Papal waiting room
The Papstwarte is a lookout tower built in 1983 at 497 m above sea level in the area of the cadastral community Doberndorf in the town of Horn in the Lower Austrian Waldviertel .
history
The Papal Observatory was built in 1983 on the occasion of a visit by Pope John Paul II on a forest hill south of Doberndorf. The ground plan of the reinforced concrete structure corresponds to an axially symmetrical, irregular hexagon. The viewing platform is reached at a height of 24.5 m via 136 steps. A 5 m high cross formed the end. In 1988 the tower was raised by a further 7 m. A round concrete shaft with an external spiral staircase was put on. The top platform is reached in 31.5 m via 39 steps. Including the cross, the control room has since reached a height of 36.5 m. The observation tower was designed by the Austrian structural engineer and structural engineer Robert Krapfenbauer (1923–2005). The long-time owner of the chair for structural engineering at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna was born in Rodingersdorf , only a few kilometers away from the Papal Observatory . The papal station is dedicated to Saints Cyril and Methodius . John Paul II did not visit the Papal Observatory on his three visits to Austria (1983, 1988 and 1998).
view
From the control room you can get a clear view of the Horner Basin between Maria Dreieichen and Greillenstein Castle , but without being able to see the town of Horn . Apart from Pernegg Abbey and a few surrounding places, the view to the north is limited by extensive forests.
Inscription on the cross
The inscription on the cross is a modified version of a passage from the Gospel of Matthew in ancient Greek : ῾ΗΚΡΙΣΙΣΚΑΙΤΟΕΛΕΟΣ ΚΑΙ῾ΗΠΙΣΤΙΣ, which can be read as ῾Η ΚΡΙΣΙΣ ΚΑΙ ΤΟ ΕΛΕΟΣ ΚΑΙ ῾Η ΠΙΣΤΙΣ (he krisis kai to eleos kai he pistis) and translated means " justice and mercy and trust ". The translation “From the highest judgment” on a plaque on the base of the waiting room. God's mercy and faith of the poor! ”Is incomprehensible.
Justice, mercy and trust (trust in God or belief in God) are considered the most important things in the law and are mentioned several times in the Old and New Testaments . This is the central message of Christianity and not the meticulous observance of religious regulations, which Jesus reproaches the Pharisees for in his speech against the scribes and Pharisees (Mt 23: 1-36) . In the original Matthew (Mt 23,23) says: τήν κρίσιν καί τό έλεος καί τήν πίστιν - the words are in the accusative . As in the Sermon on the Mount , he expressly emphasizes justice and mercy as a principle, whereas the other evangelists only portray this indirectly through the actions of Jesus.
Others
The papal waiting room is freely accessible. Since 2012 there has been a "flight of stairs to the papal waiting room" organized by the ULC-Horn in autumn. The Papst-Warte, which is about 5 km west of Sigmundsherberg (train station), can be reached by bike in less than 15 minutes. Another lookout point by Prof. Krapfenbauer, the Europe observation point, is located on the 471 m high Schafberg near Waitzendorf. The 27 m high concrete tower is very similar to the Papst-Warte, it was built in 1980.
literature
- Andreas Brudnjak: Lookout guide for Lower Austria. 72 Lookout points and their history and construction - Volume 1: Weinviertel, Waldviertel, Donauraum-Lower Austria and Mostviertel . Berndorf, Kral-Verlag, 2012, pp. 87–89. ISBN 978-3-99024-095-3
- Theresia Hauenfels, Elke Krasny, Andrea Nussbaum: Architectural Landscape Lower Austria - Waldviertel . Vienna (Springer Verlag) 2011, p. 182. ISBN 978-3-7091-0775-1
Web links
Video of the stair run 2012: https://vimeo.com/52386599
Coordinates: 48 ° 41 ′ 57 " N , 15 ° 40 ′ 47.3" E