Opening of the Salzkammergut Festival Weeks Gmunden 2026

"Harder days are coming. The time that has been postponed at will is becoming visible on the horizon..." These opening lines from one of Ingeborg Bachmann's most famous poems seem particularly relevant in these days. The great Austrian poet, whose birthday is celebrated for the hundredth time this year, stands alongside Thomas Bernhard—who would have celebrated his ninety-fifth birthday this year—at the center of this year's Salzkammergut Festival Weeks in Gmunden. Both share a critical view of their homeland, which they appreciate yet suffer from, dissecting the circumstances mercilessly with their texts. Bernhard regarded Bachmann as the most significant Austrian poet of the twentieth century and a "kindred spirit," dedicating a character (Maria) to her in his novel "Extinction." Bachmann recognized a profound "disturbance, in which everyone finds themselves" in Bernhard's work. Mavie Hörbiger and Markus Meyer, both long-time ensemble members of the Burgtheater, bring the literary works of the two honorees to life and demonstrate how much art opens up spaces for comfort, calm, clarity, and also irritation—as inspiration. This is what the Salzkammergut Festival Weeks in Gmunden stand for. The evening will be musically accompanied by KALA Chamber, a young European chamber orchestra with outstanding musicians and prize winners of renowned competitions, known for its highest artistic quality. Following the event: Celebration & Encounter.