Wachau's nose

IN HUNGARIAN

Finally, a hybrid solution was born... From the samples taken at the castle in Rossatz, the nose of the mayor's son was combined with the nose of a woman from Hamburg who has lived in Wachau for a long time. The result was a four-meter-high Danube-front artwork near the ferry in the Austrian village of St. Lorenz, home to 22 people. 

Wachauer Nase (photo © Ariane Reither)

  

Wachau in Austria is a must for anyone who loves the Danube. Climb the steep hillsides of Dürnstein and Aggsbach, taste the local white wines, touch the life-size "Willendorf Venus", marvel at the miniature churches in the miniature villages, cycle and sail through this magnificent valley. And on top of that, at the 2014 river kilometer, you can marvel at Austria's largest nose, which would make Cyrano de Bergerac expresses his appreciation.

But before we take a closer look at the nose, let's visit the nearby Romanesque church. 

Weißenkirchen and St. Lorenz on the 3rd military survey (mapire.eu)

The church of St. Lorenz is one of the smallest and oldest in Wachau. But it is still enough for a village of 22 people. Its history also has a topicality, ranked 12th among Austrian sites in the Frontiers of the Danube World Heritage nomination. This suggests that the Romanesque church on the right bank of the Danube, in the former province of Noricum, certainly dates back to the Roman age. 

St. Lorenz temploma 1938-ban. (forrás: Alte Ansichten aus der Wachau)

The Roman age wall of nearby Bacharnsdorf has already been mentioned on the blog. This building, which is at least 1600 years old, is important because it is an example of what a Roman watchtower in the Danube valley might have looked like, as it forms the wall of a family house. Its three levels could be used to construct, among other things, watchtowers of a similar age in the Danube bend. Although the 4th-century remains of St. Lorenz are similar in size, not much is visible. Two buildings, the south wall of the parish and the north wall of the church form the same structure. And as such it only appears in a small part, above the saddle roof of the parish. 

It seems that nearly a thousand years after the construction of the watchtower (in the 13th and 14th centuries), the walls of the church were still at this height when it was built. It is possible that the stones of other walls (which were in the wrong position for the temple) were also used in the construction.

Well, back to the nose!

The Nose of Wachau hides behind the Romanesque church of St. Lorenz (source)

On 13 October 2012, around 70 people gathered at the former castle of the Counts Schönborn in the center of Rossatz to model their sense of smell for the latest project by the Gelatin group of artists. After all, what other nose could be used for a sculpture of the "Nose of Wachau" than an original nose from the Wachau. During the convivial event, beer, local white wine, and apricot liqueur were served, sausages were roasted and the team of artists took plaster samples of the noses of the enthusiastic applicants. 

And the result? A four-meter-high, five-meter-wide, seven-and-a-half-meter-long work of art that rises upstream.

Nose modeling in progress (Photo © Gelitin)

It's like a giant buried on the banks of the Danube, with only its nose showing. Its nostrils can comfortably accommodate a few people. The Danube's floods fill it with silt, on which the vegetation then colonizes. The grass grows in it like the hairs on its nose. 

Within a short time, it has become a real attraction in the 'Austrian Danube Bend'.

Nostril caves

Here, the old and the new blend well together. In addition to fans of ancient ruins and medieval church architecture, contemporary art lovers will also find something for everyone at the Weißenkirchen ferry!