photo : Erik Berndt
Deep in the hills of Austria in the province of Styria, there’s a wonderfully whimsical world with a machine that will delight and show that dreams do come true.
Edelsbach
The little town of Edelsbach in Steiermark is set high in the volcanic mountains of the province. It’s been made famous throughout the world through the wonderfully whimsical creation of a local farmer (sadly now deceased), whose quest to create something unusual and technologically ahead of its time lives on to amuse and amaze all who visit his family home.
It’s now open to the public as a museum that shows if you work hard enough; dream long enough; and have a passion for what you want – it will happen.
The town once had a castle – built at the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries. It fell into decay in the 17th century and the land was sold to the Liechtenstein family, owners of nearby Riegersburg Castle – and a fair few others along the Austrian Schloßerstraße.
Edelsbach is a lively and interesting place despite its rural location. There’s a range of activities on offer, including:
- tennis
- football
- beach volleyball
- Asphalt Shootout – which I think is something to do with sleds and snowmobiles!
- skating
- children’s playground
- the usual and hiking and biking that is to be found just about anywhere in the Austrian Alps
- and a challenging motorsports site – buggies, karts, that sort of thing.
Not forgetting of course, the wonderful Gsellmann Weltmaschine!
The World Machine
Way back in the late 1950s a farmer from the town, Franz Gsellmann, had a dream. Born to farming, he nonetheless had a keen interest in new technologies. Around that time it was largely to do with electricity. He heard about the World Expo in Brussels (1959) and did no more than leave his homeland for the first time, to see what wonders the world had on offer.
When Franz got back home, his head was filled with a dream. He told no-one of his plan and went about his usual work by day. But by night and whenever he had time to spare, he worked and lived his dream. For many years Franz kept his secret from the world, though many wondered what he did with the sometimes strange and brightly coloured objects he collected. And eventually, his dream came true. The Weltmaschine was built.
It’s difficult to describe the Weltmaschine. It is unique; has no purpose that anyone is aware of, beyond just being what it is; but it delights the eyes and ears of all who see it.
Defining Characteristics
Some of the characteristics of the World Machine include:
- it rings, rattles, chimes and whistles in no set order or for any clearly defined purpose
- everything spins, moves and blinks
- among its components pieces are some 560 wooden beads, 8 lampshades, a ship’s propeller, windmills and a spaceship, to but name a few
- it is 6 metres long, 3 metres high and 2 metres wide
- and all of this is encased in a lattice of brightly coloured wire.