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.
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.
Symposium on mobility and apricot blossom
/in Railway Studies/by Roland TuschThis year, we combined our site visit in spring with attending a symposium at the University for Continuing Education Krems. At the event entitled “Wachau mobility with innovation and tradition”, the opportunities and potential of the Wachau Railway were discussed. How can the railway, which is currently mainly used for tourism, become attractive for commuters again? The speakers covered a wide range of topics, from the history of the Wachau Railway to the challenges of increasing frequency and year-round operation. Topics such as safety at railway crossings, accessibility and monument protection were discussed. An important goal for the future is the emission-free operation of the railway. International speakers and examples from other federal states contextualised the Wachau Railway. The symposium discussed the role of the Wachau Railway as a means of transport for the post-fossil society and thus complemented the topics of Wachau Routes.
We travelled through the Wachau on a special train. The apricot orchards were already in full bloom. Looking through the windows of the moving train, the details in the foreground become blurred and the landscape merges into a panorama. The hillside track in a slightly elevated position offers a good view of the Danube valley.
Advisory Board Meeting
/in General/by Roland TuschThis year’s meeting of the Advisory Board took place at BOKU and was held as a hybrid meeting. We presented our results of the Road Studies and an outlook on the Railway Studies. The Railway Studies will provide another perspective and expand the research on the transport routes through the Wachau. The Board gave positive feedback on the extensive research and results of the Road Studies and emphasised the complexity of the research. The videos and folders are valuable outputs that are also available on this website. In particular, the folders were recognised as a useful tool for documenting the results and are to be expanded into a series in the future. Further work will focus on the changing perception of transport routes using artistic and scientific methods. The perspectives of different users, such as tourists and commuters, will be addressed more intensively. The Wachau Railway is also popular with cycle tourists, which is already a starting point for the Trail Studies in the coming year.