The Joy of Summer Travel Magazine 2012

ON THE TRAIL OF THE LÖWALAN. On our guided tour through Klagenfurt am Wörthersee with enthusiastic amateur historian and author Reinhold Gasper we discover sides to the more than 800 year old Renaissance city that even we ourselves didn’t know – despite coming from Klagenfurt! Text by Barbara Kuttnig The Lindwurm, Klagenfurt’s most popular postcard motif and emblem. You will find his “little brother” on the Dragon Bridge in the Slovenian capital Ljubljana. Reinhold Gasper lives and loves the motto “Why look far away when there are good things so close to home?”, and as a result the archives in and around Klagenfurt have become the amateur historian’s second home. As he leads us to three historical works of art in Klagenfurt, we wander through the southern flair for which Klagenfurt can thank not only its mild climate, but also the Italian master builders. We walk through a few of the total of eighty lovingly renovated arcaded courtyards dating from the 16 th century, across the Alter Platz, where with the smells from the many cafés we feel as if we are strolling through an Italian piazza. And through the first pedes - trian zone in Austria, still regaled by Gasper’s stories packed with images: “The coat of arms of Carinthia is 750 years old, and displays three lions. When the city gates were being completed and decorated by artists, the lions (or “Löwalan” as they were fondly named by the people of Klagenfurt) Carinthia Magazine 40 made of slate from the Kreuzbergl were placed in front of the entrances as stone guards. In total 15 of what was once a much richer stock of lions made of marble and Kreuzbergl slate still remain, some of them from Roman times, and they are between 1,800 and 300 years old.” One of Gasper’s favourite examples is the mighty lion with a pretzel tail which supposedly originates from an outsize Carinthian coat of arms. Gasper continues impressively: “When I was on one of my forays searching for parts of worn monuments – in Minimundus of all places, the miniature world at Lake Wörthersee – I discovered an impressive marble stone with coat of arms of high artistic quality. I was fascinated by all the small coats of arms. This was the stone coat of arms of the St. Veit gate, originally the Karlstor gate, made by the corporative stonemason Ulrich Vogelsang and thus the most important find in Klagenfurt am Wörthersee since 1785. A replica of it can be seen on the Heu- platz.” Similar to another famous masterpiece ascribed to Master Vogelsang which you will come across on the redesigned Neuer Platz, the Lindwurm, the self-assured emblem of Klagenfurt. By the way, the Neuer Platz was redesigned as recently as 2008 by the international architect Boris Podrecca. Gasper also feels a magical power of attraction from what he regards as the most beautiful, most realistic and most lavish depiction of the Fürstenstein, or prince’s stone, in mosaic form which was repositioned in the courtyard of the Hermagoras home (entrance on 10.-Oktober-Strasse or Karfreitstrasse). www.klagenfurt.at Find out more about Klagenfurt’s historical buildings in Reinhold Gasper’s books: “Klagenfurter Geschichte und Geschichten”, Volumes 1 and 2, publ. Verlag Hermagoras. 1 2 Carinthia’s “galleries with rooms” are total works of art for culture vultures on holiday. Many hotels in Carinthia offer their guests a complete work of art for the senses. Fine food and drink, unique works of art and warm-hearted hospitality turn the hotel into an unmistakable oasis for the senses. Often the garden is included, as with the Warmbaderhof in Villach-Warmbad. The sculpture garden richly studded with works in Krastal marble from [kunstwerk krastal] is just one of the many art oases at the Warmbaderhof. Back in the 1960s C. Kolig was contracted to create a work of art. His Plexiglas/ polyester wall still adorns the function room. The Park Lounge, the restaurant, the corridors, the entrance, even the pool area house selected works of art. Mrs L. Lukeschitsch describes her composition of the collection of artworks as a “flirtation” between historical works and contemporary pieces. The Liesenfelds have also created a sizzling ART HOTELS. Listen up art lovers. This is a place where hotel meets culture, experience meets vision and design meets interior. Art and design make a hotel more than just a hotel. Text by Cornelia Mathis-Haider sense of tension between old and new in their boutique hotel, the art-lodge on the Verditz at an altitude of more than 1,000 metres. The Rohrerhof with its 300-year-old history has been carefully renovated. In this historical context the contemporary works that are positioned in the sitting room, the guest rooms and the garden with its bio-pool create a totally new effect. In Carinthia it is not far from the mountains to the lakes. Anna Trattnig from the Hotel Linde at Lake Wörthersee has been exhibiting regional and international artists right by the lake for a number of years. The Hotel12 has recently opened on the 12 th hairpin bend of the Gerlitzen Alpine Road. The 12 rooms have each been individually designed by 12 artists from all over the world. A real eye catcher is the 12 metre long photograph on which 12 international models and winter sports stars such as Franz Klammer, Marc Girardelli, Claudia Strobl and Martin Koch pose in minimal clothing. Carinthia’s hotels offer direct encounters with art when you are on holiday. Relaxation coexists with inspiration, to create unforgettable holiday moments in Carinthia. Hotels with culture on display (a small selection): www.villabulfon.at www.ronacher.com www.sandwirth.at www.art-lodge.com www.warmbad.at www.hotellinde.at www.lichtenegger-reart.com www.villaverdin.at www.kleineshotel.at www.hotel-fuchspalast.at www.hotel12.at Carinthia Magazine 41

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