The people I have personally met who knew Viktor Schauberger are unanimous in agreeing he was an honest and decent man – natural and hearty, and with a fine sense of humour. If, however, he met with dishonesty or pretence, he became intolerant at once, without regard for the social background of the guilty party.
He thrived in the company of farmers, foresters, and hunters, and the simple life of the forest and country. He did not shy away from social gatherings and always impressed people with his strong personality and dignity.
He had loyal friends and associates, some of whom wrote about him. The first is Professor Werner Zimmermann of Switzerland, a social reformer well known throughout central Europe. [2]
July 1936 he wrote to me: ‘He who lives a hundred years in advance is never surprised with the present.’
A hundred years – what will not happen by the year 2000? The wrong kind of progress will no doubt continue. But, at the same time, forces will emerge, even to be accepted by governments, as a healthy renewal. May they soon contribute towards the realization of Schauberger’s vision of the future as of a prophet and what he fought for, during his whole life.
Another was Oswald Hitschfield, farmer and instructor for South German biological agriculture. He wrote:
It is often said that one’s first impression is the most reliable. After reading in the 1930s some of Viktor Schauberger’s papers on the necessity of allowing water to flow naturally, I met him personally for the first time, during the summer of 1942. We both took part in a conference, at which he held discussions with scientists of the old school. Even today, after more than thirty years, there is above all a particular memory which persists; his unshakeable selfconfidence and inner conviction of the correctness of his theories. He countered all objections with what could be described as an air of superiority and authenticity, which deeply impressed all his colleagues. One had the distinct feeling that here spoke a man, endowed with an inner perception, before whom the elements of Nature and the structure of all life are unveiled, and in their correct order. My many discussions and considerable correspondence with Viktor Schauberger were principally concerned with the natural measures to ensure water economy for agriculture and forestry. In the pursuit of knowledge in this field I had met many people, but never before had I made contact with someone who could throw such clear light on often very complex problems, and who, the more I got to know him, won over my complete trust.
