The Wachau Railway as a research topic calls for an exhibition venue with a link to the railway. We therefore presented the results of our Railway Studies in the former water tower at the railway station in Spitz an der Donau. The vacant building – until recently used by the railway maintenance – was transformed into an exhibition venue over two weekends. The opening took place on 11 October.
The exhibition showcased artistic and landscape architectural explorations of the Wachau railway. Artistic films by Hubert Lobnig and Iris Andraschek were screened. One contribution to the exhibition examined how the railway line cut through the villages and the resulting spatial situations. The exhibition also highlighted the engineering and protective structures that were necessary for a flood-proof route along the rock faces, as well as the plants that have colonised along the tracks and protective structures. As galvanised metal creatures, these plants entered into a dialogue about the history, present and future of the railway.
We would like to thank Niederösterreich Bahnen for the opportunity to present our project at Spitz railway station. We appreciate the continued support of the Lower Austrian State Department of Art and Culture / Art in the Public Space (KOERNOE), which has once again provided us with the ‘Inventour-Bus’. We would like to thank Lucas Nunzer, honorary municipal archivist in Spitz, for sharing his insight into the railway history of Spitz. We are grateful to the municipality of Spitz an der Donau and Deputy Mayor Maria Denk for their hospitality.
Drawing Wachau
/in Trail Studies/by Daniela LehnerThe drawing excursion with students from BOKU University and the University of Arts Linz is part of the research process and took place for the third time. Following this year’s focus on biking and hiking trails, we cycled from Krems to Spitz and recorded the journey with helmet cameras. Additional wire-mounted cameras recorded the different surfaces and unevenness. We stopped at two scenically different, but at the same time characteristic places in the Wachau to draw them: the wine terraces and the banks of the Danube. The adjectives seismographic, cartographic and depictive have guided us in our drawing.
Wachau Routes in the Waiting Room at Spitz Railway Station
/in General, Railway Studies/by Daniela LehnerWhile waiting for the Wachau Railway, visitors to the railway station in Spitz an der Donau can now dive into the results of Wachau Routes. Iris Andraschek has created a presentation concept for the waiting room of the recently renovated station building dating from 1908 that echoes the colour of the wooden veranda. On display are artistic and landscape architectural explorations of the Wachau railway. As part of the ‘Railway Studies’ exhibition, they were presented in October 2024 in the former water tower at Spitz an der Donau railway station. The panels are now on display in the waiting room. They focus on how the railway line cuts through the towns and villages as well as the engineering and protective structures required for the route and traffic safety. The speech bubbles are part of a wall installation and give plants a voice in the exhibition. The plants, which have settled along the tracks, entered into a dialogue about the history, present and future of the railway in the exhibition as galvanised metal creatures. They can be seen in photos in the waiting room.
Advisory Board Meeting
/in General/by Daniela LehnerWe combined this year’s Advisory Board Meeting with a visit to the Wachau. We used the various means of transport on the Wachau Routes and were able to provide insights into our study area. Travelling by railway, bus and ferry allowed us to see the landscape from different perspectives and at different speeds. Katrina Petter from Public Art Lower Austria (KOERNOE) and Ingeborg Hödl, managing director of the Verein Welterbegemeinden Wachau association, enriched our tour with their expertise on local contemporary art projects and World Heritage management. At the board meeting the following day at BOKU, we presented our work on the railway studies and the prospects for the current trail studies.
Hike along the Wachau World Heritage Trail: sunny wine terraces and shady valleys
/in Trail Studies/by Daniela LehnerTo kick off this year’s Trail Studies, in which we investigate the hiking and cycling trails of the Wachau, we explored a section of the World Heritage Trail. We walked from Krems to Weißenkirchen in two stages, staying overnight in Dürnstein. The trail not only took us through the sunny wine terraces of the Wachau, but also meandered through many narrow, shady valleys in the hinterland. Lookout points offered views over the Danube valley. They were painted by Wachau painters in the 19th century and are still popular photographic motifs today. The perception of the varied vegetation, structures, materials, smells, microclimate and sounds, as well as the agricultural use of the trails, are a valuable source of inspiration for our further exploration of the trails of the Wachau cultural landscape.
