THE KRIPPENSTEIN PAINTED BY JOSEF THOMA

JOSEF THOMA (1828-1899)

 The Krippenstein  (2,108 m - 6,916 ft) 

Austria 

In view from the  Pfaffengföll over Lake Hallstätt, with the Krippenstein in the background.

The mountain 
The Krippenstein (2,108 m - 6,916 ft) is a popular mountain on the northern edge of the Dachstein mountain range in Upper Austria. The Krippenstein has the form of a double summit: the high Krippenstein is located at a distance of 500 meters (1,640ft)  from a very rocky summit of 2,034 m, (667 3ft) which hosts a mast and a pioneer cross. Not far from the main peak, a mountain chapel has been built. The lime floor of the mountain rises directly above Lake Hallstatt (508 m), with a difference in altitude of 1600m over the lake. It was the first of the 2 thousands peaks in Austria where a cable car was developed(in 1947;  the center station of the cable car  going from Obertraun to the southern part of the Dachstein range. In 2007, the two sections between Obertraun and the Krippenstein (Mittelstation Schönbergalm) were renewed for a cost of 10 million euros. The official opening of the renewed Dachstein-Krippensteinbahn took place on 12 January 2008.
In connection with the appointment of the Hallstatt-Dachstein / Salzkammergut region as an UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site, some new facilities were also built on the Krippenstein. The view over the Dachstein peaks was declared as "World Heritage Views". At the top of the main peak of the Krippenstein, an observation deck was built with a spiral staircase, the "World Heritage Spiral". It has the shape of a ship and is surrounded by sun loungers.

The painter 
Not a lot of  biographical details about this Austrian painter who used to signed his paintings Josef Thoma the Younger or  Josef the Younger Thoma. Josef Thoma was born in 1828 and died in 1899. Many works by the artist have been sold at auction,  at Christie's New York ($15,000), in France, Austria and all over Europe. A pupil of his father and at the Vienna Academy, Josef Thoma was a painter of scenes of hunting, animated landscapes, urban landscapes and mountain. He likes to include water in his compositions. Many of his works, typical of the 19th century Austrian academic style are in the Vienna Museum.

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