Alpenlofts

Bad Gastein’s charm stems from its bizarre but nonetheless enchanting combination of tradition and modernity, where the peacefulness of the mountains and the town’s cosmopolitan atmosphere are unexpected siblings. This is a place where abandoned hotels neighbour trendy bars – a place so calm and yet buzzing with so much energy.

The art festival sommer.frische.kunst pays a tribute to Bad Gastein’s mystic beauty. Launched in 2009, the festival spreads itself over three months in the summer, from June to October. It has become an inevitable destination for free spirits and creative minds.

The Gasteiner nature is glorious in the summer: it forms an inexhaustible source of inspiration for contemporary artists. In order to give life to this inspiration, the town’s historical water power station was turned into an art residence. Its sole purpose is to encourage creation. This intriguing building is the heart of the festival, pumping fresh talent and creativity into the valley.

Countless activities and events are organised within the festival – exhibitions, talks, creative workshops, studio visits, plays, excursions, concerts. A jazz festival also takes place during the whole of the summer, with open air concerts and gigs in trendy venues every week. Summer in Bad Gastein offers a thorough exploration of contemporary art, its origins and intricacies.

Dates for this year’s sommer.frische.kunst: 06.06. – 24.10.2014

Kunstresidenz: 27.06. – 27.07.2014 – Artists from home and abroad are given a break from their daily routine so that they can dedicate themselves solely to artistic creation. The water power station is their workshop. An international scholarship program provides aspiring young artists with free accommodation in the participating hotels and studio space in the art residence.

Art residence grand finale: 25.07. – 27.07.2014 – The main highlight of the festival is the art residence’s final weekend, when the exhibition of the Artists-in-Residence works takes place. Cultural activities and the exclusive annual dinner for artists and collectors are organised during the weekend to celebrate.

Find out more about the Kunstresidenz

Residenzakademie: 06.06. – 24.10.2014 – The art academy offers all art lovers on holiday in Bad Gastein the possibility to be artistically active in a variety of fascinating and unusual places in Bad Gastein and its surroundings.

Artistic workshops:

Landscape Photography: 30.06. – 04.07.2014 | Workshop: Frank Stöckel

Drawing: 14.07. – 19.07.2014 | Workshop: Lars Hinrichs

Creative kids: 14.07. – 19.07.2014 | Workshop: Malte Urbschat

Design & Textile: 04.08. – 09.08.2014 | Workshop: Wittek Design

About Bad Gastein: 07.08. – 10.08.2014 | Workshop: Telse Bus

Landscape & Gardens: 11.09. – 14.09.2014 | Workshop: Ike Ikrath

Photography: 20.10. – 24.10.2014 | Workshop: Paul Ripke

Creative kids & teens: 20.10. – 24.10.2014 | Workshop: Malte Urbschat

Find out more about the Residenzakademie

Summer jazz festival: 25.06. – 03.09.2014 – Bad Gastein’s open spaces, trendy places and balmy summer nights offer the perfect setting for jazz bands to play in.

Find out more about the summer jazz festival

Schubert in Gastein: 11.09. – 14.09.2014 – A four-day long festival in tribute to Schubert, performed by fine soloists and one of the world’s most renowned chamber orchestras, the Camerata Salzburg. Bad Gastein’s relatively unchanged aspect in some places will help recreate the Biedermeier atmosphere that Schubert must have experienced during his inspirational stay in the summer of 1825.

Find out more about Schubert in Gastein

All the information you need on the summer.frische.kunst website

Did you know that fifteen minutes is all it takes to step into a parallel universe?

Skip from the bustling Angertal valley to the world of the forest in futuristic vehicles driven by Thomas and Hans. They will take you through the trees, up to a small clearing in the mountain. Apart from a breath-taking view of the mountains opposite, there is not much to see at first – a long wooden barn and some food containers, but no sign of life.

As you edge your way to the other side of the field however, your eyes suddenly fall upon a deer, then two, then a whole herd. Tens of them are standing on the face of the mountain, dark shapes silhouetted against the white snow, set out like they were disposed there. They are waiting, silently – like you. You can hear the whispering sound of occasional fights as the young males lock, their antlers clicking in the distance like a song.

Thomas fills the containers with food and calls them gently, beckoning them with reassuring words. And then the buck steps forward. He walks alone for some time, well conscious that he is the one leading the parade. Soon enough, another deer follows in his steps, and another, and all of a sudden you are surrounded.

Their delicate-looking antlers and rich-coloured fur, their graceful moves and sparkling eyes form a huge piece of live art, pulsating from all directions. The deer are gentle but nervous. They let you come close but they can suddenly leap away for no reason. They remain wild animals in spite of their proximity with human beings, and that is what makes them so touching.

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