Exploring Europe 2023

Today we headed out to check out some of the more unusual sculptural pieces of art on display around town, with a couple of church visits thrown in, and other sites of the city. And there are some unusual pieces for sure.

First up was a strange statue that features the bust of Mozart plopped on top of a woman’s body. It is a bizarre three metres tall bronze statue created by artist Markus Lupertz, as a homage to Mozart. It is oddly disturbing, especially with it’s location outside the nearby church. Not what you expect to see as you leave a church service.

Although I do think the church goers in Europe are immune to weird things with the number of skeletons and bones we have seen on display in their churches. And the church, St. Markus Kirche am Ursulinenplatz, St Mark’s, is no exception. This is a Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church which was originally built in 1616 before it was destroyed by a great rock fall in 1669. The building of the replacement and current church was completed in 1705. It is a very simple church compared to some we have seen but the most noticeable piece is the shrine with the relics of a Saint Boniface.

From here we starting making our way towards the “big ticket items” when it comes to visiting Salzburg, and along the way passed yet another piece of unusual art. In the historic setting among the university buildings in the Old City of Salzburg stands a row of five human sized pickles known as Gurken (gherkins). Created by artist Erwin Wurm as part of the Salzburg Walk of Modern Art, they were odd to see, to say the least.

We came across another church on the way which of course we stepped into. Kirche St. Blasius', St. Blaise’s Church, roots date back to the 12th century. Built directly on the cliff it is heritage-protected and now functions as a venue for concerts and Advent serenades. This does explain the lighting in there as it is not in keeping with the usual church feel.

The next place of interest was the Pferdeschwemme, Horse Well. So much easier in our language. This is the largest of two surviving Medieval horse baths which back in the Middle Ages were used to wash horses. Fed by underground canals they have been in use since Roman times and were revamped in the 700s and 1200s. The centre statue is of a horse being restrained by its handler and the detail in this is amazing. The frescos on the back wall panels add to the theme, making this a very attractive monument.

It is also used as a site in the Sound of Music movie, with Maria and the Von Trapp children dancing and splashing around in the water during the ending of the famous song “My Favourite Things”, another fact we did not know until after.Read more