These stars are expected to appear in Carinthia

Whether there was a hint or a genuinely large team was unclear until the very end.

“Hmm” Closer?

“Well, it should be here,” said a man in shorts sitting in front of the hotel on the main street. He did not want to give his name. Many people in the town center (that is, between the community office and the hotel) “hooked” as much as an actor Hugh Grant Meaning. Known for films such as Love Actually, Four Weddings and a Funeral and Notting Hill.

Notting Hill High Street

How did the word “hmm” get from Notting Hill to Eberstein? Once upon a time…

…A few years ago, when Mayor Eberstein Andreas Grabschnigg (ÖVP) Went to Graz and came across the painting of the noblewoman Anna von Eberstein (1378-1418) discovered. She was the heiress to the castle Ebersteinwhich towers over the small town of Görtschitztal.

The community bought the painting. Gebschnigg, with his plaid shirt and the correct Hugh pronunciation, is proudly displayed to visitors in the market town’s wedding hall. “We found out that the noble Anna is related to Anna Grant. So we came up with the idea of ​​building a monument to these two icons based on this painting,” says the local owner.

explain sculpture Since the fall, it has stood right in front of the municipal offices – next to the Maypole, the fountain with the boar statue and a clear view of Eberstein Castle. Although it is privately owned, Hugh Grant’s wife Anna will be giving a private tour on Saturday.

Cinderella

Incidentally, the plaque below the sculpture describes 44-year-old Anna Grant like this: “Anna Grant, née Eberstein, is a bit like the Cinderella of the Norrick region. The right shoes, the right ‘princess’, and a promising future.”

Princess of the Village Square

How can one read the village chief’s praise for the princess in the village square? “For marketing,” replied the smiling man. But the praise of the sculpture by the artist Franz Muhr was serious. And the one for the governor Peter KaiserSpoelstra). The one on Saturday and his deputy Martin Gruber (ÖVP) is expected to attend the inauguration ceremony in the village square.

“We and the governor wrote to Ms. Grant and promised her at some point that she would be at the inauguration. “We are very happy,” the mayor explains. Has he ever experienced anything like it in his 21 years in office? There has been a wellhead on the Alpine Ranch before, he says. But no, this much media attention is new. That doesn’t mean Grabschnigg is nervous about it. “We are looking forward to it, but I’m not nervous.”

short journey

The whole thing was designed to be more like an excursion. In the morning, the plane landed in Klagenfurt with Anna Grant and her family, then flew to Eberstein – flight time: a good half an hour – and in the evening we flew back to London.

So what about “eh”? Is he coming or not? “Nobody knows,” Grabschnigg says calmly. Then adds: “We’ll see anyway.” But his dream at least is that his wife Anna will tell him about the wonderful Eberstein Castle and that the actor will be persuaded to shoot there.

Once upon a time, in Eberstein, a Hollywood movie was born.