Kategorie: News
New winter attraction with Christmas theme
On the 1st Sunday of Advent, November 28, 2021, the 1st underwater nativity scene in Europe, will be launched in Weyregg am Attersee. Mary, Joseph and the Christ child were adapted to the theme of water. As an analogy to the three wise men from the east, the three sharks from the oceans visit the Christ child.
In 2019, the board of the Diving Competence Center had the idea for the first underwater nativity scene in Europe. This year, the new winter attraction will be experienced by divers for the first time. The underwater nativity scene will be launched in time for the first Sunday of Advent, November 28, 2021, in Weyregg am Attersee at the diving station Dixi - Pfahlbauhaus. A particular challenge in the implementation was the reinterpretation of the Nativity scene under water and the choice of material.
Christine Acker from Austria Divers brought the idea of the unique diving attraction. The chairman of the Diving Competence Center and operator of the Pension "Zur Nixe" in Steinbach am Attersee, Günter Oberschmied, immediately took care of the implementation and contacted Mr. DI Josef Stallinger from the HTL (Höhere technische Lehranstalt) Vöcklabruck. "The HTL Vöcklabruck was immediately ready to support us in this project. For the creative implementation we were able to win the Salzburg artist Mag. Isabella Heigl and the project was financed by the Leader funding program of Regatta," Oberschmied is pleased.
Adaptation of the Nativity scene for the element water
"The biggest challenge and heart of the project was to reinterpret the Nativity scene in the element of water," says Oberschmied, adding, "Our thanks here go especially to Mag. Isabella Heigl for the fantastic artistic implementation." All the figures are depicted in the underwater world. Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus have been adapted according to the element of water. Thus, among other things, the Christ child is in a shell and the Mother of God Mary wears a coral necklace. As an analogy to the three wise men from the east, the three sharks from the oceans visit the Christ child, the symbol for the Christmas star is a golden starfish, and the traditional sheep become „leaf sheep", a type of shell-less marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusks in the family Costasiellidae - representing sheep on land.
Austria's first official underwater nativity scene will be baptized by a diving priest, on November 28, 2021. "The underwater nativity scene will be launched in time for the first Sunday of Advent, at the Dixi - Pfahlbauhaus diving entry point in Weyregg, and can then be seen until Maria Lichtmess on February 2, 2022," Oberschmied said, adding, "I would like to thank everyone involved and hope that the new and unique attraction will be well received by divers!"
More info on Lake Attersee
The largest inland water in Austria Lake Attersee, between Linz and Salzburg directly on the A1 Westautobahn, is an Eldorado for divers from all over Europe. With an area of 48 km² and a length of 23 km, the Upper Austrian Attersee offers an extensive and unique diving area. The unusually clear water in drinking water quality allows visibility up to 25 meters, in winter up to 30 meters. 23 diving entry points as well as diving bases are available to underwater sportsmen all year round. The diving entrance Dixi Pfahlbauhaus is located at the B152 - Seeleiten federal road KM 10.6.
Further information about diving at the Attersee: attersee-attergau.salzkammergut.at/.../tauchen.html
Lake Attersee on Taucher.Net
taucher.net/attersee__oesterreich-tauchplaetze