This pic portrays a sundial in Kufstein, a city in the Austrian state of Tyrol. It saw its completion in 1733, followed by renovations in 1881 and 1990. I am surprised that this sundial in the Austrian mountains depicts a big sailing ship in the background. [German]
Sundial at Kufstein Fortress
You find this sundial on the facade of a building inside the Kufstein Fortress. This fortification guarded high over the river Inn, the border between Bavaria and Tyrol. Today, it hosts a museum and forms a venue for festivals.
Inscriptions on the sundial
The rhyme in the inscription finds a positive aspect in the fact that a sundial only works on sunny days:
Sonnige Stunden zeig’ ich, trübe u. dunkle verschweig’ ich!
I feature sunny hours. I conceal dull and dark ones!
The motif on the sundial
The sundial shows two putti holding a fabric band with Roman numerals for the hours. A third putto seems to blow soap bubbles, but I’m not sure. A bird watches the third putto and is probably as puzzled as me.
Another strange element forms the sailing ship in the background. Isn’t it surprising to find such a big ship in the Tyrolean Alps?
Sources / More info
- Link Description of Kufstein Fortress on Wikipedia [ENG]