Boottocht naar Wenen uit Hainburg an der Donau, Oostenrijk 1930 - 1931

Berti Hoppe captured this series of photographs of a boat trip to Vienna from Hainburg an der Donau, Austria. The most striking symbol here is the vessel itself, a recurring motif throughout history, representing journeys, transitions, and the passage of time. Consider the ancient Egyptian barque carrying the sun god Ra across the heavens, or the ships that bore Viking explorers to new lands. The ship embodies our collective yearning for discovery, the charting of unknown territories, both literal and metaphorical. Now, observe the woman in the rowing boat. Her active engagement with the water, pushing forward with oars, echoes the ancient archetype of the ferryman—crossing boundaries between worlds. Think of Charon, ferrying souls across the river Styx. Yet here, the woman isn't guiding souls but exploring her own world, empowered and independent. This image stirs deep within our memory, a primal connection to water as a source of life and transformation. The image of boats becomes not just a mode of transport, but a symbol of human aspiration and resilience, resurfacing across epochs.