Heritage: Protestant

In Austria Protestants form a minority. The influence of the Catholic church shows in many ways. In architecture for example.

Today I entered a building from 1920 and noticed the calm atmosphere. It is different to many other buildings from that epoche in Vienna.  

I googled the architect. Mr Sommerlatte. A quite peculiar name. His parents were Protestants.

My grandfather was Protestant. I have to go back to his youth to find a family member who shared my passion for hiking and ski mountaineering. I grew up in a couch potatoe environment. He went up the Austrian hills  - and later on together with my grandmother - in the early 1930's! So I obviously inherited some of his genes.

Gregor Mendel once said found out, how characteristics skip one generation and pop up in the next generation. Grandparents pass on a lot to the grandchildren. A a grain of that Protestant character made it to my genes. How else could I explain my deep sympathy for all that 'Protestant' stands for? The people, the cities, the provinces ... I can say I feel at home where the Protestants live. Silly, I know.

Friends thought that it is the North that meets my character. My passion for Hamburg and so on.
The more I think about it, the more obvious it seems to me, that it's not about geography, but more about values and believes. The new Protestant Museum in Fresach, Carinthia is worthwhile a visit.

In case you want to visit Mr Sommerlatte's building in Vienna –  you will find it here:

Tomorrow I will visit a more Catholic environment, the recently renovated and reopened Palais Liechtenstein. Ha! Gold, decor, call me in. You can guess my sign of the zodiac ;-)