Photo: Alpbachtal Tourismus

Egon Schiele Aussichtspunkt

Rattenberg, Tyrol

The 2.30-meter-high iron tower displays Schiele's art print pressed onto glass. The story behind it can be read in four languages. Thanks to the ingenious construction, the drawing can be directly compared with the original – the roofs of Rattenberg. Schiele's detailed view is astonishing, as it has hardly changed even 100 years later. Almost every gable, chimney, and even the facades correspond perspectively with the drawing. Egon Schiele's Time in Rattenberg The town of Rattenberg is nestled between the rocky Schlossberg and the Inn river. Its population would probably make city dwellers smile, as, with its approximately 420 inhabitants and 11 hectares of municipal area, it is the smallest town in Austria. But on a stroll through the historic alleys, one quickly notices that the town doesn't have to be big to offer great things. Behind its medieval facades, Rattenberg holds some secrets. It is also little known that Egon Schiele – one of the most important Austrian Expressionists – created a drawn monument to the town. Schiele's picture shows the roofscape of Rattenberg from a special perspective, which he obtained from the Schlossberg. For a long time, the depiction was confused with the town of Krumau, but it is clearly the roofs of Rattenberg. It is astonishing that the view has hardly changed 100 years later. Almost every small detail, the gables, chimneys, and even the facades seem unchanged. The picture was created in 1917, one year before Egon Schiele's death. Schiele had traveled to Tyrol to draw the military's food depots on behalf of the k.u.k. Army. In Tyrol, these were in Brixlegg, Bolzano, and Bruneck. The drawings were intended as an activity report for a planned commemorative publication of the army, which, however, never appeared. What remained is the drawing of Rattenberg. Paths to the Schlossberg Directly at parking lot P1 Rattenberg, follow the signs "Zum Schlossberg" at the small underpass. The following 400 meters to the Schlossberg can be walked in about 10 to 15 minutes. In the city center, at the restaurant and event center Malerwinkel, take the elevator to the rooftop terrace. From there, the Schlossberg can be reached in about five minutes on foot. Coming from the east (train station or parking lot P4 or P5): directly after the railway underpass, the path leads about 200 m and 10 minutes on foot to the Schlossberg. Information about Egon Schiele Egon Schiele, along with Gustav Klimt and Oskar Kokoschka, is one of the most important visual artists of Viennese Modernism. Already at the age of ten, he stood out with his unique talent as a draftsman. He achieved his breakthrough when he caused a sensation around 1910 with his new radical style and his uncompromising depictions of the human body. Egon Schiele died in 1918 at the age of only 28 from the Spanish Flu. Among his most famous works are nudes and self-portraits, for which the artist even spent time behind bars due to indecent depiction. Less offensive, but no less impressive, are his drawings of landscapes, which he painted from a high vantage point. This also includes the view of Rattenberg, which every visitor to the town can admire. Image credit for the portrait: Archive Leopold Museum