Kapitelplatz, Salzburg Copy to clipboard
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Open 24/7
Accessibility
The sculpture is located in Kapitelplatz and is easily accessible on foot from major landmarks like the Salzburg Cathedral.The site is wheelchair-accessible, as Kapitelplatz is a flat, open area.
Before you go
Bring a camera: Kapitelplatz and Sphaera offer stunning photo opportunities with the Hohensalzburg Fortress in the background.
Manage expectations: The bottom part of the sculpture has some graffiti and stickers that may affect its pristine appearance.
Nearby attractions: Within walking distance of Salzburg Cathedral and other sculptures by artists such as Jaume Plensa.
Parking: Limited parking nearby. Use public transport or park at one of Salzburg's city garages.
Restaurants: Plenty of open-air restaurants and cafes surround the square for a quick bite or a relaxed meal.
Best visit time
Early mornings (around 7h) are ideal for a quiet and peaceful visit, with fewer crowds and better opportunities for unobstructed photos.Evenings can also be enjoyable, as the square is beautifully lit and the crowds thin out.
Peak hours (midday and afternoon) are very busy due to the nearby restaurants, cafes, and souvenir shops.
Directions
From Salzburg Cathedral
Directions: Walk west across Kapitelplatz. The sculpture is prominently displayed in the square.
Walking distance: 1 minute / approximately 50 meters.
From Salzburg Hauptbahnhof (Main Train Station)
Directions: Several bus lines stop near Kapitelplatz. The nearest stops require about 7-10 minutes of walking to reach the square.
Driving time: Approximately 15 minutes by taxi or car.
Parking: Altstadtgarage
Location: Located about a 12-minute walk from Kapitelplatz.
Convenience: Convenient when visiting the Museum der Moderne Salzburg or other nearby attractions.
Prices: €0.55 per 10 minutes, €3.30 for the fourth hour, €24.20 for 24 hours.
Tip: Parking near Kapitelplatz is convenient but expensive. Consider using public transport or alternative parking options, such as the Park-and-Ride facilities outside the city center, especially if you plan to explore more of Salzburg's art and architecture, and the Museum der Moderne Salzburg..
Introduction
The sculpture Sphaera by Stephan Balkenhol was installed as part of the Art Project Salzburg in the 2007 Salzburg Festival and is based on various medieval mysteries.
Construction & design
The artwork, situated outside of the Salzburg cathedral on the Kapitelplatz, is easily recognizable from afar thanks to its golden sheen that reflects light from the sun. The 9-meter-high sculpture depicts a male figure wearing a neutral expression on his face standing atop a golden sphere.
The man with the neutral expression on his face was constructed out of wood and bronzed. Balkenhol created the man as a figurative depiction of the everyday man.
Balkenhol’s work & style
Balkenhol has been creating works like these, featuring the everyday man and woman as his main subject, for years. His sculptures, typically constructed from wood acquired from the waa tree in Africa, glorify indistinguishable and ordinary individuals in society who are often assumed and ignored.
Style-wise, Balkenhol’s sculptures are typically cut roughly and tend to be unpolished. The artist accepts that cracks and defects are characteristic of the medium. These flaws, in unison with the realism and the neutral expressions on the sculptures, are what help to lend a sense of ambiguity to the end products. This, in turn, allows people to instantly connect with the everyday man or woman.
The meaning
According to critics, Sphaera has a strong cultural significance for Germans as it represents the protagonist in the Austrian play Jedermann, which translates to Everyman. Jedermann is one of those plays that are performed repeatedly in festivals and theaters all over the country.
It is also a title of a play created by Austrian playwright Hugo von Hofmannsthal in 2011, which is based on the 15th-century morality play Everyman1. Since 1920, it has been performed at the world-renowned Salzburg Festival every year, which was co-founded by von Hofmannsthal himself.
Audiences looking at Sphaera and all the other sculptures in the Everyman series can interpret the works as they please, which usually serves as its own type of therapy for the observer. The sculpture’s greatest strength is its indefiniteness, which allows anyone, even tourists who aren’t familiar with Jedermann and German culture in general, to understand and deduce the sculpture.
All in all, Balkenhol created Sphaera to demonstrate that the human figure is universal. Though people may have different physical attributes, human beings are instinctually connected by emotion and the need for community.
Location
Address: Kapitelplatz, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
Initially, Balkenhol had another place in mind for installing his artwork, which didn’t work out for traffic reasons. Nevertheless, he is quite content with the final location. He explained2:
Then I discovered Kapitelplatz and found a stroke of luck: a square without an actual center that needs a sculpture. I think the square is good for my sculpture and my sculpture is good for the square.
With 150,000 inhabitants, Salzburg is a relatively small city but boasts an impressive assembly of artworks3 in public space. Among those artists invited to create sculptures and installations are Marina Abramović, Christian Boltanski, Anselm Kiefer, Jaume Plensa, James Turrell, Not Vital and Erwin Wurm. Most of the artworks are strategically located close to each other, making it easy to explore them on foot.
Similar artwork in Edinburgh
More than 1000 miles away across the North Sea outside the Edinburgh City Council Offices is also a similar statue. Like the Sphaera sculpture, the artwork also features a man with identical clothing and a similar expression on his face. This statue is also raised on a scaffolding measuring approximately seven meters high; the only difference between this sculpture and the Sphaera in Salzburg is the stance of the man.
Final thoughts
In the past, critics would categorize Balkenhol in the Expressionist movement. The artist’s early 3D works and flat woodcuts consisted mainly of nudes that were created using traditional techniques. During his early days, Balkenhol was heavily influenced by 20th-century German expressionists such as Lehmbruck and Kirchner.
However, gradually, the artist started distancing himself from the expressionist movement to differentiate himself and make his work stand out. As a result, he began to include clothing on all his human figures.
Explore nearby
Salzburg, Austria
- Ai Weiwei's 9000 children's backpacksInstallation ended (dismantled in 2009)115 km away
- Roman Ondák's Measuring the UniverseExhibition ended (dismantled in 2022)116 km away
- Jenny Holzer's Lustmord224 km away
- Shirin Abedinirad's mirror installationsInstallation ended (dismantled in 2014)245 km away
- Olafur Eliasson's Meditated MotionExhibition ended (dismantled in 2001)249 km away