Departures of note

Hans Staininger, a six-time burgomaster of Braunau am Inn, died on September 28, 1567, when he tripped over his own beard while fleeing a fire in his house and broke his neck. His beard, which measured 4.5 feet (1.4 meters) long, was usually kept rolled up in a leather pouch. After his death, the beard was preserved and passed down through the Staininger family for several generations, and in 1911, it was donated to the District Museum in Herzogsburg, Lower Austria, where it remains as of December 2025.

Born in Pfarrkirchen, Bavaria, Staininger was elected burgomaster of Braunau am Inn six times during his life. He was known at the time for having the longest beard in the world, a distinction that later passed to Hans Langseth. The circumstances of his death, caused by his own beard, made him a notable historical figure, and his preserved beard became a lasting curiosity.