Dr. Erwin Hirnschall (1930–2011)

Founding member of the FPÖ 1955

Member of the Vienna Provincial Parliament and Municipal Council 1964-1996

Provincial Party Chairman, FPÖ Vienna 1983-1991

Third President of the Vienna Provincial Parliament and Municipal Council 1991-1996

Erwin Hirnschall was a co-founder of the Freedom Party of Austria in 1955/56. He was a member of the Vienna Provincial Parliament and Municipal Council for 23 years. During his last term of office, he became its Third President. He played a major role in exposing both the Vienna General Hospital (AKH) corruption scandal and the “Bauring scandal” (named after a Vienna municipal housing association). At the age of 67, he was appointed FPÖ honorary chairman.

Short biography

Erwin Hirnschall was born in Allentstein, Lower Austria, on 22 July 1930. He moved to Vienna to study law and graduated in 1955 with a doctorate. That same year, he participated in the founding of the FPÖ.

For some years, Erwin Hirnschall had a full-time job in the Federal Ministry for Finance. In 1959 he was elected to the district council of Liesing, Vienna’s 23rd district. Hirnschall served on the Liesing district council until 1964. Thereafter, he moved to the provincial level and became a member of the Vienna Provincial Parliament and Municipal Council. From 1971 until 1991 he was chairman of the FPÖ parliamentary party in that body. In 1972, under Hirnschall’s leadership, the FPÖ prevented a construction project from taking place in the Sternwartepark.

Hirnschall served for 32 years as a member of the Vienna Provincial Parliament and Municipal Council and was in 1975 awarded the Decoration in Gold for Services to the Province of Vienna. From 1978 until 1996, he was chairman of the control committee of the Vienna Provincial Parliament and Municipal Council. Hirnschall’s significant services to the province include his exposing of not only the Bauring scandal (named after a Vienna municipal housing association) in 1973/74, but also the Vienna General Hospital (AKH) corruption scandal (1980). Throughout his life, Hirnschall was a fierce opponent of cronyism.

From 1983, Hirnschall was chairman of the FPÖ Vienna. He gave up that position in 1991, upon his election as Third President of the Vienna Provincial Parliament and Municipal Council. In 1991, Hirnschall pushed through a popular consultation on the proposed Vienna EXPO World Exhibition and at that year’s Vienna provincial and municipal election, the FPÖ succeeded in becoming the second-strongest party. In 1995, Hirnschall was awarded the Grand Decoration in Gold for Services to the Republic of Austria.

At 66 years of age, Erwin Hirnschall resigned from his active political positions. One year later, he was appointed FPÖ Honorary Chairman.

On 26 August 2011, Erwin Hirnschall passed away in Vienna. He was buried in the Maurer Cemetery in Liesing.

Main political positions

Weblinks

Interview with Erwin Hirnschall:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNmM3-HI-7g

Erwin Hirnschall on the internet portal of the City of Vienna:

https://www.geschichtewiki.wien.gv.at/Erwin_Hirnschall

Erwin Hirnschall in the Austria-Forum - das Wissensnetz aus Österreich:

https://austria-forum.org/af/AustriaWiki/Erwin_Hirnschall