The highest award in the state of Upper Austria for inventor Witten Dass…? Frank Elstner

Upper Austria/Linz. The honor was paid to the famous TV presenter, native of Linz and inventor of the “Wetten, dass…?” Frank Elstner with the “Golden Order of Merit of the State of Upper Austria” in a special ceremony on Tuesday evening in the Stone Hall in Linz. Linz Landhaus. It is the highest award that Upper Austria can award.

“With Frank Elstner, we are not only honoring one of the great innovators of radio and television. We are also honoring a friendly ambassador of our country who has always remained in close touch with his homeland. He is one of those people who was born in our country and went out into the world to achieve great success there,” emphasized State Governor Thomas Stelzer. At the awards ceremony, personalities like Frank Elstner represent the qualities we need, especially in difficult times.

Frank Elstner was born into a family of artists in Linz on April 19, 1942. Although he left Linz shortly after his birth, he remained connected to the state of Upper Austria through his life story.

Creator of one of the most successful TV shows in Europe

Elstner gained experience in broadcasting early on. He appeared in radio plays for Südwestfunk. For example, in 1950 “Bambi” spoke in a production of a radio play. In the 1960s and 1970s he had a great influence on Radio Luxembourg’s programmes.

Elstner’s television career began with an audition in which he also appeared as an actor in individual episodes. In 1981, Elstner created the program “Wetten,dass..?”, which is still considered one of the most successful television programs in Europe. From 1981 to 1987 he hosted the entertainment show a total of 39 times before handing it over to Thomas Gottschalk.

Already many awards

Frank Elstner has received many awards. Among other things, he was awarded the Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1979, and in June 2017 he was awarded the Cross of Merit 1st Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. He has also been awarded the Luxembourg Order of Merit (Chevalier) since 2019. In November 2019 he received the Bambi Award for his life’s work.

He has now also been honored in his hometown with the Gold Medal of Merit from the state of Upper Austria. “We are all grateful that he has never forgotten his hometown of Linz and continues to maintain his connections here. I would like to thank him and congratulate him for his life’s work so far. The country of his birth is proud of his life’s achievements and will always look to him as a role model,” Stelzer said.