Easy hikes and walks around Jaidhof

A trip to Jaidhof Castle is particularly worthwhile due to the combination of historical architecture, spiritual tranquility, and nature experience.

A trip to Jaidhof Castle is particularly worthwhile due to the combination of historical architecture, spiritual tranquility, and nature experience.

In any case, the giant sequoia in Gföhl has an interesting story to tell: The outdoor sports facilities were built in 1978/79. At the same time, the area in front of the main entrance was to be enhanced with a tree. The teaching staff themselves were allowed to make the decision – the choices were a ginkgo tree and the giant sequoia, as confirmed by eyewitness and school inspector Gerhard Gruber. He was present at the planting of the tree in 1978, along with the then headmaster, Richard Neumayer.

At just under 50 years old, it is a mere youngster among its kind: the oldest specimens in America are said to be more than 3,000 years old. The giant sequoia is the most massive living organism on Earth: its trunk diameter can reach six meters or more.

"Sequoiadendron giganteum": That's its Latin name. Giant sequoias belong to the cypress family, and within this subfamily there are only three genera: the dawn redwood, the coast redwood, and the giant sequoia. The latter is also found in Gföhl and stands—unnoticed by many—directly in front of the main entrance of the secondary school.

Inside, a marble sculpture depicting the youthful Empress was installed, approached in a humble pose by a commoner. The work is by the sculptor Alfonso Canciani, a member of the Vienna Secession and, at the time, a very well-known and particularly busy artist in Vienna. His design for the marble group now executed in Gföhl was shortlisted in the competition for the Empress Elisabeth Monument, erected in 1907 in Vienna's Volksgarten. At the dedication ceremony, it was explicitly noted that both artists performed their work free of charge.

Empress Elisabeth Memorial Cottage In 1908, the municipality of Gföhl commissioned the Viennese architect Viktor Postelberg to build an orphanage. The building was dedicated to the memory of Empress Elisabeth, and in connection with this, the Gföhl Child Protection and Orphanage Association decided to have the same architect build an "Empress Elisabeth Memorial Cottage" in a small park opposite the orphanage. In designing both projects, Postelberg adopted the picturesque vernacular style popular in rural areas, and the small memorial cottage, in particular, is characterized by its romantic and picturesque appearance. Inge Scheidl, Art and Cultural Historian

In 1985, the property was leased by the then owner, Rosa Gutmann (1912–2003), to the Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius X, and after her death in 2003, it was bequeathed to them.