Tree in the middle of the world

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tree in the middle of the world (Gusterberg, 2010). The "successor tree" planted in 1916 is already 3 m in circumference. On the left the new lookout point .

The highest point of the Gusterberg southeast of Kremsmünster (Upper Austria) is called the tree in the middle of the world . The 488 m high mountain offers a wide view from the Alps to Berchtesgaden and the Bohemian border. It was therefore chosen in 1817 as the fundamental point of the Upper Austrian land survey . The tree itself was a centuries-old, huge linden tree that had to be felled in 1929 because of a lightning strike. As a precaution, a new linden tree was planted nearby in 1916, which now has a trunk circumference of almost 3 meters.

The name referred to this widely visible tree and is now also used for the inn that has existed there since 1911 . Its construction had long been requested for hikers in the nearby spa town of Bad Hall .

Zero point of the previous national survey

View from Gusterberg to the Dead Mountains . In the middle of the Großer Priel (2515 m, destination of the astronomical azimuth measurement), Schermberg (2396 m) on the right , the Kremsmauer (1604 m) on the left .
Adalbert Stifter's view of Kremsmünster and the surrounding area. On the left the Gusterberg, in the background the Dead Mountains and Traunstein .

For the precise measurement and mapping of Austria-Hungary , the Military Geographic Institute established five coordinate systems in 1817 with clearly visible or culturally significant measurement points as the respective zero point. For Lower Austria and western Hungary this was the south tower of St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna , for Upper Austria and Salzburg the Gusterberg. It fulfilled both criteria, because the nearby Benedictine monastery Kremsmünster was (and is) the cultural center of the Traunviertel. The monastery observatory, the mathematical tower , also offered ideal conditions for the necessary astro-geodetic work.

An accurate latitude and azimuth measurement was carried out in 1817 for use as a fundamental point . The astronomical width surrendered with 48 ° 02 '18.47 ", as azimuth (about 187 °) that became the Great Priel chosen the 2,515 m with the highest mountain of the dead mountains . The longitude , however, was from the pen observator the observatory Kremsmünster transferred to the Gusterberg in a determined and arithmetic manner . At that time it was not possible to measure it directly on site, because only telegraphy (and now the time signal radio) made this possible.

The lookout point in Stifter's "post-summer"

The Upper Austrian poet and teacher Adalbert Stifter (1805–1868) placed his great educational novel Der Nachsommer in the area around Kremsmünster , where he attended the Kremsmünster Abbey High School and spent further years of study. He also describes a trip to the Gusterberg without naming it.

“At last we had reached the highest point [...] In this place stood a very large cherry tree , the largest tree in the garden, perhaps the largest fruit tree in the area. Around the trunk of the tree ran a wooden bench, which had four little tables in front of it, pointing to the four corners of the world , so that one could rest here, look at the area or read and write. At this point you could see in almost all directions of the sky. I now remembered very clearly that I had probably seen this tree earlier on my hikes from the street or from other places. It had appeared like a dark, distinguished point that crowned the highest point in the area. On a clear day one had to see the whole mountain range in the south from here, but now nothing of it could be seen; because everything flowed together in a single thunderstorm mass. Around midnight a friendly ridge appeared behind which, in my estimation, the town of Landegg must be ... "

With "Landegg" is meant Kremsegg , with the later mentioned "Rohrberg" Rohr bei Bad Hall . Interestingly, the so important Benedictine monastery does not appear in any of the 3 volumes, because Stifter projects its spiritual, cultural and economic role completely onto Baron Riesach, the mentor of the young main character of the novel.

The huge linden tree became the "largest fruit tree in the area", because the poet relocated all important events to gardens in the area. The artist , who is also a talented painter, dedicates a large painting to the magnificent view, although he assigns it a better perspective.

More such trees

In Upper Austria there are other "trees in the middle of the world":

  • the thousand-year-old oak near Clam Castle ( Grein ), about 60 km east of the Gusterberg. When a huge branch had to be cut in 1980, a memorial chapel was made from it;
  • the concentration camp linden tree near the former Mauthausen concentration camp ;
  • the Koppler Föhre at Pilgram ( Münzbach ) near the eastern border.

All three trees are under nature protection .

literature

Web links

Coordinates: 48 ° 2 ′ 17.5 ″  N , 14 ° 8 ′ 10.1 ″  E