Special exhibition

Museum reveals the secrets of deep earth cellars

Father Lambert Karner, Eugen Frischauf and Emil Wrbata (son of the cave owner) in the earth stable near Röschitz in 1896.(Bild: Stift Göttweig)

The first hobby researchers in the Eggenburg area were already following in the footsteps of their ancestors 120 years ago. They had dug tunnels and possibly found refuge from enemies in these burrows. A special exhibition at the Krahuletz Museum is now delving into the dark corridors.

 "Much is still in the dark and, despite intensive research, we don't really know why our ancestors ventured so deep into the underworld. We are shedding light on the pioneers of yesteryear," explains Gerhard Dafert, the dedicated head of the Krahuletz Museum.

Visitors can now immerse themselves in the world of the legendary "cave priest" Lambert Karner (1841-1909). The priest's excursions into subterranean Lower Austria were documented by Emil Wrbata, a pioneer of early magnesium flash photography. His pictures form the framework of the special exhibition - and a certain Eugen Frischauf, the co-founder of the Krahuletz Society, also appears there.

Michael Weissl (picture M.) follow in their footsteps.(Bild: Arbeiterkreis für Erdstallforschung)

Their precious finds are also on display.(Bild: Arbeitskreis für Erdstallforschung)

Virtual tour
The working group for earth stable research and its chairman Otto Cichocki make an exciting link to the present day. He recently crawled through the narrow corridors of an Eggenburg earth stable with Michael Weissl from the Institute of Geology at the University of Vienna, just like Karner and Frischauf did in their day. With them: not a flash camera, but state-of-the-art equipment that made it possible to document the earth barn in a 3D model. The virtual tour of the excavator made possible by this is shown in a media station. So let's enter this mysterious world!

You can find all the information here.