Vienna’s Schottentor station serves the city’s U-Bahn U2 line, located close to the University of Vienna’s main building and the Votive Church. Next to the escalators from the University side of the station down to the train platforms are two “eyes” staring and blinking at each other.
Austrian artist Hofstetter Kurt installed “Einen Augenblick Zeit” (Just A Moment) in Vienna’s old Südbahnhof from 1994 to 2009. Towards the end of 2024, the sculpture got its new home in Schottentor station.
It’s a little unnerving to see a couple of metal eyes to and from the U2, but I’ve come to anticipate seeing at least 1 eye at Schottentor.
11-seconds on the up: 1258pm, 15 Jul 2025.
11-seconds on the down: 131pm, 15 Jul 2025.
I made the stationary image on 7 July 2025 and videos on 15 July 2025. This post composed within Jetpack for iOS appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com.
In the Austrian capital, the 22nd district is the city’s largest by area, and presently undergoing rapid change as new residences and homes are created to keep up with demand. In the fall of 2013, eastward expansion of the U2 (purple) metro line reached the former Aspern airfield, reconverted for the creation of Seestadt (“Lake City”). From 2014, the development of Seestadt in multiple stages encompasses 240 hectares (almost 1 square mile) with living space to accommodate more than 25-thousand inhabitants.
Aspern has additional history as the stomping grounds for the French army and Napoleon’s invasion of Austria, with major battles against Austrian forces in May 1809 (French defeat at Aspern) and July 1809 (French victory at Wagram).
Next to the U2 station stands the HoHo Wien tower: the world’s 3rd tallest timber building at 84 m; over 75% of the structure is made from sustainably-sourced wood native to Austria.
The Seestadt is presently one of Europe’s largest urban development projects.
When the bakery queue is long at 8am on Sunday, it’s time to join in …
… and take part in the freshness at Leo Seestadt: fresh-baked breads and pastries, freshly-pressed orange juice with juicy pulp.
In memory of Aspern Airfield, 1912-1977, a centre of Austrian flight.
Aspern Airfield, in operation 1912-1977, with runways 09-27, 13-31, and 36. The former airfield is now the Seestadt development.
In front of Aspern parish church is “The Lion of Aspern”, by A. Fernkorn, 1858.
Behind the parish church are a small museum (Museum Aspern 1809, limited hours), as well as memorial plaques and stones.
I made all photos above with an iPhone15 on 14 Jul 2024. This post composed with Jetpack for iOS appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com.
Above/featured: Siegessäule & Grosse Stern, at night – 13 Nov 2012 (HL).
I compiled a list of songs accompanying my travel, a soundtrack that’s full of meaning and memories. This is another set, a listing of tracks I associate with Germany’s capital city. Music is always about personal selection, and every track fires a specific memory of time and place within Berlin. For example, watching “Lola rennt” (Run Lola Run) in a movie theatre in Toronto in the fall of 1998 planted the seeds for a move to Germany three years later. My first visit to Berlin soon after marked the beginning of a deep love affair with the “grand lady of BAER’leen.”
Fotoeins Fotografie 