 2nd February 2022, the Filzmoos Prangerschützen Association was officially founded. Since then, the community has been growing steadily: the association currently has a captain, five sutlers and eleven marksmen. With their passion and commitment, they are carrying on a centuries-old tradition and breathing new life into the region's historical heritage.
What were marksmen needed for in the past?
The history of marksmen goes back to the 18th century. The task of the marksmen was to protect the population from threats, as the name suggests. Especially in times of peasant wars or the Napoleonic occupation, shooting clubs were indispensable.
What does ‘Grob Schützen Heil’ mean?
‘Grob Schützen Heil’ is the traditional motto of the Prangerschützen. It serves both as a greeting to one another and as a congratulatory greeting. When you wish another club ‘Grob Schützen Heil’, you are expressing respect and recognition for their achievements or successes. The greeting symbolises cohesion and appreciation within the shooting clubs and the local community.
Where do your uniforms come from and do they have a special meaning?
Markus still knows the Hohensinn club costume tailors from his time with the Mondsee marksmen. After making an enquiry, he was promptly offered a choice of 50 different uniforms, which reminded him of a fashion show. The decision to integrate short leather trousers into the uniform was quickly made. The choice of colours was also easy, as they were to be based on the Filzmoos coat of arms: a green jacket for the moss, a brown gilet for the cattails and a red tie to reflect the background of the coat of arms.
When is this year's ball taking place?
A matter close to the chairman's heart is the upcoming Prangerschützen Ball, which takes place this year on 9th November at 7:00 pm in the Mützenhalle Filzmoos. Here, too, attention is paid to tradition. That's why this year there will once again be show performances by the Filzmoos Goasslschnalzern (Whipcrackers) and the Filzmoos Children’s Dance Group, which are not to be missed. Filzmoos Power and the Fetzige from the Zillertal will provide the musical accompaniment to the ball. Of course, there will also be plenty of refreshments available. So, there’s nothing standing in the way of a glittering ball night in the Mützenhalle. So, see you at the ball. Until then: ‘Grob Schützen Heil!
Info
You can find more information about the events in the Salzburger Sportwelt here.
photo credits: Angela Jäger