Media Information 1. Introduction

Transcription

1 Media Information 1. Introduction Over the course of some 125 years the Swiss Rifle Museum has received many valuable donations of shooting memorabilia, including: The gold medal won at the world championships in Mexico in 1985 by Rolf Beutler. The entire shooting legacy of the great marksman Otto Horber, received in Fritz Kuchen s collection, received in The bequest, received in 2010, of Dr. Rudolf Schnyder-Vaage, dental surgeon from Balsthal, including the Olympic silver medal he won at the 1948 London games. The Museum s main Special Exhibition for 2010 is GOLD, SILVER, BRONZE: Homage to selected great marksmen of the past, including Otto Horber, Fritz Kuchen, Karl Zimmermann, Walter Lienhard, Emil Grünig, Dr. Rudolf Schnyder, Dr. Willy Schnyder, Konrad Stäheli, Rolf Beutler The exhibition devoted to these outstanding shooters is also a token of appreciation to the donors to the Museum, and will run from 19 May 2011 to 26 February The five showcases for the most part show trophies presented to the Swiss Rifle Museum won by great marksmen of the past. The first showcase is devoted to the match shooters Konrad Stäheli (117 international* medals), Emil Kellenberger (36 international medals) and Konrad Roderer (8 international medals). The second case covers the legendary Walter Lienhard (44 international medals) and Fritz Kuchen (12 international medals). The third case contains awards to Karl Zimmermann (92 international medals), Otto Horber (36 international medals), and Emil Grünig (23 international medals). The fourth case contains winnings of Dr. Willy Schnyder (15 international medals) and Dr. Rudolf Schnyder (1 international medal). The fifth case is for Fritz Zulauf (11 international medals), and Heinrich Keller, Loritz Minder and Rolf Beutler (each of whom won 2 international medals). Walter Lienhard s trophies, amounting to some 2,000 items which are all possessed by the Swiss Rifle Museum, were orginally exhibited in the House of Marksmen, today s seat on the Swiss national rifle association (SSV). 1

2 2. The Beginning of International Match Shooting International competition shooting began at the Olympic Games in Athens in 1896, and then officially with the establishment of the International Match in In 1907 there followed the foundation in Zürich of the international shooting union (UIT), which was renamed the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) in The Schweizer Matchschützenverband, the Swiss International Match Rifle Association, was founded in Swiss Medal Winners at the Olympics Around 1900 Swiss marksmen (with Konrad Stäheli, Emil Kellenberger, Conrad Roderer among others) were very successful and brought home many prizes and trophies. Each of the three won a gold medal at the Olympic Games in Paris in 1900 in the individual events, and two team medals, of which one is to be seen in the Special Exhibition. Konrad Stäheli additionally collected a silver Olympic medal in the 50m revolver event. It was not until 1948 at the Olympic Games in London that Swiss marksmen were again to win a gold medal (by Emil Grünig in the 300m 3x40 shot event), and a silver medal (by Rudolf Schnyder at 50m). Rudolf Schnyder s silver medal is to be seen in the exhibition, and a replica of Emil Grünig s gold (the original may be admired in Malters, at & Grünig & Elmiger s shop). Bronze medals were won at the 1920 Antwerp Olympics by Fritz Kuchen and Fritz Zulauf. Fritz Kuchen s diploma and Fritz Zulauf s bronze medal may be seen in the exhibition. 4. Swiss Medal Winners at the World Championships According to Walter Hofer s archives, Konrad Stäheli won 22 World Championship titles ( ), and his information indicates that 14 titles were won by Karl Zimmermann in his 27 active years, 8 titles by Emil Kellenberger ( ), 4 each by Willy Schnyder ( ) and Walter Lienhard ( ), two by Otto Horber (1947 and 1949), and one each by Conrad Roderer (1900), Fritz Zulauf (1929), Heinrich Keller (1949), Moritz Minder (1978), and Rolf Beutler (1985). Emil Kellenberger s prize of a bronze statue, which he won for the first place at Rome in 1902, and his text on The Swiss Shooters Journey to Argentina of 1903, where he won the silver and gold medals. Konrad Stäheli and Conrad Roderer won gold medals in the team 50m pistol and revolver event at Paris in 1900, Lucerne in 1901, Rome in 1902 and Lyons in The 1911 World Championships in Rome were likewise a success for the Swiss: Fritz Kuchen took the gold medal kneeling, and Konrad Stäheli 2

