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11 July 2020

Tour tip for the whole family nearby Vienna: Regional history, contemporary art and nature studies at Schloss Orth at the Danube in Lower Austria

Recently, Fashion.at visited the museum and park at Schloss Orth at the Danube in Lower Austria. The tour led from the history of the renaissance building Schloss Orth, which begins with the destructive power of mankind, over views by contemporary artists on power & glory to the exploration of nature at the castle's park staged by 'National Park Donau-Auen' with examples of the variety of species of the Danube region.

Image: The picture shows parts of Schloss Orth and the bridge which connects the castle with its park; photo captured on occasion of the visit of the museumOrth exhibition '500 Jahre Niklas Graf Salm in Orth' in July 2020.

The original castle dates back to the Middle Ages and was nearly destructed during sieges. It was rebuilt as renaissance castle by Niklas Graf Salm in the 1520s - in the same decade as the count defended Vienna successfully during the First Turkish Siege (1529). Central to the exhibition '500 Jahre Niklas Graf Salm in Orth' (500 Years Niklas Count Salm) are glass cabinets with 16th century maps and depictions of important stations of the military commander like Pavia or Vienna. The showcases are surrounded by objects used by the rural population for their daily farm work. The first part of the exhibition is curated in a simple, direct manner with short additional explanations and only rare information about historical connections; visitors who aren't history experts may prefer a guided tour. The museum's arrangement of objects offers eye catching, large-scale booklet-like installations of images of the population and a picture series of architectural treasures located at Austria's neighboring countries.

After the historically regional exhibition, visitors will be led through rooms with art focusing on power symbols and hero worship. It may appear like an unexpected twist to find contemporary artworks with surprising wit in this rather conservative exhibition. Götz Bury's 'Wunderkammer' (Cabinet of Curiosities) art installation 'L'Amuse Gueule' of a festively decorated banquet saloon with objects inclusively a large coat of arms made from tableware evokes thoughts about recycling, aristocratic manners and honor. In another room, Heimo Wallner's large size drawing 'Tapete Birke' shows a huge amount of figures; a second, closer view unveils men and women in vulgar scenes.

After the visit of the exhibition '500 Jahre Niklas Graf Salm', Fashion.at walked through the park, which is created in a comfortable and nice style for the whole family with a selection of signature species of the regional flora and fauna of the Donau wetland inclusively entertainment for kids like a jungle bridge carefully built into the nature park and chill zones with sitting areas under trees.

The third and last station of Fashion.at's visit was the sea eagle exhibition in one of the towers. The metal-stairs are probably only for vertigo-free visitors but it's worth to climb up. The eagle's nest is impressive!

Visitors should calculate at least 2 hours for the exploration of the museum and park at Schloss Orth.



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