In prehistoric times, the Alpine regions of Austria were cold, inhospitable.And because they were almost impenetrable areas for humans and fauna. As the mammoths walked through the icy landscape, the first civilizations developed in the Danube valley and in the more accessible plains of Lower Austria. Various archaeological finds date back to this period, including statues of Venus which are now exhibited at the Naturhistorisches Museum in Vienna. The star of the collection is the Venus of Willendorf, discovered in 1908 in the Wachau region in the Danube valley. The tiny, plump 1cm figurine is made of limestone and is estimated to be about 25,000 years old.