3 and Conrad Roderer won silver in the team event. At the 1912 World Championships in Biarritz Konrad Stäheli won gold as an individual and gold again in the team with Fritz Kuchen, and the prize of Nike, goddess of victory, made by the hand of the sculptor Laurent-Honore Marquestre ( ). In the third showcase an array of outstanding prizes bear testimony to the supreme marksmanship skills displayed at the 1922 World Championships in Milan and the 1924 World Championships in Rheims, where Karl Zimmermann became World Champion in the standing position, and from 1928 at Loosduinen where the Swiss team with Karl Zimmermann and Walter Lienhard won gold (see silver laurels at Number 11). At Rheims in 1924 and Loosduinen in 1928, once again, Willy Schnyder won the 50m pistol event, and at St. Gallen in 1925 and Rome in 1927 too, with Fritz Zulauf. At the World Championships in Milan in the team event Fritz Zulauf won a gold medal, and the bronze statue with silver gilt cup exhibited at Number 35, and Walter Lienhard became prone 300m World Champion (and again in 1925 at St. Gallen). Walter Lienhard won the World Championship in Army Rifle at Loosduinen in 1928, and in the kneeling position at Lemberg in In 1929 Willy Schnyder and Fritz Zulauf won gold in the team event and the accompanying silver trophy exhibited at Number 39, which had been presented by Consul General Hagströms. Various targets are shown: from Karl Zimmermann s world record at Stockholm in 1929, Fritz Zulauf s from Loosduinen in 1928 and Stockholm in 1929 (where with a score of 542 he took away the world record that Willy Schnyder had established in 1928), and the target from Antwerp in 1930 where Willy Schnyder won the bronze medal. Then there are Heinrich Keller s target from Buenos Aires in 1949 when he became pistol World Champion, and Moritz Minder s target that won gold at Seoul in The Army Rifle National Match At the World Championships since 1910 a national match has been shot using the service rifle of the host country. In 1962 at Cairo the Swiss Karabiner 31 was used, and from 1970 the service rifle was displaced by the Standard Rifle. Fritz Kuchen won once in the kneeling position. Emil Kellenberger won the three-positional match once (in 1922), Karl Zimmermann three times (in 1925, 1930 and 1931) and Walter Lienhard once (in 1928). The best result in individual positions was attained by Zimmermann four times kneeling, and once each standing and prone. Dr. Willy Schnyder, the pistol champion, won twice kneeling, and Josias Hartmann and Walter Lienhard once each standing. In 1935 a national team event was introduced, and Switzerland won the bronze medal. 3

4 The Swiss team of A.Salzmann, M. Ciocco, E. Grünig, K. Zimmermann, and O. Horber won the gold medal with the Finnish service rifle in Helsinki, together with the Mannerheim Trophy which was then awarded for the first time (there are also silver and bronze editions of the trophy), and the prize of a live bear. The bear was named AMEKO from the initial letters of the first names of the team members, and it can be admired on the second floor. The Swiss team also won the Mannerheim Trophy in 1939 in Lucerne with the Schmidt-Rubin Karabiner 31, and won again in 1952 in Oslo and in 1982 at the World Championships in Caracas. The silver trophy from Oslo is exhibited here, a gift from the Argentine Confederation. Photograph of the Mannerheim trophy (Nr. 30). The gold Mannerheim perpetual trophy, presented by the Finnish Marshal Baron Carl Gustav Mannerheim, was awarded to the winning team in the Army Rifle match from 1937 to According to information from Ernst Büchi, director of the Swiss Rifle Museum at the time, the trophy was exhibited at this museum from 1982 after Caracas, until he left in According to the newspaper cutting mentioned above (see herewith) it was intended that its final resting place should be the Mannerheim Museum in Helsinki. Since the year 2000 however, according to information from Kaisa Laitinen at the Sports Museum of Finland, it has been in the possession of the Finnish national rifle association in Helsinki (the Finns were the last team to win it at Skövde in Sweden in 1986). Photograph provided by the Sports Museum of Finland, Helsinki. 6. Further results of leading shooters who made their mark in the 20th century. At the World Championships at Stockholm in 1947 Otto Horber won the bronze medal in the 300m Free Rifle three-positional match, and the gold medal with Emil Grünig and others in the national event. In the inaugural rapid fire match the Swiss team of Ciocco, Horber, Grünig and Tellenbach won the gold medal and Horber became World Champion; Karl Zimmermann, one point behind, won the silver medal and then retired from international competition. The silver horse on a marble base presented by the Argentine President Peron, the prize for the top place, is exhibited here. 7. Shooting Literature and Sub-Calibre Inserts Emil Grünig, whom Walter Lienhard took into his gunsmiths shop in Kriens and whom he coached at the Olympic Games in London in 1948, wrote, together with his mentor, the shooting training manual described at Number 11. Further writings on shooting, by Karl Zimmermann, are to 4

5 be be seen at Number 19. Walter Lienhard also developed sub-calibre inserts that permitted service rifles to be used for indoor target practice at 5-25m, with 4mm ammunition. 8. Special Exhibits (see Exhibition Captions) No. 10 Walter Lienhard and General Guisan, Lucerne 1939 No. 15 and No. 17 Portrait of Karl Zimmermann and 1937 eagle No. 13 His favourite cup (Fritz Kuchen, Federal Rifle Championships Zürich 1907) No. 21 Telegram und menu from 1939 and 1947 (Otto Horber) No. 34 Perpetual trophy in honour of Willy Schnyder No. 41 Moritz Minder s Toz 35 pistol No. 3326, Seoul 1978 No. 43 Rolf Beutler, gold medal and pistol, Mexico 1985 Last but not least, the Olympic medals, exhibited at: No. 26 Gold (Emil Grünig, London 1948), No. 36 Silver (Rudolf Schnyder, London 1948), No. 39 Bronze (Fritz Zulauf, Antwerp 1920) *international, meaning at World Championships. ** Pierre-Alain Dufaux, one of the guests of honour at our private viewing, also won the silver medal in the 10m air rifle event at Caracas in Swiss Rifle Museum / Cornelia Weber / 15 May