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Dolce irruzione su ruote: Herr von Schlechtleithner e la carovana di caramelle austriaca

La foto di quel maestoso camper, apparsa qui di recente, raccontava una storia affascinante. Era il racconto di successo di un ricco uomo d’affari americano che, nel 1915, utilizzò il veicolo per viaggiare attraverso gli Stati Uniti con la sua famiglia e parte del suo personale. Il mezzo che vediamo oggi sembra seguire una logica simile, ma la storia che lo accompagna sarebbe di tutt’altro genere.

 

Questa “yacht terrestre” non solo è una variante europea — proveniente dall’Austria — ma porta con sé anche un retroscena completamente opposto: non quello della ricchezza, bensì della povertà. La didascalia originale recita: “La foto mostra il negozio ambulante di dolciumi di Franz von Schlechtleithner, un nobile austriaco impoverito che, trovando la vita nel proprio paese insostenibile, ha deciso di costruire per sé e per la sua famiglia di tre persone questa piccola casa con negozio, montata su sei ruote. Intende attraversare l’Europa con questo veicolo, vendendo caramelle lungo il percorso. Il negozio si trova nel rimorchio sganciabile.”

 

La fotografia, datata 1922, mostrerebbe von Schlechtleithner accanto alla sua caravan-negozio di dolci. Come noterai, non abbiamo ancora tratto un verdetto definitivo sull’accuratezza di questa storia. Il motivo? Non siamo riusciti a trovare altre informazioni sui von Schlechtleithner — con o senza il “von”, o con o senza la terza “h” nel cognome. Eppure, sembra proprio che questa immagine racchiuda una storia che merita di essere raccontata. Chi lo sa?

 

Testo: Jeroen Booij
Foto: Underwood & Underwood / Library of Congress

 

Pubblicato:
venerdì marzo 28th, 2025
David Grimstead
30 Marzo 2025, 22:48
Adding to the Information Laurent Zoller found, the first Schlechtleithner/Schlechtleitner travelling candy-wagon appeared in the January 1st, 1922, edition of the American Motorist magazine with the caption you printed and then the Deutsch-Amerika illustrated weekly in October, 1922. The January, 1923, edition of the American Confectioners Journal, showed a different view of the same one, with a more detailed caption:

“The world’s only travelling candy store. Austrian Nobleman, Franz von Schlechtleitner of Innsbruck, unable to make a living in his own country, has started on a tour of Europe, under the most remarkable auspices. Being an expert automobilist, with the remnant of his family fortune, he has had a unique motor van built, taking as a model a picturesque Tyrolese cottage. There is a porch on the rear, curtains on the tiny windows and real flowers before them. The interior is divided in a parlor and kitchen, while the bedrooms are upstairs on the second floor. A small trailer attached holds the goods and provisions. By means of a few additional boards, carried on the sides and roof, the van is quickly converted into its real purpose, that of a candy shop, Herr Schlechtleitner and his wife making in the kitchen delicious sweet-meats. In this strange conveyance, accompanied by their three children, they are selling candy in the towns and villages they visit and making an excellent living.”

The story was still of interest in the U.S.A. in May, 1925, by when the Soda Fountain magazine claimed the truck was a Ford. Unlikely, but von Schlechtleitner’s family was reported to be still on the road in the December 3rd, 1927, edition of Deutsch-Amerika, when their candy-wagon was on that shorter chassis with disc wheels, pneumatic tyres and towing a four-wheel trailer. The picture was captioned: “The nobility of labour: Franz von Schlechtleitner, an Austrian nobleman in Innsbruck, who lost all his fortune due to the hardship after the war, had built a mobile confectionery stall and apartment and is now moving with this as a modern nomad from place to place. In this way he feeds himself, his wife, a son and two daughters.”

As to von Schlechtleitner patents, this is from the December 8th, 1931, Commercial Motor magazine of Great Britain: “A Coupling which Increases Road Grip: A coupling for trailers described in patent No. 359,557, by F. von Schlechtleitner, 23, Marktstrasse, Munich, is intended to produce a lifting effect of the front of the tractor, thus increasing the pressure of its rear wheels on the road and giving it greater tractive effect. The rear springs of the tractor are so formed that the stronger the pull on the drawbar, the greater the load on the rear wheels of the tractor. We should imagine that if this principle were carried too far it might result in the tractor rearing up and falling on its driver; cases of the kind have been known, and to avoid it the connection of the drawbar has been carried as low as possible.”
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Laurent Zoller
28 Marzo 2025, 21:14
I have just found some other interesting documents:
- a patent application by Schlechtleitner dated September 26th, 1922, concerning this vehicle
- two photos from the Deutsch Amerika magazine of October 21st, 1922. We learn that Franz von Schlechtleileitner is a trader in the town of Gmund am Tergernsee and that he goes from market to market with his vehicle .
- a photo of the Wandervogel from 1922 (nickname of the vehicle) published in the book "Recreational vehicles."
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Je viens de trouver d'autres documents intéressants
- un dépot de brevet de Schlechtleitner du 26 septembre 1922 concernant ce véhicule
- deux photos de la revue Deutsch Amerika du 21 octobre 1922. On apprend que Franz von Schlechtleileitner est commerçant dans la ville de Gmund am Tergernsee et qu'il va de marché en marché avec son véhicule .
-une photo du Wandervogel de 1922 (surnom du véhicule) parue dans le livre "recreational vehicles.
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Hergen Deuter
28 Marzo 2025, 16:45
In fact, Franz von Schlechtleitner, apparently without a third h, seems to have left few traces except for a second sales van, also dated 1922, which is depicted on Kulturgut-Volksfest.de.
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Laurent Zoller
28 Marzo 2025, 14:16
Here are two other documents dated 1922 concerning this vehicle. The larger one comes from the Munich Museum.
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Voici deux autres documents datés de 1922 concernant ce véhicule . Le plus grand provient du musée de Munich.
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Michael Walz
28 Marzo 2025, 12:44
The number-blade is from germany on the picture. IIB is for Kreis Oberbayern: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_der_deutschen_Kfz-Kennzeichen_(historisch)
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Stanislav Kirilets
28 Marzo 2025, 01:13
Austrian? I always thought this was a Büssing from and in Germany.
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