Give us back the splendor of the Spanish School of Vienna
Vienna, January 28, 2022 – For several months, horse-riding enthusiasts from all over the world have been looking at Vienna with apprehension.
The famous Spanish Schoolwhich for five centuries has been home to the magnificent Lipizzaner stallions, in the heart of the Austrian capital, is going through a crisis that risks putting their very survival at risk.
A terrible damage for this institution, registered since 2016 in the cultural heritage of humanity ofUNESCO.
After years of questionable and unsuccessful management, the knots are coming to a head at the Spanish School in Vienna.
At the beginning of January the president of the Supervisory Board of the School, Johann Marihart, he had to resign after the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Austrian capital opened, at the beginning of January, an investigation for breach of trust, acquired in the case of a stallion by Marihart’s daughter, who would have been housed and trained at the School, in expenses of contributions.
The story also calls into question Elisabeth Gürtler, managing director of the School from 2007 to 2018, and Sonja Klima, who succeeded her from 2019.
It all starts with the denunciation of the ex-knight of the School, Klaus Krzisch, who for some time criticized the management of the School, which he defined, in a recent press conference, “a disaster”.
The case has also become political.
The deputy of the Greens David Stögmullerwhose party is part of the government majority, a week ago presented a parliamentary question to the Minister of Agriculture, the popular Elisabeth Köstinger, in which she posed 41 questions on the case of the School.
The parliamentarian asks for clarification on what appears to be an opaque and “casual” management and on a memorandum that the School has commissioned to Dorda law firmto clarify (justify) the position of the resigning president Marihart in front of the media.
So far, Minister Gürtler has not provided satisfactory answers on the matter.
Already last October, the Austrian Court of Auditors had denounced, in a very harsh report, the serious financial situation in which the School has been in for several years, which was further aggravated by the pandemic.
Since 2001, in fact, while remaining part of the Austrian Ministry of Agriculture, the School has been entrusted to a private management, in the illusion that it could support properties with the proceeds of tickets and exhibitions abroad.
Despite the thousands of visitors a year, starting from 2014, however, the budgets have begun to close in the red, inducing the administrators to sponsor a research spasm and to multiply the exhibitions.
According to the court this led to one over-exploitation of horsescompromising their well-being.
A very serious accusation for what is considered a temple of classical equitation and respect for the horse.
In an attempt to make ends meet, staff salaries have also been cut, with the result that many of the spouses have left the school most, and have been replaced by less qualified staff.
The maintenance of the equestrian facilities and the stables itself would have been neglected to save money.
More and more people close to the School are denouncing the serious mix of political interests, which is sinking the School.
Strongly contested by some of the press and industry experts is the appointment of the new managing director Sonja Climate.
Former primary school teacher, ex-wife of an Austrian Social Democrat Chancellor, she devoted herself to philanthropic activities as managing director of Ronald McDonald Children’s Aid, and recently converted to the Austrian People’s Party, supporting its election campaign in Lower Austria.
Critics note that it is the same party as the Minister of Agriculture, who appointed her a year later, despite the negative opinion expressed by the expert committee who had been asked to look for a score for the candidacy and despite having received a score lower than another also from the company that would have examined the curricula.
Many dalians, in Austria and around the world, argue that the School cannot be run as a commercial company, but must be supported entirely by the state, like a museum, or like other cultural entities.
The serious crisis it is going through can only alarm all lovers of beautiful horse riding.
The short horse and rider performance that aired on January 1, during the traditional New Year’s Eve concert from Vienna, also elicited dismayed comments.
Horses and riders seemed to many sad and humble and many noticed that not only did they not perform the “high arias” (cabriole and courbette), which not even made the Scuola famous, but that they did not have a gallop time!
The hope is that the debate ignited in Austria by the scandal and the attention of world public opinion will soon push the government to intervene with a profound reform, which will restore the necessary economic solidity and managerial serenity to this magnificent and historic institution.
Giovanni Battista Tomassini: editor-in-chief of the Culture and Thanksgiving editorial staff of Tg3, journalist, knight, scholar of equestrian things and friend of Cavallo Magazine.