Artists turn former mine tower into creative retreat

Artists are gathering for the fifth annual Creative Days at the Kunstturm Helenenschacht, a former mining tower in Ritzing in the Oberpullendorf district, ORF reported. A collective made up of two married couples uses the tower as a studio, exhibition space and retreat.

Once a year, the collective invites artists to work together with clay, stone, leather and acrylic. The exchange and sense of community are just as important as the creative work, said Ernst Oskar Richter of the Helenenschacht 5 artists’ collective.

The tower has a long mining history. The Brennberg mining area in the border region between Austria and Hungary was once home to 3,000 mining workers. Coal was extracted in open pits until 1858, after which workers began sinking shafts and mining underground.

The Helenenschacht was built in 1868 and once reached a depth of 345 metres. It has since been filled in and sealed with concrete. A brass ring in the floor of the salon and a glass window offering a view five metres down are reminders of the former coal mine.

Gerhard Bogner revived the tower after discovering, buying and renovating it in the early 1990s. Four new owners took over the building over the following 30 years. The Helenenschacht 5 collective now uses it for creative projects and as a second home.

The Creative Days will conclude with an exhibition opening on Saturday afternoon.