Memorial for Nassfeld pioneers: Honor for Arnold Pucher and Max Rauscher!

Memorial for Nassfeld pioneers: Honor for Arnold Pucher and Max Rauscher!

On September 21, 2025, a monument honoring the Nassfeld pioneers was unveiled at Kofelplatz Madritsche at 1,900 m above sea level. This masterpiece, created by sculptor Egon Gruber, consists of an impressive granite monument that combines the cast bronze heads of two important figures, Arnold Pucher and Max Rauscher. The initiative for this monument came from Johann Kreschischnig, a friend of Arnold Pucher, who launched the honorary work after Pucher's death in 2022.

The monument was financed through generous donations that Kreschischnig acquired through his relationships with companies and Nassfeld beneficiaries. During the speech, he emphasized the immense economic importance of Nassfeld for the region. The mayor of Hermagor, DI Leopold Astner, described the municipality as the municipality with the strongest tourism in Carinthia and emphasized the successes of Nassfeld.

Important speeches

In his speech, Max Rauscher, who worked as a financial officer in Carinthia in 1982, expanded the ranks of Nassfeld pioneers to include other important personalities such as Hans Jenul, Paul Herzog and Fritz Sölle. He emphasized that the management team of the tourist businesses in Nassfeld consists of dynamic young entrepreneurs who are continuing to exploit the excellent potential of the area.

Rauscher referred to the impressive economic figures: Nassfeld employs around 2,000 people and achieved a total turnover of 6.16 billion euros from 1970 to 2025. Those present thanked the pioneers who laid the foundations for the development of this ski area for these successes.

A legacy is honored

Arnold Pucher, who was known as the “Nassfeld Emperor”, died at the age of 83 and is described as a formative figure in the development of Nassfeld. Carinthia's Governor Peter Kaiser praised Pucher's extraordinary commitment, his fighting spirit and his vision for the positive further development of Nassfeld. His inseparable connection to this successful ski area is valued and respected by many, as he played a key role in its rise to become one of the most successful ski areas in Austria.

Kaiser has called on Pucher's colleagues, partners and investors to carry on his legacy. With Pucher, Carinthia is losing an important pioneer in the area of ​​ski areas and cable cars, whose influence on the region and the winter sports industry is immeasurable.

The event also featured musical accompaniment by a brass group from TK Wulfenia Tröpolach and ended with culinary delicacies in the Kofelalm restaurant. The newly installed monument will serve not only as a symbol of respect for the Nassfeld pioneers, but also as a lasting reminder of their achievements and contribution to regional development.

Listed objects in Austria are recorded in the Austrian Monument Register, which is created and updated by the Federal Monuments Office. This directory lists immovable monuments such as architectural monuments and archaeological sites, with the objects currently under monument protection reflecting the country's diversity of artistic and cultural heritage.