Nieder-Oesterreich Die Ruinen des Woerther Schlosses.

Title

Nieder-Oesterreich Die Ruinen des Woerther Schlosses.

Description

Very beautiful hand-colored view of the Wörth castle ruins on the Danube Island of Wörth in Lower Austria. From "Zwey hundert vier und sechszig Donau-Ansichten", drawn by Jakob Alt (1789–1872).

ca. 1826

Artist

Kunike Adolf Friedrich (1777-1838)

Adolf Kunike was a student at the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts in 1804. From 1808 to 1810 he studied history painting in Rome. In 1816 Kunike made contact with Alois Senefelder in Munich. In 1817 he opened his own lithographic institute in Vienna. Initially active as an artist herself, Kunike later limited herself to lithographic reproduction and the management of her own company, which became the foster home of artist's lithography, especially portraits and landscapes. He published series works, the most important of which are the two hundred and sixty Danube views according to the course of the Danube river from its origin to its outflow into the Black Sea ... which Kunike published in three editions in 1820, 1824, 1826. The majority of the pictures appearing in this work are by Jakob Alt.

Historical Description

The ruins of Wörth Castle are situated on Wörth Island in the Danube, in the Strudengau region of Upper Austria. The medieval fortress once served to protect and control shipping along the dangerous stretch of the Danube between Grein and St. Nikola. As its strategic importance declined, the castle was abandoned and gradually fell into ruin. Today, its remains recall the historical significance of navigation on the Danube.