Unterdambach: History, Art and Cycling Routes

Unterdambach has several clearly defined points of interest for a trip, ranging from memorial sites and local history to art and a cycling connection. A bust in front of the former Deutschmeisterhaus, a memorial plaque for residents of the Jewish home for the blind who were murdered, the metal sculpture “Christopher and Gateway to the Vienna Woods,” and the Jubilee Footbridge represent different themes. They range from personal and historical fates to an artistic interpretation of the landscape and a connection between cycling routes.

Local History and Remembrance

A bust of Emperor Franz Joseph I stands in front of the former Deutschmeisterhaus at Unterdambach 1. The precise address anchors this point of interest in Unterdambach. At the same time, the words “former Deutschmeisterhaus” preserve the building’s historical connection: the bust depicts the emperor, while the name refers to the former Deutschmeisterhaus. Thus, a depiction of a person and a named historical site come together at this address.

The memorial plaque commemorates 144 residents of the Jewish home for the blind who were deported between 1938 and 1945 and murdered in the Shoah. Alongside the connection to the bust, it establishes a distinct focus: here, the emphasis is on the people and their fate, not a building or a depiction of a person. The dates specify the years to which the commemoration refers.

Christopher and Gateway to the Vienna Woods

The metal sculpture “Christopher and Gateway to the Vienna Woods” stands at the Unterdambach/Neulengbach roundabout. It consists of a stainless-steel silhouette of Christopher and three gates, also made of stainless steel. The three gates, as a trio, symbolize the transition from the foothills of the Alps to the Tullnerfeld and the “Gateway to the Vienna Woods.” The form and its interpretation go together: the gates give shape to the idea of transition, while the silhouette depicts the Christopher named in the title. This makes it possible to consider the work, its materials and the named landscapes together.

Robert Vogel and Local History

Robert Vogel played a key role in rebuilding the Austrian Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired. In 1951, the association acquired the “Harmonie” guesthouse in Unterdambach. Vogel died in Unterdambach on November 29, 2001. The town’s history thus brings together his commitment to rebuilding the association, its acquisition of the guesthouse and Vogel’s death in the town. The 1951 acquisition is the association’s specific connection to Unterdambach; Vogel’s date of death marks a separate biographical connection.

A bell tower with 18 bells stands in the courtyard of the former home for the blind, now Campus Wienerwald. The site is identified both by its former name as a home for the blind and by its current name, Campus Wienerwald. The tower and its 18 bells are a distinct architectural feature of the courtyard.

The Jubilee Footbridge as a Cycling Connection

The Jubilee Footbridge connects the Robert-Vogel-Weg with the Laabental cycle route and crosses the Laabenbach. It spans 24 meters and is 2 meters wide. These measurements describe different dimensions of the structure: the span refers to the crossing, while the width is its measurement across. Together with the names of the two connected routes and the stream it crosses, they identify the footbridge as both a cycling connection and a structure.

Discover more destinations: Neusiedl, Statzendorf, Stollberg, Laaben, Wilhelmsburg, Municipality of Karlstetten, Ambach, Kapelln

For the main travel overview: Sankt Pölten.