With 1,414 meters, the Belchen is the fourth highest summit of the Black Forest in Southern Germany. The summit of the Belchen with was used as a place of worship, was a landmark and prehistoric observatory, and is now a popular destination for tourists.
Usually a large cross on the top of the mountain is both destination of the hikers, as well as evidence of the Christianization of the region. But since the beginning of this year, the hikers are confronted with a different view. The German artist Marco Schuler enclosed the cross with a cubic sculpture made of wood. The monolith is five meters high and has two holes on each of the four sides that look like the eyes of a face. From certain angles, the top of the cross can be seen through theses holes. For the cube, the Marco Schuler used not just any wood, but the wood of the benches, which were provided for the pilgrims during last year’s papal visit in the nearby city of Freiburg. The sculpture is entitled Orbi and is on view until August 31, 2012.
Marco Schuler: ORBI. Mountain Top Sculpture. Interview with Marco Schuler, June 28, 2012.
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