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An early
Gothic column on top of the Wienerberg in the 10th District
celebrates the Legend of the Spinnerin (a woman who spins). This
medieval wayside shrine, first mentioned in 1296, is one of a few
early Gothic structures surviving in Vienna today.
During one of
the crusades, (it is not clear exactly which one), a knight named
Hintberg bid his fair bride a fond farewell on this spot before
joining thousands of his fellow crusaders on their march to liberate
Jerusalem. Following the departure of her knight, the young bride
returned to the spot of their farewell and daily spun her wool from
first light to last, waiting for her husband's return. The weeks,
months, and years passed, as did her youth, but still the Spinnerin
persevered in her faith that her long-absent mate would one day return.
Here, the
various accounts of the legend diverge. Some sources indicate that
the knight Hintberg did return and that the Spinnerin used the
proceeds from her spinning to build this column in thanksgiving.
Other accounts indicate that, although the Spinnerin's faith never
faltered, her sweet lord and master was lost as were many thousands
of other crusaders in those long ago days.
The Spinnerin
am Kreuz is located on top of the Wienerberg in front of the George
Washington Hof (public housing complex) on Triesterstralsse 52. There
is a mural illustrating the legend dating from the 1920s further down
on the opposite side of the street. |
