You only see what you know (Goethe)
The coat of arms of Neunkirchen displays nine churches which refer to the meaning of the current city name (“Nine Churches”). Even though these city arms are a great example for canting arms the place was never known for nine churches. Actually the name origins from “new church”, a description which was used in the first mention of the place in 1094.
This 16th-century building located at the main square of Neunkirchen is generally known as Sgraffitohaus (Sgraffito House). An inscription at the portal dates back to 1591.
The pilgrimage church of Maria Taferl (Wallfahrtsbasilika Maria Taferl) is after the pilgrimage church of Mariazell the second most import pilgrimage church of Austria. Since 1947 the church has been granted the title basilica minor.
This sundial is located at a building generally known as Hofrichterstöckl. The 17th century edifice is covered with a hip roof and offers an early Baroque entrance portal labeled with the year of construction in 1640.
The town coat of arms of Dornbirn displays a pear tree. The symbol of a pear tree refers to the -birn in the city name as the German term Birne stands for the fruit of a pear tree. In marked contrast to this interpretation the name Dornbirn origins from torrin puirron, how the place was called in a 9th-century document.
The manhole cover of Mistelbach shows a sprig of mistletoe, which is also depicted in the city arms. The term ‘Mistel‘ in the city name is actually the german term for a mistletoe.
Puch bei Weiz is generally known as a centre of apple production in the Austrian state of Styria. A fascinating detail: This Roman tombstone shows a lady holding an apple. You find this piece immured next to the parish church of Puch.
This sundial is located at the former Neuberg Abbey in Neuberg an der Mürz. Even though Neuberg Abbey (Stift Neuberg) isn’t a Cistercian monastery any more it has retained its medieval character to a high degree.
The museum tells about the life and achievements of Carl Auer von Welsbach, who formed the Treibacher Chemische Werke GesmbH near this place. He is well known for the development of the metal filament light bulb and the gas mantle. He also discovered several rare earth elements.
An ÖBB 4746 ‘Cityjet’ is leaving the railway station of Bruck an der Mur heading to Graz. This train is a brand-new one. It started to operate in the Austrian rail network on December 13th, 2015.
I love the architecture of this footbridge I saw next to the railway station of Voitsberg. The bridge spans the railroad tracks between the Styrian places Graz and Köflach. The operator of this railroad is GKB Railways (Graz-Köflacher-Bahn und Busbetrieb).
