You only see what you know (Goethe)
The estate in the Vienna Woods was first mentioned in the 13th century. In 1887, the Austrian Crown Prince Rudolf converted the facility into a hunting lodge (Mayerling Castle). On January 30, 1889, Rudolf and his mistress Baroness Mary Vetsera died here under circumstances that were not completely solved. [German]
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‘.
This exhibition room of Stift Klosterneuburg (Klosterneuburg Monastery) displays ancient Roman pieces. They are from an ancient predecessor settlement of today’s Klosterneuburg. The name of the Roman place is uncertain. Suggestions are Arrianis, Asturis, Cannabiaca or Quadriburgium.
While my visit to Stift Klosterneuburg (Klosterneuburg Monastery) I came across several examples of contemporary art which were 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.
This fun sculpture is placed next to a memorial plaque to the Austrian actor Hans Moser. Schulpture and plaque are located in Gumpoldskirchen, a centre of wineries south of Vienna. Besides his movies and plays Hans Moser became famous for singing a song about the ‘Reblaus’ (‘Pyhlloxera’).
A pretty special hiking trail in Austria is the 1. Wiener Wasserleitungsweg which leads along the water supply line from the mountains of Lower Austria down to Vienna. So one can learn about the sources of Vienna’s water just by following a path.
This sundial dated with the year 1570 is shown at St Leopold’s Courtyard (Leopoldihof) of Klosterneuburg Abbey (Stift Klosterneuburg).
The Genussmeile is an event which takes place every fall in the Thermenregion Wienerwald, an area south of Vienna. On that event one can walk along a wining and dining trail right in the vineyards between Mödling and Bad Vöslau.
This is a clever way to learn about the former town wall of Wiener Neustadt. At Reyergasse 10, I saw this mural depicting the walls around the city. Some parts of the walls are still visible. E.g. the Reckturm Tower dating back to the 13th century is placed at the north-western corner of the town.
The Reckturm is a tower dating back to 13th century. After its demolition it was reconstructed in the style of 15th century. The name Reckturm (reck = rack) refers to its use as prison and place for torture. Today it houses a small museum for weapons and about torment.
Building with lovely sgraffito seen at Neunkirchner Straße 19 in Wiener Neustadt. Around the gate, one can see mythological creatures and the date 1584. The core of the house was built in the 14th century.
Detail of an old advertising column seen in Wiener Neustadt. In German we call them Litfaßsäulen.