To my surprise, one of the frescoes at the church of Altenburg Abbey (Stift Altenburg) includes a dragon. The creator of these frescoes was Paul Troger.
Tag: Lower Austria
The golden stove of Altenburg Abbey
On my walk through the basement vaults of Altenburg Abbey I came across this reconstruction of a Gothic tower stove. While unearthing the old monastery, the workers discovered 62 tiles showing Bible stories, saints, emblems and symbols. They were probably created in the years between 1480 and 1510.
Zell Manor in Waidhofen/Ybbs
The former Zell Manor (Schloss Zell) houses a hotel today: “Das Schloss an der Eisenstrasse“. The hotel name refers to the region’s history, where many ironworking plants settled along the main road.
Orangery at Klosterneuburg Abbey
After a walk through the seven gardens of Klosterneuburg Monastery (Stift Klosterneuburg) near Vienna, I also visited the orangery of the monastery. Inside, an old world map surprised me. It showed an expedition route of the Austrian ship ‘SMS Novara’.
Roman fort in Klosterneuburg
This exhibition room of Stift Klosterneuburg (Klosterneuburg Monastery) displays ancient Roman pieces. They are from an ancient predecessor settlement of today’s Klosterneuburg. The name of the Roman place is uncertain. Suggestions are Arrianis, Asturis, Cannabiaca or Quadriburgium.
Contemporary art at Klosterneuburg Monastery
While my visit to Stift Klosterneuburg (Klosterneuburg Monastery) I came across several examples of contemporary art which were well hidden in the structures of the monastery. For example, I discovered this red ‘thing’ in the cloistered courtyard by glimpsing through an open window.
Sculpture of a Reblaus in Gumpoldskirchen
This fun sculpture is placed next to a memorial plaque to the Austrian actor Hans Moser. Schulpture and plaque are located in Gumpoldskirchen, a centre of wineries south of Vienna. Besides his movies and plays Hans Moser became famous for singing a song about the ‘Reblaus’ (‘Pyhlloxera’).
‘1. Wiener Wasserleitungsweg’ in Wienerwald
A pretty special hiking trail in Austria is the 1. Wiener Wasserleitungsweg which leads along the water supply line from the mountains of Lower Austria down to Vienna. So one can learn about the sources of Vienna’s water just by following a path.
Sundial at Klosterneuburg Abbey
Visitors find this sundial, dating back to 1570, at St Leopold’s Courtyard (Leopoldihof) of Klosterneuburg Abbey (Stift Klosterneuburg).
The Genussmeile
The Genussmeile festival takes place in the Thermenregion Wienerwald every fall. At that event south of Vienna, wine enthusiasts love to walk along a wining and dining trail right in the vineyards between Mödling and Bad Vöslau.
Parksteg in Payerbach
This footbridge in Payerbach, Parksteg, was built in 1903. It combines concrete and a railing in the Jugendstil style. I was especially impressed by the idea of creating the ornaments using cast concrete.
Hiking along the Mendlingtal
The trail along the Mendlingtal is a path of about 3 kilometres. It leads from a theme park about logging up to a former Hammerherrenhaus (Home of the owner of a hammer mill). The scenery is changing several times. Sometimes one walk along a tame creek, sometimes one walk along footbridges high over a stream in full spate.