Venice Biennale

“Plätten-Taxi” sets sail in the lagoon city

A platter put the Capital of Culture in Venice in the spotlight(Bild: Peter C. Mayr)

To mark the opening of the Austria Pavilion at this year's Art Biennale, the Austrian National Tourist Office put the spotlight on the European Capital of Culture Bad Ischl Salzkammergut 2024 in Venice. A boat - the "gondola of the Alps", so to speak - and its driver caused quite a stir in the canals on Wednesday.

"When it comes to cultural tourism, Austria and Italy are in the same boat. Nevertheless, we didn't want to miss the opportunity to set sail with the 'Gondola of the Alps' in Venice at the Biennale di Venezia. However, the gondoliers in the lagoon city need not fear for their jobs. We want to promote the European Capital of Culture Bad Ischl Salzkammergut with this unique campaign," explains the Managing Director of Österreich Werbung, Astrid Steharnig-Staudinger, with a wink.

She welcomed a delegation from Upper Austria to the Plätten tour, including Wolfgang Gröller, hotelier and enthusiastic Plätten driver on Lake Traunsee, and Governor Thomas Stelzer.

Governor Thomas Stelzer and Tomaso(Bild: Peter C. Mayr)

Gondolier as Facebook star
As luck would have it, the latter shares a first name with the Italian gondolier Tomaso, who has already become a star on social media and was recently even on a bike tour in Linz.

Art and culture connect and serve as a bridge between people - this is also symbolic of Upper Austria

Thomas Stelzer

According to Stelzer, Upper Austria is a cultural region with international appeal, as can be seen at the Biennale in Venice, but also at the two major highlights in Upper Austria, the Cultural Capital Bad Ischl Salzkammergut and the KulturEXPO to mark the 200th anniversary of Anton Bruckner's birth.