march-2012

WORDS CHRIS BEANLAND, JO CAIRD, LUCY FINNEGAN
Five things you never knew about...
Gustav Klimt
VIENNA One of the 20th century’s
best-loved artists, Gustav Klimt’s 150th
birthday is celebrated at museums over
his home city this month. But the artist
was a controversial fi gure in his day:
1 Born in 1862, Klimt lived with his
mother for all but the last three years of
his life before dying in 1918.
2 The artist never married, but reputedly
fathered at least 14 illegitimate children
with his models and patrons.
3 He had a lifelong relationship with
fashion designer Emilie Flöge, his
younger brother’s sister-in-law, although
The spy
station on
Teufelsberg hill
is now open for
guided tours
Klimt’s The Kiss
(1907-8) is widely
regarded as a
masterpiece of the
early modern period
there is no evidence they were lovers.
4 Klimt hated appearing in public, even in
his art. His only self-portrait can be found
in The Death of Romeo and Juliet,
a mural in Vienna’s old Burgtheater.
5 In 1903, Klimt completed a trio of
paintings called Philosophy, Medicine and
Jurisprudence, which caused a scandal
(critics claimed they were pornographic).
Sadly, we can’t judge this for ourselves:
the paintings were never publicly
displayed and were ultimately destroyed
by the Nazis in 1945.
For more on Klimt shows, see wien.info
Life of Spies
BERLIN Created from rubble after World
War II, Berlin’s highest hill, Teufelsberg,
was home to an American spy station
during the Cold War. Long since
abandoned to the wind that whistles
through its derelict buildings, the manmade
mound – the name of which
means Devil’s Mountain – had become a
target for trespassers who came here for
the thrill of history and sensational views.
Now visitors have a legitimate
opportunity to explore the oncesecret
spy station, after the launch
THE BUZZ | TRAVEL NEWS
What’s going on?
EASTER
24 MARCH - 15 APRIL
Velikonoce Markets
PRAGUE
The Easter markets in the Czech
capital sell traditional trinkets and
wooden toys. Pick up hand-painted
kraslice (eggs), tuck into local
delicacies, enjoy the music and
expect to see children brandishing
decorative twigs –it’s a longstanding
tradition. pragueexperience.com
5 APRIL
Za Krizem
SPLIT
The religious processions on
Hvar Island are the highlight of
Croatian Easter festivities. Meaning
“behind the cross”, the 500-year-old,
UNESCO-protected tradition is led
by cross-bearers who walk 22km
barefoot on the day as a mark of their
faith. total-hvar.com
1-7 APRIL
Semana Santa
ASTURIAS
Holy week is one of the most
colourful times of the year in Spain
and Portugal, and the medieval city of
Avilés makes an ideal spot to witness
the daily processions and thrilling
end-of-week celebrations.
avilescomarca.info
of offi cial weekly tours. Every Sunday
in 2012, groups will be shown around
the facility and into the dark corners
where American agents listened in to
Communist Party communications
(berlinsightout.de).
Meanwhile, on the other side of
the city, the recently reopened Stasi
Museum tells the other side of the Cold
War story. Behind the façade of old
secret-police buildings, its new galleries
reveal the real story of East Berlin.
stasimuseum.de
TRAVELLER | 33