Stahlpark Riedersbach
Walking through the Stahlpark (Steel Park) he founded in 1995, Karl Heinz Schönswetter likes to ponder the impressions generated by the dichotomy between hi-tech on the one hand, and stone age conditions on the other. One after the other, the sculptures at the Stahlpark present themselves to the observer, each one exuding an aura of monumentality and invicible material state of being.
The Stahlpark is easy to find. On the road from Salzburg to Burghausen, between the small towns of Riedersbach and Ostermiething, you will pass by the large Energie AG tower; only a few metres along the road you will find a road sign pointing left towards the entrance of the Steel Park (for details on how to get there, navigate to the Contact section).
Located at the centre of the park is a large scrapyard with a large number of iron parts stored on shelves, ready to be used by the artists for their sculptures. The building next to it is the already famous Gipshalle (Plaster Hall), a 2,000 sq m metal sculpturing atelier and venue for the large concluding events of the annual steel workshop. When the power stations are in operation, the hall is used for storing gypsum briquettes, a byproduct of the flue gas cleaning procedure, which is used as a raw material by the construction industry.

Located opposite the plaster hall, the container facilities are home to several small-sized steel scupltures – sketches in steel, as it were. During the summer, the container facilities are used by the artists as a meeting place and dining hall. Facing towards the south, smack in the centre of the park opposite the plaster hall, is the "Nassmahlanlage" ("wet grinding hall"), which is hugged by the upper section of the Steel Park containing several impressive middle to large-sized steel sculptures. The exhibition area stretches further north towards the re-cultivated ash deposits (a former ash dump) next to the adjoining greenhouse facilities. Turning south, one reaches the water meadow, which stretches along the banks of the river Salzach towards the west. This is the so-called "Kirchmayer Highway," named after sculpturer Wolfgang Kirchmayer, whose steel sculptures line this section of the path.
The placement of the steel sculptures is determined by the sculptures added each year. Although the artists give permission to have their works displayed at the Steel Park, they remain their property. Incidentally, the sculptures are all for sale. In most cases Karlheinz Schönswetter, the Steel Park's initiator and director, will decide himself on the location of the sculptures once they are finished. Moving the sculptures into position requires the help of Energie AG and its staff. For ten years Energie AG has been nurturing this extraordinary sponsoring project, ensuring the best possible working conditions for the artists and providing technical support for large-scale projects.
Visitors to this constantly expandeing permanent exhibition are encouraged to become creative by following their own course through the park, both physically and mentally. This search for an appropriate path is one of the most valuable lessons twentieth century art in its pluralistic forms has had to teach to both the individual and all of history.