On my walk through Vienna, I came across this sign dating back to 1912. It asked drivers of heavy horse-drawn wagons to walk next to the horses or to send an accompanying person ahead to warn the pedestrians.
Category: Signs
Imperial Eagle in Retz
While walking through the streets of the Austrian city of Retz I came across this impressive emblem. I found it on a former industrial hall. It displayed the Imperial Eagle of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Station Sign ‘SÜDBAHNHOF’
The railway station Südbahnhof closed in 2009 forever. Later, I saw the letters placed above the entrance of the Wien Museum. I wonder how many visitors realised the museum was labelled like a railway station.
Honey hunter with a crossbow
At first glance, this inn sign in Nuremberg didn’t seem special. But then I discovered the silhouette of a man wearing a crossbow right behind the dull-looking puppet of a witch. Locals told me this symbolizes a honey hunter.
Kronland (crown land) in Winkl
On my walk from the railway station of Traunkirchen to the town centre, I came across this vintage place-name sign. The Austrian State of Upper Austria (Oberösterreich) is still labelled as crown land (Kronland).
String A.E.I.O.U. in Graz
There are a lot of signs in Graz mentioning the string A.E.I.O.U. Habsburg Emperor Frederick III used this vocals for marking his buildings while staying in Graz. The meaning of this string is still unsolved. [German]
House sign ‘Zum Stockfisch’
You find this house sign on a Renaissance building in Erfurt, generally known as the Haus zum Stockfisch (House to the Stockfish). Today, the building houses the municipal museum of Erfurt. [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]
‘Beware of the squirrel’ in Bük
This sign stands near a wood with high squirrel population in Bük. It happens to be that the depiction of a squirrel turns into the mascot for children at the nearby Bükfürdő spa. The name of this very special squirrel is Otto.
Town pharmacy in Knittelfeld
This house sign is located at the former location of the town pharmacy in the building Hauptplatz No. 10. Since 1674, a gingerbread baker has been proved here. A pharmacy started to run in 1841. The house sign dates from the 19th century. [German]
Relief of a laurel tree in Naumburg (Saale)
This relief displaying a laurel tree and two men is fixed on a 16th-century building with the address Herrenstraße 2 in Naumburg (Saale). The edifice accommodates a pharmacy named Lorbeerbaum Apotheke (Laurel Tree Pharmacy).
Shop sign of a brush-maker in Naumburg (Saale)
This shop sign at the Bürstenmacherei Steinbrück in Naumburg (Saale) shows in a fine way the main products of a German Bürstenbinder (brush-maker). Inside the shop, you can not only buy brushes manufactured in a traditional way but also learn details about this tradition.