that's how Helmut Wittmann starts his stories. Helmut is a professional storyteller, who is well-known for telling old Austrian fairy-tales from the Alps, from Transilvania, from Bohemia and from many other regions of the old Austrian-Hungarian Empire in a fascinating way. All these fairy-tales, myths and legends are surely some hundred years old. Their wisdom, their cleverness and wit still impresses - children as well as adults.
He lives with Ursula, his wife, their daughters Heidemarie, Sigrid, Gundula, Clara and son Valentin in the Fischereck-house in Grünau. Grünau is a small village situated in the valley of the river Alm in Upper Austria.

Helmut and Ursula Wittmann near their Fischereck-house in the Alm-valley

It is fine to listen to stories in a forest.
Foto: S. Moser

Usually Helmut tells the stories in Austrian dialect, but he is also able to tell some of the very best ones in English. The right atmosphere is very important for listening to a story. That is why he prefers telling fairy-tales in old castles, old inns or in pleasent places outdoors.
He often takes his audience on a walk through a forest, across alpine pastures, or around a beautiful lake.

Some hundred years ago the "Bock" was played all over Austria, Bohemia and Bavaria for dancing and singing. Even Mozart composed some pieces of music for this form of bagpipe. Rudi Lughofer and his "Kremsmünsterer Bock- und Leiermusik" often play these pieces of music in between the fairy-tales of Helmut.
Other musicians working together with Helmut are »Die Saligen« - four women from Salzburg singing beautiful Yodlers and playing cello, harp, s-clarinet and Hackbrett, a typical music-instrument of the alps.

Helmut, the story-teller, and Franz, the bagpipe.
Foto: S. Moser