History
An advertisement in a daily Viennese paper was the beginning of the foundation of the Magic Club of Vienna in the April 1908. At the end of 1907 alread the Viennese teacher Ludwig BRUNNER tried to find by reports in daily Viennese news papers interested amateur magicians, which would meet weekly free and easy to exchange ideas.
In the beginning only amateur magician should meet, so the club was called "KLUB DER AMATEURE FÜR MAGISCHE KUNST IN WIEN" Soon also professional magicians got interessed in the idea to exchange ideas frequently and the club was renamed into "MAGISCHER KLUB WIEN" in 1920 concerning new researches.
Vienna was always a good ground for the art of magic. Ludwig DÖBLER excited the Biedermeier-audience with "Floras Blumenspende".In the middle of the 19th century the celebrities met in the Salon of the genius in Card Magic Johann Nepomuk Hofzinser. His "Hours of Deception" became a well known familiar quotation in Vienna. Twenty years later KRATKY-BASCHIK charmed his audience in his theatre in the Viennese Prater, an amusement park, with appearances of spirits, magic tricks and the play of a mouth organ.
Three streets in Vienna are named after these three excellent representatives of the art of magic and since the Twenties of the 20th century everybody talked about the" "School of Viennese Magic"
Before the 2nd World War the Index of the Magic Club Members looked like the list Who is Who in Magic. Beside the long time president Ottokar Fischer the list contained among many other Dipl. Ing. CERNY, Franz MARSCHALL, David BAMBERG, Liliane BAMBERG-OKITO, Antonio MOLLINI, Valentino GRAZIADEI, C.H. LARETTE, Rolf HANSEN, KALANAG, Georg MYLIUS, John MULHOLLAND, Robert FARCHMIN, Dr. Reinhard ROHNSTEIN and Hans TRUNK. As coporative member following Societies were associated to the Club: the MAGISCHE ZIRKEL OF GERMANY, the Society of Hungarian Amateur-Magicians, the SOCIETY OF AMERICAN MAGICIAN, the MAGISCHE ZIRKEL GRAZ and also the TOKIO SOCIETY FOR EXPLORING THE ART OF MAGIC.
During the German occupation and the World War II the MAGISCHE KLUB WIEN was made a local Circle of the GERMAN MAGIC CIRCLE by the strike of a fountain pen. But just after the last bombs dropped onto Vienna The Club blossomed again under the presidency of Hans TRUNK, Reg. Rat Franz HOLL und Toni STURSA. Later in 1962 Peter Heinz KERSTEN guided the club for many years successfully. Well known names like MUSTY, Charly EPERNY, Ernst LECHNER, Dr. Ernst SCHRAMM, Henk VERMEYDEN, Fred TAYLOR, Bobby LUGANO, ALLAN, Frank GORDON, Kurt FREITAG, Hardy WERNER, Gerhard SWOBODA und MAGIC CHRISTIAN were among the prominent list of members during these years.
After the world congress of Magic in 1958, which was organized by Willy SEIDL very successfully the World Federation of Magic, FISM entrusted the Magischen Klub Wien under the presidency of Peter Heinz KERSTEN a second time in 1976 to organize the World Congress in Vienna: Then more than 1800 magicians from all over the world met to exchange ideas and compete for the Grand Prix. It is still remembered as the convention with the most family like flair. The MKW belongs to the founder members of the FISM and initiated also the MAGISCHER RING AUSTRIA, which it does not belong to anymore today.
1989 Austrian's most successfull magician of the last years Magic Christian, took over the presidency being a member of the board since many years already. He influenced the Magic scene in Austria and in the MAGISCHER KLUB WIEN very much by his long term connections and engagements in the uSA and pushed it forward. At the end of 1989 he founded already the first Young Magicians Club in Austria, to find and promote the magic juniors. By the very attentive care and help of many experienced members of the Club many young magicians in Austria became the chance to improve systematically. Many first prizes at "Junior competitions" at the Austrian Magic conventions and abroad were won by junior members of this Young Magician's Club. These very promising talents will keep and follow the tradition of this Club by presenting their magic with Viennese charm, spirit and knowledge.
