Austria

Places in this region

Mayerling Lodge

Site of the 1889 murder-suicide of crown prince Rudolf and his lover Mary Vetsera

For reasons that have never been entirely understood, sometime during the night of January 29, 1889 crown prince Rudolf of Austria shot and killed his lover and then took his own life, thereby... »

Memento Mori, Curious Places of Worship | Edited by Annetta

Gugging House of Artists

Colorful environment encourages the mentally ill to paint in Gugging, Austria

In 1981 a Professor named Leo Navratil decided to open a residential house for artists in Gugging, Austria. The residents were not your typical artists and the house was more like a social care... »

| Edited by bboas and atimian

Church of St. Barbara

Bizarrely-painted church designed by a controversial artist

Churches are usually the last structures to accept a little progressive flair, especially in their design and architecture. The Church of St. Barbara, re-designed by Friedensreich Hundertwasser,... »

Curious Places of Worship | Edited by serflac and atimian

Vienna Pestsaule (Plague Column)

Baroque celebration of the end of the Great Plague of Vienna

Placed in the middle of one of Vienna’s most famous streets the huge gilded, baroque confection of a sculpture at its center is in fact a memorial to the worst plague in Viennese history. The... »

Strange Statues, Memento Mori | Edited by Annetta

St. Florian Ossuary

Personal charnel house of Anton Bruckner

Calling St. Florian Ossuary the personal charnel of Anton Bruckner might be a stretch. It might also sound like he killed everyone and buried their bones in a crypt for his own pleasure. The... »

Memento Mori, Ossuaries | Edited by atimian and Dylan

Eggenburg Charnel

Artfully arranged bones of 5,800 Austrians

Eggenburg Charnel dates back to the early 14th century, and is a frighteningly beautiful site. It's frightening in its medium of human remains, and beautiful in its detail as every bone is... »

Memento Mori, Ossuaries | Edited by atimian

Justizzentrum Leoben

Austria's 5-star prison

Imagine a prison cell in almost any country in the world. Your mind has undoubtably conjured an image of a barren room, most definitely under 100 square feet and probably smaller. For those with... »

Crime and Punishment, Outsider Architecture | Edited by atimian and Dylan

Vienna Love Parade

Annual technopop celebration of peace and love

The Love Parade is a popular electronic dance music festival and parade that originated in 1989 in West Berlin, Germany. It was originally conceived as a political demonstration for peace and... »

Cultures and Civilizations , Wondrous Performances | Edited by spinkk and Nicholas Jackson

Eisenberg Lawn Cross

Cross of unknown origin appeared for 36 years

A small village in Burgenland, Austria, Eisenberg an der Raab is the site of a recurring large cross that appears in the grass without physical or chemical influences. The Virgin Mary appeared in... »

Natural Wonders, Extraordinary Flora | Edited by Alpha and Nicholas Jackson