
The Bummerlhaus is a late Gothic mansion in the city of Steyr. It is considered one of the finest medieval secular buildings in Austria. Its first mention dates back to 1450, but its oldest part may be from the 13th century.
You only see what you know (Goethe)

The Bummerlhaus is a late Gothic mansion in the city of Steyr. It is considered one of the finest medieval secular buildings in Austria. Its first mention dates back to 1450, but its oldest part may be from the 13th century.

The Austrian state of Burgenland is part of the Pannonian culture sphere. Compared to the Alpine regions of Austria, life is different in this plain area. The open-air museum of Gerersdorf tells you more about the Pannonian farm life of the last three centuries.

On my way to Ritzen Castle (Schloss Ritzen) in Saalfelden, I came across this lovely lake named Ritzensee. It is an artificial lake built in a former moor landscape. At the castle, I visited the local history museum.

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.

The maiden voyage of the paddle steamer “Gisela” was in 1872. Operated by the Traunsee Schifffahrt, it still runs for cruises, weddings and dinners on Traun Lake (Traunsee). In the photo above, you see the steamer in front of Gmunden. [German]

The Kammerhof, dating back to 1450, originally housed an authority for administrating the salt monopoly. Today, the Kammerhof Museum of Gmunden uses the old walls. As a curiosity, you find a compilation of historical toilet bowls inside.

The Museum of Military History (Heeresgeschichtliches Museum) in Vienna is an architectural gem. So you find architecture in the style of Byzantine as well as Neo-Gothic. Some details made me think of being in Venice

The Mariahilf Fire Station (Hauptfeuerwache Mariahilf) in Vienna saw its completion in 1914. Its architecture still resonates with the spirit of the age between the fin de siècle and the First World War.

If you look at the sculptures decorating the courtyard of Schallaburg Castle (Schloss Schallaburg), you may discover the “Hundefräulein” (Dog Lady). This is the bust of a lady whose head looks like the head of a dog.

At the foot of Lamberg Castle, a Gothic archway blocks the way to the former palace. People call it Unteres Burgtor (Lower Castle Gate). A fresco depicting two emperors and a medieval view of the town adorns the structure. [German]

Long before the Romans established their province of Noricum on the grounds of today’s Styria, people of the Hallstatt Culture lived here. Near the Styrian place of Großklein, you find a reconstruction of farmhouses dating back to the Hallstatt period.