While Oskar Kokoschka painted portraits of the architect Adolf Loos and the aphorist Peter Altenberg, seven and a half miles (12 km) of winding pipes were laid at a corner in Vienna's 17th district, Hernals.
Inside the tubes was a cool liquid. Outside, water.
Soon, the water had become ice, and the first artificial outdoor ice rink, Engelmanns Kunsteisbahn, was opened at some 42° F (6° C) air temperature in November 1909. It must have been a day like the one in the email background below — safe for the ice, of course:
›› Pastel warmth and earthy freshness; eager anticipation and quiet inspiration; gardening fun and reading quietude; make your emails all that November is with this wonderful IncrediMail letter. (IncrediMail)
