Turning old into new

Saint Nepomuk shines again in new splendor

Nepomuk was already very dark and heavily infested with moss(Bild: Charlotte Titz)

Statue at the Leitha crossing in Gattendorf has been restored.

Klaus Derks and Ewald Metzl are amateur historians and are members of the association "Erforschung der Ortsgeschichte von Gattendorf". Together with other history enthusiasts, they have already written ten volumes of "Gattendorfer Rückblicke".

Now it shines again in new splendor. Kovacs, Metzl and Derks are delighted.(Bild: Charlotte Titz)

Of course, their historical work also includes looking after the statues in the village. This is the case with Saint Nepomuk, which stands near the Kittseer crossroads. "He guards the Leitha crossing," explain Metzl and Derks. There used to be a Nepomuk chapel on the other side of the Leitha, but it was demolished in the 1960s. After the ravages of time had taken their toll on the statue, the association and the municipality commissioned the restoration of the saint.

 Restorer Franz Gyolcs took Nepomuk to his studio and gave him a "makeover". Metzl, Derks and Mayor Robert Kovacs recently visited the statue to admire the successful work.