300 trees planted inside Austrian stadium as art installation

Swiss artist Klaus Littmann (born 1951 in Basel) realized his decades-long project "For Forest – The Unending Attraction of Nature" at the Wörthersee Stadion in Klagenfurt, Austria. Inspired by a 1970s ink drawing by Max Peintner depicting a city where nature is confined to a stadium like a zoo, Littmann spent over 30 years seeking support and a suitable venue. The temporary installation, the largest of its kind in an Austrian public space, features 300 trees of 18 species, 8 to 15 meters tall, some weighing nearly 6 tons, placed on a metal structure to protect the pitch. Designed with Enea Landscape Architecture, the trees were sourced mainly from Italian nurseries and reflect the colors and textures of Carinthian forests. The project faced opposition from Klagenfurt residents over disruption to the local football season and costs, though the budget was largely covered by private sponsors. Open daily until 10 PM through October 27, the installation includes side events: the "TOUCH WOOD" exhibition pairing contemporary artists with the city's collection, and a show of Peintner's utopian drawings. After dismantling, the trees will be replanted on a nearby plot of equal size, and a wooden pavilion will serve as an educational center. Littmann, a student of Joseph Beuys, intends the work as a provocation about climate change and the risk of nature becoming a mere spectacle confined to protected areas.