Railway Studies – Exhibition in the former water tower, railway station Spitz an der Donau
/in Events/by Daniela LehnerThe Wachau Railway as a research topic calls for an exhibition venue with a link to the railway. We therefore presented the results of our Railway Studies in the former water tower at the railway station in Spitz an der Donau. The vacant building – until recently used by the railway maintenance – was transformed into an exhibition venue over two weekends. The opening took place on 11 October.
The exhibition showcased artistic and landscape architectural explorations of the Wachau railway. Artistic films by Hubert Lobnig and Iris Andraschek were screened. One contribution to the exhibition examined how the railway line cut through the villages and the resulting spatial situations. The exhibition also highlighted the engineering and protective structures that were necessary for a flood-proof route along the rock faces, as well as the plants that have colonised along the tracks and protective structures. As galvanised metal creatures, these plants entered into a dialogue about the history, present and future of the railway.
We would like to thank Niederösterreich Bahnen for the opportunity to present our project at Spitz railway station. We appreciate the continued support of the Lower Austrian State Department of Art and Culture / Art in the Public Space (KOERNOE), which has once again provided us with the ‘Inventour-Bus’. We would like to thank Lucas Nunzer, honorary municipal archivist in Spitz, for sharing his insight into the railway history of Spitz. We are grateful to the municipality of Spitz an der Donau and Deputy Mayor Maria Denk for their hospitality.
Invitation: Presentation of the Railway Studies with Exhibition and Short Films
/in Events/by TeamWhat does the image of the Wachau look like that corresponds to the contemporary understanding of landscape? The interdisciplinary team is asking this question from the perspectives of art and landscape architecture in a four-year research project. Last year, the Wachau railway was investigated. The results will be presented in Spitz.
Presentation
Friday, 11 October 2024, 17:00
Short films from 18:30
Exhibition
12/13 and 19/20 October
Saturday/Sunday, 13:00 – 18:00 with free admission
Location
Railway Station Spitz an der Donau
in the former water tower
Bahnhofstraße 2, Spitz
Rail and bike tour
/in Railway Studies/by Daniela LehnerThe Wachau Railway is characterised by the fact that it runs through historic town centres and along rock faces. Narrow and wide spaces alternate along the route. This creates interesting spatial sequences, which we explored by train and bike. The alignment along the steep rock formations of the Bohemian Massif also presents challenges. Like sculptures, individual protective structures appear along the railway line. As aesthetic elements, they add a new layer to the existing railway-related structures such as tunnels and bridges. Equipped with cameras and a drone, we documented the engineering works along the railway, most of which serve to protect against falling rocks.
Drawing Wachau
/in General/by Roland TuschArtists discovered the beauty of the Wachau as early as the 19th century and depicted it in drawings and paintings. With the Wachau Routes project, we are taking up the culture of artistic engagement with the Wachau. Art and landscape meet. Students from the University of Arts Linz together with students of Landscape Architecture at BOKU University drew in Spitz at the beginning of June. The focus was on the railway. The narrow railway line, which runs through the town in elevated position, and the wide surroundings of the railway station form a contrast in terms of space. Both situations provided interesting motifs for the drawings. Photos and short videos were taken during the trip on the Wachau railway. The numerous drawings are valuable contributions to the multi-perspective image of the Wachau transport landscape.
Test recordings in the State Archives
/in Railway Studies/by Daniela LehnerDuring our research in the Austrian State Archives, we came across a plan of the project for the Wachau Railway. The hand-drawn and coloured plan by Rudolf Mayreder from 1904 can be unfolded to a remarkable 25 m in length. The alignment on the plan was filmed in initial test shots. They serve for the development of an elaborate system for artistic recordings of the historical plan document.
Heritage Science Café
/in Events/by Roland TuschAt the end of May, Heritage Science Austria organised the Heritage Science Café at BOKU together with ICOMOS Austria, the Vienna University of Technology and BOKU University. Daniela Lehner and Roland Tusch presented the Wachau Routes project and discussed challenges and opportunities of arts-based research in their lecture. Arts-based research offers the opportunity to question traditional research approaches and initiate open-ended processes. Artistic works are open to interpretation and contribute to a holistic understanding of the object of investigation. Following the lecture programme, a lively exchange took place among the participants. We discussed the potential of arts-based research with researchers from various disciplines, for example in the context of inventories of cultural landscapes.