Austria | Fotoeins Fotografie

Posts from the ‘Austria’ category

Allgäu winter: Fellhorn in the German-Austrian Alps

Above: A group of skiers gather before their run near the Fellhorn summit.

As a product of the Canadian southwest, I’ve maintained a fascination with mountains. I don’t necessarily need to climb the mountains, but I’ve always been curious about the names of mountains, the reasons for their names, and the people who named them. I’m not always going to get answers, but if there’s a lift to take me to a view, I’m always game.

With an easy bus from Oberstdorf in the southwest corner of Germany, I’m headed 10 km south to Faistenoy for the gondola up to the summit of Fellhorn (2038 metres) among the Allgäu Alps. There’s a lot of snow up top with a depth of about 1.5 metres; skiing and snowboarding conditions look good in the Skigebiet Fellhorn-Kanzelwand (Fellhorn-Kanzelwand Ski Area). But what do I know? I don’t ski or snowboard, but the winter-afternoon light is decent on the smooth snowy landscape. I’m drawn to the information displays to learn more about Fellhorn and the mountains I’m seeing in the near 360-degree panorama. In the distance the flat-topped Hoher Ifen mountain looks like a multiple-layer cream-filled cake. I arrive quickly at a couple of conclusions: one, it’s fun to stand on a border between two countries at altitude, even if an international frontier is set somewhat arbitrarily; and two, I promise to return in the summertime to do a loop: return to Fellhorn, hike along the relatively flat ridge-line west, take the Kanzelwandbahn gondola down into Austria’s Kleinwalsertal, have a sip and nosh in one of the alpine towns, and return to Germany’s Oberstdorf on a local bus.

Fellhorn, Oberstdorf Kleinwalsertal Bergbahnen, Allgaeuer Alps, Allgaeu, Oberstdorf, Swabia, Bavaria, Bayern, Germany, fotoeins.com

On the bus south from Oberstdorf, at the Zweistapfenweg bus stop, facing west with Höchster Kackenkopf (1560 metres) at upper-left.

Morning light in Faistenoy, near the Fellhorn gondola lower- or valley-station.

1m12s video, ending with “Fellhorn-Gipfel Bergschau 2037 (Fellhorn summit, mountain view 2037-metres) at the upper-/mountain-station.

Morning information display inside the mountain station. In the video above, the gondola attendant mentioned their avalanche warning was raised from level 3 (significant risk) to level 4 (high risk) to better account for local conditions.

From the mountain-station of the Fellhorn gondola: facing east, with Nebelhorn summit at upper-left.

Fellhorn, facing east.

Fellhorn and the German-Austrian frontier. The orange out-of-bounds fence straddling the ridge also marks the border between Germany and Austria. This southwest facing view includes the Möserbahn at lower-left; and the Kanzelwandbahn’s upper station at the upper right, above which is the peak Grosse Widderstein (2533 metres).

Facing southwest: Möserbahn Bergstation (centre-right), Kanzelwandbahn Bergstation (upper right). Grosse Widderstein is the prominent peak in the background at upper right.

Inside the arrows: the orange out-of-bounds fence straddling the ridge marks the border between Germany and Austria. This southwest-facing view includes the Möserbahn at lower-left; and the Kanzelwandbahn upper station at the upper-right, above which is the peak Grosse Widderstein (2533 metres).

Fellhorn, Allgaeu Alps, Oberbayern, Fellhornbahn, Bavaria, Germany, Kanzelwand, Kanzelwandbahn, Mittelberg, Vorarlberg, Austria, fotoeins.com

Southwest view along the German-Austrian frontier. Germany: G1, Obere-Geren-Piste, from the Fellhorn mountain station (from lower-right); G2, Möse chair-lift; G3, Zweiländer chair-lift. Austria: A1, Kanzelwandbahn cable-car mountain station at a line-of-sight distance 1.6 km (1 mi); A2, Zwerenalpe chair-lift; A3, Grosser Widderstein, summit 2533 metres (8310 feet); A4, Elferkopf, summit 2387 metres (7831 feet).

At upper-left are Grosse Widderstein and the Kanzelwandbahn gondola with Hochkünzelspitze at upper-right. Also visible in the scene is a sprinkling of skiers.

“I know your bones are begging to step out of your wardrobe.”

On the snowbank resting on the German-Austrian border (deutsche-österreichische Staatsgrenze) is this view northwest over Austria’s Kleinwalsertal, a mountain valley with alpine villages whose road access is solely through Germany.

With Hoher Ifen in the centre-background, a group of skiers gather before their run. The orange safety-fence prevents wayward skiers or snowboarders from going over the steep ridge.

Facing west towards Hoher Ifen. The orange safety-fence marks approximately the German-Austria border along the ridgeline.

Visible peaks in the Swiss Alps, including Säntis (2502 m), visible at a line-of-sight distance of 65 km.

Facing west across the Kleinwalsertal valley. Holenke: 2044 metres elevation, 22 km line-of-sight; Diedamskopf: 2090 metres elevation, 15 km line-of-sight, and the elevated plateau that is Hoher Ifen: 2230 metres elevation, 9 km line-of-sight.

Hoher Ifen: one of the displays as translated:

The Schratten limestone slab, up to 100 metres in thickness, is folded over like a tablecloth. The original rock layer above has been eroded away over geologic time. The Schratten slab is fractured in a number of places, revealing the underlying older layers, as seen on Hoher Ifen.

Directions

From Oberstdorf Busbahnhof, I hopped on DB Regio Bus Bayern route 7 for the 15-minute ride to stop “Fellhornbahn Talstation”. The gondola up to Fellhorn is operated by Oberstdorf-Kleinwalsertal Bergbahnen.

