This video segment, part of a four-part film, documents the generational transfer of a 600-year-old, 10-generation ancestral farm in Tyrol from the 81-year-old owner, Heinrich Wanner (Heinz), who lacks direct descendants, to 20-year-old Johannes Gastl (Hannes). Filmed over three years, the segment captures the legal handover and the subsequent transfer of deep practical knowledge and traditional farming techniques (like tool making and cultivation), explicitly rejecting the accelerated pace and extreme mechanization characteristic of modern agriculture, particularly forestry. The core tension lies in Heinz’s desire to maintain a connection to the past and Hannes’s challenging acceptance of this massive, historically loaded responsibility.
The Transfer of the Wannerhof: Knowledge, Lineage, and Hardship
0:51 The Succession: Farmer Heinrich Wanner (Heinz) confirms the decision to hand over the farm to Johannes Gastl (Hannes), noting Hannes's suitability due to his agricultural education. Heinz expresses significant relief that the farm will continue.
4:13 Critique of Modern Forestry: The narrator notes that Heinz views highly mechanized, high-efficiency logging (monstrous machines, aerial retrieval) as not being "progress," reinforcing the film's theme of resisting the modern pace of life.
6:01 Legal Handover: The formal contract is signed. Heinz confirms he understands he will no longer be listed in the land registry (no longer the owner). He is fully agreeable, stating he can stay, manage the land as he wishes, and rely on the new owners for support.
8:23 Hannes's Burden: Hannes admits the weight of taking over is immense ("wahnsinnig," "schwarz zum begreifen") when considering the 10 generations who worked the land and the task of managing all the inherited tools.
11:13 Transfer of Craft: Heinz, identified as belonging to the remaining few rural dwellers skilled in all practical matters, demonstrates making a handle from ash wood for a Zabin (a traditional log-moving tool). He sees passing on this specific, inherited knowledge as his "greatest fortune."
13:31 Historical Labor Inequality (Important Detail): The narrator reveals that the type of arduous manual labor Hannes performs was historically forced upon Heinz's oldest sister, who had to leave school at 13, while the brothers were spared and considered "something better." This demonstrates the historical harshness of the farm life being romanticized.
18:40 Connection to the Past: Heinz continues traditional work (e.g., harvesting potatoes) primarily not for income (he gives away most produce) but to maintain the "thread" (den Faden nicht durchtrennen) connecting him to the past, a time he feels more belonging to than the present.
20:10 Generosity and Self-Sufficiency: Heinz is known for his extreme generosity (gifting timber, potatoes, and large quantities of supermarket-bought chocolate). Historically, the farm was almost completely self-sufficient (bread, schnaps, meat, fruit, potatoes), only requiring specific purchased articles.
24:05 Future Plans: Hannes states he cannot immediately take over schnaps distilling due to the time and fruit required, but he plans to take on traditional bread baking.