In two of the stairways of the U6 subway station Burggasse-Stadthalle, one is surrounded by an enchanting world of plants. Marianne Vlaschits has combined the classic motifs of Otto Wagner's architecture for the railway with her surreal design language in the stairs to and from the platforms towards Urban-Loritz-Platz to create a painted herbarium that you can walk through.

Marianne Vlaschits won the competition for the artistic design of the staircases in September 2023. The art project is part of a long-term cooperation between KÖR Vienna and Wiener Linien. The aim was to give the location an independent character with a high recognition value. Marianne Vlaschits achieved this with a design that is both effective and subtle. It creates a harmonious link between the historic section of the subway station designed by Otto Wagner in the 1890s and the new section built in the 2000s. The point of reference is Wagner's ornamentation between historicism and art nouveau – plant motifs such as palmettes, laurel leaves, garlands or acanthus leaves – as well as the reseda green attributed to him. Vlaschits incorporates both into her own characteristically amorphous pictorial world. Painted in loose brushstrokes, 25 motifs are repeated in different sequences on four walls to create an impressive leitmotif for the station. Most of the motifs can be found in the historical part of the station, while others are taken from original plans or other buildings of the Vienna railway lines.

"Wagner said that he created architecture for departures," says Marianne Vlaschits, "my design picks up on this principle and creates an imaginary landscape that can be grasped in passing thanks to the large, clearly defined shapes and simple color concept."