( View this location on OpenStreetMap )

I received neither pre-visit support nor post-visit compensation for this post. I made all media above on 8 March 2017 with a Canon EOS6D mark1. This post appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com as https://wp.me/p1BIdT-f6u. Last edit: 12 Jan 2026.

Vienna Steinhof Church: city- & Wagner-landmark

Above/featured: East side of the church, in afternoon light. Photo on 28 May 2023, X70 with wide-field WCL-X70 lens attachment, image corrected for geometric distortion.

Building: Steinhof church, also St. Leopold Church, 1907 // Kirche am Steinhof, Kirche zum heiligen Leopold.
Address: Baumgartner Höhe 1, in Penzing, the city’s 14th district.

Up on the city’s Baumgartner Heights is an example of Europe’s first modernist church at Steinhof. Dedicated to St. Leopold, the structure is one of the city’s finest examples of turn-of-the-century architecture, and one of the world’s most important churches in the Jugendstil or Art Nouveau architectural style. The church was designed and built by architect Otto Wagner, inaugurated in 1907 for patients and staff within the surrounding hospital complex the Lower Austria state, sanatorium, and nursing home for the mentally ill (Niederösterreichische Landes-, Heil-, und Pflegeanstalt für Geistes- und Nervenkranke) which included over 30 buildings and room for over 2000 beds. The bright, airy, and spacious modern design was met at that time with skepticism and criticism by local church officials. Of utmost importance on Wagner’s mind were the hospital patients: his church design was about gentle solitude, not fire and damnation.

The church was a collaborative effort with other Viennese artists, including mosaics and stained glass by Koloman Moser, angel sculptures by Othmar Schimkowitz, and exterior tower sculptures by Richard Luksch. The church roof is topped with a dome covered in gold-plated copper plates, whose bright yellow appearance in daylight merits the nickname “Limoniberg” (lemon hill) that’s visible in different parts of the city. The Steinhof church is an example of a “Gesamtkunstwerk“, where every detail and fixture contributed to a “total and functional work of art”; an architectural masterpiece of the period; and one of Otto Wagner’s most important creations.

I included this building as part of my description of Otto Wagner’s architectural legacy in Vienna and of the recent centenary celebration in Vienna of the city’s 19th- to 20th-century architectural transition from historicism to modernism.

( Click here for images and more )

25 for 25: fotoeins fotos in 2025

Above/featured: “Göttin” (goddess), by AlfAlfA, also known as Nicolás Sánchez, for One Wall 2017. Photo, 17 Jun 2025 (P15).

In continuation of high spirits and enthusiastic support of leading choices, I’m very grateful to significant time spent:

in the Bay Area, to visit mum’s family in Sacramento and long-time friends in the South Bay;
in Vienna for the 4th consecutive summer; and
in Berlin for the 1st time in 4 years, as set up for a repeat in the new year.

( Click here for images and more )

25T83 Vienna: the 30th and final day

E82, V30.

It’s overcast today which is slightly disappointing not to get a final bout of good light. But the illumination while gray will be fairly even. I’m sticking to the 1st district today and see what I can find in a meander and stroll. No surprise a month goes quickly, as well as over 90% of my planned time in Europe having elapsed.

*Schottenkirche (Scots Church & Foundation). There’s a Romanesque chapel with …*

*… one of the city’s oldest images of the Virgin Mary statue, c. 1250 CE.*

*Facing southeast from Freyung, towards the Austriabrunnen , Kunstforum, Park Hyatt, Stephansdom, Peterskirche.*

Heidenschuss: c.1850 statue referring to a legend of a local baker who secretly dug tunnels below ground to expose the Ottoman Empire’s advanced lines of attack during their 1st Siege of Vienna in 1529.

*Above the door at Tiefer Graben 8-10: where Beethoven lived from 1815 to 1817 and worked on pieces Opus 98, 101, 102, 106, 137.*

In 2000, the City of Vienna officially unveiled its memorial to Jewish victims of the Holocaust with a sculpture by British artist Rachel Whiteread. Situated at Judenplatz, the memorial takes on the form of an “inverted library” whose books are placed spine facing inwards.

*The books are placed with their spines inwards. There’s a model concept in Wien Museum Karlsplatz.*

*Stephansplatz, Stephansdom, and the usual crowds in late-afternoon.*

Weeks in advance of my arrival, I purchased online a 31-day ticket for 51€ from the Wiener Linien (WL) transport authority. With a registered account, the WL mobile app included my digital ticket shown above. At a conversion of 1€=$1.6CAD, the ticket comes out to $2.70 daily.

Except for the screenshot, I made all other images with an iPhone15 on 29 July 2025. This post composed within Jetpack for iOS appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com.

25T82 Vienna: colour splash in the Sünnhof

E81, V29.

The sun showed up at the right time, as I entered the 150-metre long passageway through the Sünnhof building in Vienna’s 3rd district. Truth is, at the right time of day, the illumination of the umbrellas suspended over the passageway is sure to light up everyone’s face, regardless of age. I’m confident Mary Poppins would have felt at home.

There’s no admission charge, but people are more than welcome to sit outside with a drink from any of the cafes or restaurants lining the passage.

The Sünnhof is just one example of a Vienna architectural staple: “Durchhaus”, a building through which a path is constructed to allow passage from one side of the building to the other. There are many “Durchhaus” examples in the city, especially in the 1st district.

*North end of Sünnhof passage, at Landstraßer Hauptstraße 28.*

*150-metres later at the south end of Sünnhof passage, at Ungargasse 13.*

I made all images above with an iPhone15 on 28 July 2025. This post composed within Jetpack for iOS appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com.