Five monumental female heads
Secret Garden art installation – Salzburg 2025
In the summer of 2025, Hasenkamp realised one of the most spectacular art projects of the Salzburg Festival summer: the installation Secret Garden by Spanish artist Jaume Plensa. Five female heads, up to twelve metres high and weighing 40 tonnes, were transported from Barcelona to Salzburg, assembled on Residenzplatz and presented during the festival.
The Hasenkamp team – consisting of specialists from Cologne, Munich and Vienna – was responsible for transport, assembly and logistical coordination. Within just seven days, the sculptures were erected layer by layer in the heart of the old town, in compliance with the strictest safety, time and environmental requirements. The project impressively demonstrated how technical precision, craftsmanship and international cooperation make art in public spaces possible.
Challenges
- Transport of sculpture segments weighing over 30 tonnes on 16 truck trailers from Spain to Austria, including permit and customs management.
- Final assembly with millimetre precision of twelve individual segments per sculpture in hot and cramped working conditions inside the works.
- Compensation for uneven paving and static protection against wind loads of up to 260 km/h on listed surfaces.
- Close coordination between the artist, the foundation, the City of Salzburg and Hasenkamp to coordinate the public space.
- International teamwork with over 20 art logistics experts from three countries under considerable time pressure.