At the church of Altenburg Abbey (Stift Altenburg) the frescoes were created by Paul Troger. I was really surprised to see one of his frescoes includes a dragon.
The golden stove of Altenburg Abbey, Austria
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.
Sundial at Seitenstetten Abbey, Austria
The motto ‘Ora et Labora‘ seen at this sundial refers to the monastic practice of working and praying, generally known as a Rule of Saint Benedict. Actually this sundial was placed at Seitenstetten Abbey, a large Benedictine monastery in the Mostviertel region of Lower Austria.
Rothschild Castle in Waidhofen/Ybbs, Austria
After staying a night at the former Zell Manor I came across this castle on my morning walk. It is generally known as Rothschild Castle (Rothschildschloss) since it was rebuilt in the style of neo-Gothic by Albert Salomon Anselm von Rothschild.
Zell Manor in Waidhofen/Ybbs, Austria
The former Zell Manor (Schloss Zell) serves as hotel with the name “Das Schloss an der Eisenstrasse” now. I spend a night at this building in the style of early Baroque and was especially impressed by staying that near to Rothschild Castle (Rothschildschloss) and the old part of Waidhofen/Ybbs.
Orangery at Klosterneuburg Monastery, Austria
After a walk through the seven gardens of Klosterneuburg Monastery (Stift Klosterneuburg) near Vienna I also visited the orangery of the monastery. Inside I was very surprised by this ensemble including an old world map showing the route of an exploring journey done by the Austrian ship ‘SMS Novara‘.
Roman fort in Klosterneuburg, Austria
Though one found a lot of material dating back to the Roman Empire below the streets of Klosterneuburg the name of the Roman settlement is still unknown. Some pieces of the military detachment based in a Roman fort along the Danube Limes are shown in an exhibition room of Klosterneuburg Monastery (Stift Klosterneuburg) depicted above.
Contemporary art at Klosterneuburg Monastery
While my visit at Klosterneuburg Monastery I came across several examples of contemporary art which were partly 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.
Locomotive DB 103 245-7 in Munich, Germany
On my return trip from Constance (Konstanz) I came across this rare instance of a locomotive DB Class 103. At that time (Mai 2014) only three of them were still in use for regular trains. I especially love the design and the colour scheme of this classic locomotive class. [German]
Railway station of Constance, Germany
The train station of Constance (Konstanz) was built in 1863. The architecture consists of a mixture of neo-Gothic and Renaissance. The tower is modeled after the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. [German]