Venus of Willendorf

Big is Beautiful

In 1908, one of the most important finds in archaeology was made in Willendorf, in the Wachau: the Venus of Willendorf. It is a small statue from the younger Palaeolithic period, more than 27, 000 years old. The Venus not only proves that the people of Central Europe were already very creative almost 30,000 years ago, but also that they possessed a complex culture.

When the Venus of Willendorf was created, Central Europe was a cold and extremely uncomfortable place as the last ice age was just heading for its peak. So, it is not surprising that the small fertility statue with its large breasts, wide hips, and fat body represents an ideal image of the time: if you were well-fed, your body fat offered protection against the cold, and you had much better chances of survival.

Nothing is known about the fate of those Stone Age people whose artistry produced the Venus of Willendorf. Presumably, they died out or left Central Europe forever. Because more recent finds from the same area bear no resemblance to the famous statue found in the Wachau at the beginning of the 20th century.