Festive jubilee day in Hallstatt: Schützenverein celebrates 60 years of Sonja!

Festive jubilee day in Hallstatt: Schützenverein celebrates 60 years of Sonja!

Hallstatt, Österreich - On July 9, 2025, Hallstatt was a place of celebration and muse, because Sonja Kneisz, secretary of the privileged shooting club Hallstatt, was allowed to celebrate her 60th birthday. On this special occasion, she invited friends, family and club members to a colorful festival day, which began with a mutual Mutzahrt at the beautiful Hallstättersee.

In the afternoon, the wreath shooting in Echerntal's picturesque was on the program. With a proud 45 participants, the event was well attended, including Guntram Fettinger, the chief rifle master of the Salzkammergut Schützenverband, and the Schützenbrüder Brigitte Fettinger from Bad Goisern. Marco Schlager emerged as the winner of the competition, followed by Marvin Hofinger and Alexander Lang.

a festival full of highlights

The true highlight of the festival was the memorial disc donated by Sonja Kneisz, which the participants could proudly accept. After shooting, a sociable grill party joined in which those present celebrated together and spent a few happy hours together in a relaxed atmosphere.

The day was framed by an entertaining dance performance, which was personally organized by the jubilee. The musical accompaniment also left nothing to be desired: Manfred with the clarinet, Guntram on the accordion and Thomas on the bass created the right mood and invited the guests to celebrate.

The long tradition of the shooting clubs

The shooting club in Hallstatt has its place in a long traditional line that is deeply rooted in Austria. Rifle associations, such as those in Austria and other countries, go back to historical rifle brotherhoods and have developed from customs to serious sport over the centuries. They play not only a role in the sporting area, but also in the social and cultural identity of the community, as the Wikipedia article explains.

Another big event in the club was the 400th anniversary of the Hallstatt disc shooters in June 2022. On these days, 94 participants came from the Salzkammergut to demonstrate their skills at an anniversary shooting. A festive evening in the cultural and congress house in Hallstatt formed the end of these celebrations, in which not only the shooting performance was recognized, but also the history of the association was brought alive.

There Osm Josef Sonnleitner said satisfied about the high number of participants and Mayor Alexander Scheutz addressed his congratulations on the shooters. The audience was also able to inspire the contributions to the club chronicle, which Sonja Kneisz introduced. Such historical reviews show how strongly the club life in Hallstatt is rooted and what importance the shooting club has for the community.

The interplay of sport, tradition and conviviality shapes club life in Hallstatt and is a wonderful example of how local communities in Austria are still alive today.