During the Roman era, the city of Wels was known as Ovilava and served as the capital of the province Noricum Ripense. Ancient remains are still visible in the cityscape. For example, this tombstone is part of a building in the town centre.
Author: Amadeus
City Walls of Passau
River cruisers may know the mighty Veste Oberhaus high over the Danube River. But there is also a town wall in Passau. You’ll find the depicted towers in the Innstadt area. This city district lies between the Inn River and the Austrian border. [German]
Sator square in Golling/Salzach
You find this sator square on a facade in Golling an der Salzach. The sator square, aka rotas square, is a palindrome that one can read horizontally and vertically, forward and backwards. The oldest representation of a sator square was found in Pompeii. [German]
Moyland Castle in Bedburg-Hau
Moyland Castle (Schloss Moyland) in the Lower Rhine region houses a museum for contemporary art and an archive with works by the German artist Joseph Beuys. A noted library of art literature completes the offer.
Black Elephant Inn in Scheibbs
Austria is not a natural home for elephants, leaving aside prehistoric ages. Nevertheless, you often find their depictions on old facades. For example, this inn in Scheibbs has been known as “Zum Schwarzen Elefanten” (Black Elephant Inn) since 1541.
CarGoTram in Dresden
During my visit to the Gläserne Manufaktur of the Volkswagen Company in 2018, I heard about the blue CarGoTram for the first time. It transported car parts on the public tram network in Dresden. [German]
A pair of griffins in Vienna
Though I don’t believe in fabulous creatures, I always love to see depictions of them. I found this pair of griffins guarding a bollard in front of a building on the historicizing Wiener Ringstraße (Vienna Ring Road).
Unstrut Viaduct in Saxony-Anhalt
While travelling from Naumburg (Saale) to the Nebra Sky Disk visitor centre by bus, I got this view of the newly built Unstrut Viaduct. Serving for the high-speed line Berlin–Munich, it crosses the spacious Unstrut Valley. [German]
Mozartsteg in Salzburg
The Mozartsteg in Salzburg is a footbridge named after Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The Art Nouveau-style bridge saw its completion in 1903. At that time, pedestrians had to pay a toll for using this privately owned construction. [German]
Bad Schandau Elevator in Saxony
On my bus trip from Bad Schandau to the Saxon Switzerland National Park, I took this snapshot of the Bad Schandau Elevator (1904). This truss tower overcomes a difference in height of 47.76 m.
Cellar cat in Poysdorf
In the Austrian region of Weinviertel, you often see the model of a cat. This symbol is known as a cellar cat (Kellerkatze). Local people believe a cat living in a wine vault will always rest on the barrel with the best wine.
Monument to William Shakespeare
Not far from the artificial ruins in Ilmpark stands a monument to William Shakespeare. The tribute of a British poet in Weimar surprises, but there is a reason. Goethe is considered a main protagonist in the German Shakespeare reception of his time. [German]