Waltraud Klasnic

First female Governor of Styria

„To live is to wear out one’s heart.“

“The good fortune of being a ‘pioneer woman’ cannot be planned,” as Waltraud Klasnic says. Her political career began in 1970 and took her from Weinitzen near Graz, where she was Austria’s youngest local councillor for the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) at the time (until 1975 and 1980–84), to the Federal Council (1977–81) and the Styrian state parliament, and finally to the state government. After serving as deputy to Styrian Governor Josef Krainer (1993–96), she was elected Governor herself and held this office from 23 January 1996 to 24 October 2005.

In this role, she was able to win over the population with her authenticity and openness to people’s concerns. She succeeded in exemplifying and demonstrating that women with courage, intelligence and a heart are ready to take on responsibility in the field of politics. Important achievements during her term in office included the establishment of the Automotive Cluster, which made Styria the number one economic technology region in Austria, the introduction of a baby hatch and the option of anonymous birth, through which more than 500 children have been born in Styria since 2001, the selection of Graz as European Capital of Culture in 2003, and the initiation of the EU Future Region.

Since retiring from politics at the end of 2005, Klasnic has taken on numerous voluntary roles within Austria and Europe. Her work for Hospiz Österreich – National Umbrella Organisation for Hospice and Palliative Care Facilities, of which she is chairwoman, is very important to her. She is also committed to protecting victims of abuse and violence by representatives of the Catholic Church and was appointed victim protection officer by the Austrian Ski Association (ÖSV) in 2017. Furthermore, she supports the Order of the Sisters of St. Elizabeth in Graz and Marienkron and holds advisory positions in the European Economic and Social Committee in Brussels and the University Council of the Montanuniversität Leoben / Technical University of Leoben.

Waltraud Klasnic has received several awards for her courageous commitment to her belief that people need people: most recently in 2013 with the Dr. Karl Kummer Honorary Award, the Leopold Kunschak Award and the Grand Order of Merit of South Tyrol. In 2015, she was awarded Honorary Citizenship of the city of Graz, and in 2020 she received the Ring of Honour of the Province of Styria.