Rein Abbey - Hundertwasserkirche - Thal

Route: Graz - Rein Abbey - Hundertwasserkirche - Thal - Graz
Duration: 6 h
Our first stop in this will be at Rein Abbey. Like most Cistercian monasteries, Rein Abbey is located in a remote valley and next to a stream, because in observing St. Benedict's Rule, summed up in the motto "Ora et Labora" (Pray and work!), the monks have always placed much value on manual labour. In 1129, Margrave Leopold the Strong invited monks from Ebrach in Franconia to establish a monastery at Rein. It was the 38th monastery of the Cistercian order founded in Southern France in 1098. The monks engaged in farming, fish breeding and trade, but also worked in their scriptorium. About 300 medieval manuscripts and incunabula (early prints) remain among the approximately 100,000 books in the Abbey's library. In the mid-18th century, the Graz architect, Johann Georg Stengg, gave the abbey its Baroque appearance. The abbey church which is 76m long, 18m wide and 17m high is among the biggest and most beautiful churches in Styria. Painter Josef Adam Mölck left no space empty. Renowned artists of the Baroque period furnished the church with impressive altars and sculptures.Next we will visit to the Church of St. Barbara (Hundertwasserkirche), located in the small town of Bärnbach, is one of the true architectural wonders of Austria. Several of Hundertwasser’s playful, decorative trademarks are very visible, most notably the use of multicolored ceramic surfaces to jazz up the facade. The exterior’s mystical imagery, glistening copper dome, and red-tiled roof covered in green circles are absolutely mesmerizing. Also watch out for the twelve gates in the small park surrounding the church, each representing one of the world’s major religions. Hundertwasserkirche: The Baroque altar and spiral stained-glass window of the Church of St. Barbara. Also interesting the glass altar, a gargantuan fish tank filled with twelve different layers of soil (taken from the Vatican and Bethlehem among other places) to symbolize the twelve tribes of Israel. Our next stop will be at the Arnold Schwarzenegger Museum which located in the former childhood home of Arnold Schwarzenegger, where they have also preserved the kitchen and the toilet in its original state. The rest of the rooms are devoted to the bodybuilder, his film career and of course the years as Governor of California. The museum is not large, only 200 m2, but it has filled it to the brim with objects from his childhood, his time as a bodybuilder, film actor and of course his time in public office as Governor of California. They even found room for the wardrobe with content from his time as a soldier in the Austrian army. Lifelike mannequins show Arnold Schwarzenegger in some of his film roles and as a bodybuilder. In addition, one of the “robots” in the Terminator films has got the job as an exhibit in the museum. Near the museum we will visit the Parish Church of St. Jacob (Pfarrkirche Thal bei Graz). The old church underwent a makeover with the addition of a new wing in the 1990s, and the result was quite unique, to say the least. The exterior of the church is rather striking with the patinated copper sheets dominating the new building while the walls of the old building are painted turquoise and partly decorated with pebbles symbolizing Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. The church design is completely unconventional and looks like something even Gaudi would’ve been proud of. The interior of the church is even more fanciful and outlandish. The thick glass entrance doors have sheepskin horn handles and bear the symbols of Alpha and Omega. Judeo-Christian symbols and images are peppered throughout the interior. The floor tiles and stone pews studded with pebbles give the inside of the church a flamboyant & Gothic feel. The glittering altar is made out of glass crystals and shells, a recurring symbol also on the walls and on the back of the fan-shaped seats. After we will return to Graz.
Price: Per person