Traber (artist family)

The Traber family is a family of artists that has been presenting high-wire artistry without interruption since 1799 . Originally it was a family of artists from the Baden-Alsace region.

history

Johann Traber drives his Smart to a height of 53 meters

The Traber family was mentioned in a document in 1406. The oldest surviving document, issued by the Landgrave of Alsace , dates back to 1512. In it, the family was allowed to appear and move about in the country. The history of the Traber family has been linked to that of the Stey family of artists for many generations.

Today the Traber family is based in Vogtsburg in the Kaiserstuhl and in Breisach am Rhein in Baden. The brothers Johann Traber and Falko Traber used to perform with their father Johann. Falko and Johann now have their own shows because they wanted to realize different visions for the presentation of their work. There is also a family of trotters living in the state of Brandenburg who tried their hand at high wire artists after the fall of the Wall. Peggy and Karl Traber, who has since been divorced from her, belong to them.

In 1979, the then trotting show had an appearance in the James Bond film Moonraker - Top Secret .

Falko Traber, Johann Traber, Johann Traber jun. and daughters Anna and Katharina hold several Guinness records .

Achievements and records

Falko Traber holds the world record in length of 640 meters, in which his high wire colleague Lutz Schreyer had a fatal accident. Johann Traber holds the record as the fastest artist since he reached a speed of 96 km / h on the rope with a Honda CBR 1100 XX at Freiburg's Schloßberg in 1998 . He also holds the world altitude record, which he set on the Zugspitze during a balancing act in 1999. In October 1, 2006, Falko Traber set another world record by balancing 30 meters on the middle, slightly lower-lying pulling cable of the 3S cable car in Kitzbühel - without safety, with a balancing pole - at a height of 412 meters above ground . In 2007, Falko Traber ran over the cable car leading to the Sugar Loaf in Rio de Janeiro .

Accidents

Out of gratitude that Johann Traber jr. survived the 2006 accident in Hamburg, the St. Georgs Chapel was built in Breisach

May 16, 1996: Lutz Schreyer followed Falko Traber's world record with his camera. He followed him with a camera as he walked back. The high rope, which was repeatedly tensioned diagonally downwards, moved and Schreyer fell fatally. Falko couldn't turn around and had to go on. Schreyer died three days later.
August 2004: Karl Traber (Peggy's father) lost his balance during a motorcycle stunt on the rope. He managed to recover, but the physical consequences of the accident soon forced him to retire from his career.
May 21, 2006: 22-year-old Johann Traber fell in Hamburg when the mast on which he was standing buckled. He was seriously injured in the process. After the accident, he wanted to get back on the rope, but then ended his artistic career. Today he still works on the gigs, but only on the ground team.

literature

Johann Traber: A crash into life. Glory and fate of a family of artists. Herder, Freiburg 2007, ISBN 3-451-29714-0 .

Web links

Commons : Traber - collection of images, videos and audio files

Press article

“The Trabers: Dance with Death” , Der Tagesspiegel , February 4, 2001, report
Peggy Traber - Visiting a tightrope artist taz , December 29, 2003, accessed April 18, 2011.
Johann Traber barely survived the fall , Hamburger Abendblatt , May 27, 2006.
What does ... Johann Traber junior actually do? , stern , No. 15, 2007.
"Johann Traber Jr. Eating, walking, talking - high wire" , FAZ , October 12, 2007 - with further articles and photos.

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c Torsten Hampel: Tanz mit dem Tod In: Der Tagesspiegel from February 4, 2001
↑ Falko Traber with world record over the Alps at 412m altitude RTL youtube.com, video 4:24 min, Eventerleben, April 9, 2008, accessed February 5, 2017.
↑ Rio de Janeiro - the run to the Sugar Loaf - Falko Traber youtube.com, video 0:13 min, Eventerleben, April 9, 2008, accessed February 5, 2017.
↑ Breisach: The Traber Chapel now also has a cross - badische-zeitung.de. Retrieved June 13, 2013 .
↑ Falko Traber Discovery Channel youtube.com, Eventerleben, Video 8:14, April 11, 2008, accessed February 5, 2017.
↑ Martina Farmbauer: Back to the top . In: sueddeutsche.de, November 21, 2007.

↑ Accidental high wire artist. The second life of Johann Traber. (No longer available online.) In: Stern TV . August 27, 2014, archived from the original ; accessed on August 15, 2020 .

[Tagesspiegel-1] Torsten Hampel: Tanz mit dem Tod In: Der Tagesspiegel from February 4, 2001

[2] Falko Traber with world record over the Alps at 412m altitude RTL youtube.com, video 4:24 min, Eventerleben, April 9, 2008, accessed February 5, 2017.

[3] Rio de Janeiro - the run to the Sugar Loaf - Falko Traber youtube.com, video 0:13 min, Eventerleben, April 9, 2008, accessed February 5, 2017.

[4] Breisach: The Traber Chapel now also has a cross - badische-zeitung.de. Retrieved June 13, 2013 .

[5] Falko Traber Discovery Channel youtube.com, Eventerleben, Video 8:14, April 11, 2008, accessed February 5, 2017.

[6] Martina Farmbauer: Back to the top . In: sueddeutsche.de, November 21, 2007.

[7] Accidental high wire artist. The second life of Johann Traber. (No longer available online.) In: Stern TV . August 27, 2014, archived from the original ; accessed on August 15, 2020 .