Mur Valley Travel Poster: Murtal-Bahn by Gustav Jahn

Murtal-Bahn by Gustav Jahn is a vintage Austrian travel poster celebrating the alpine beauty of the Mur Valley and the railway that opened it to winter adventure. Jahn, the celebrated Viennese landscape painter, poster artist, and mountaineer, brought firsthand experience of high mountains to his work. Trained at the Academy of Fine Arts and active with the Österreichischer Alpenklub, he became widely known for his striking series created for the Imperial Royal Austrian State Railways—posters that helped popularize skiing and alpine tourism across Austria.

This listing is for a museum-quality fine art print of Murtal-Bahn, produced by The Unique Maps Co. Choose archival, acid-free fine art paper for a velvety matte finish or artist’s cotton canvas for a textured, gallery feel. Multiple sizes are available, including standard frame-friendly formats, with optional framing. Personalization and customization are welcome—add captions, dates, coordinates, or a dedication that speaks to your connection with Styria’s Mur Valley.

Gustav Jahn (1879–1919) stood at the crossroads of art and alpinism. A prize-winning student who studied under respected academic painters, he transformed his passion for summits into an authentic visual language that resonated with early 20th-century audiences. His dual identity—artist and climber—infused his posters with credibility and romance, persuading travelers that Austria’s high country was not just picturesque, but accessible.

The poster’s subject, the Murtal-Bahn, traverses the river-carved Mur Valley in Styria, linking charming towns and snowy uplands where skiing and winter walking were taking hold as modern pastimes. In the golden age of railway advertising, images like this introduced city dwellers to the idea of weekend retreats and seasonal holidays in the mountains. This design captures that spirit perfectly: a serene landscape beckoning with gentle slopes, crisp air, and the promise of alpine adventure made easy by rail.

Jahn’s Art Nouveau influence is evident in the flowing contours and organic rhythms of the composition. A cool palette of whites and blues lays the foundation for a tranquil winter mood, while warm orange accents add a welcome glow—suggesting sunlight on peaks or lively details in the scene. Soft, rounded forms describe snow-laden trees and hills, and fine linear strokes imply skiers and their trails, gracefully guiding the eye across the image. The integration of clean typography with painterly illustration—a hallmark of the era’s best posters—makes this an elegant statement piece for an entryway, living room, or chalet-inspired interior. Hang it to evoke the nostalgia of rail-era travel, the calm of fresh snowfall, and the refined beauty of early 20th-century graphic design.

This Murtal-Bahn print makes a thoughtful gift for skiers and snowboarders, hikers and mountaineers, railway enthusiasts, and anyone who has traveled in Styria or dreams of exploring the Austrian Alps. Ideal for Christmas, winter birthdays, housewarmings, anniversaries, Father’s or Mother’s Day, or as a welcome-home keepsake for someone returning from a trip to Austria’s Mur Valley.

If you're not sure what size to order, or you're looking for a custom order of some kind – a different size, a different colour, a special frame – then please contact me. I usually respond within a few minutes.

You can see an example of my fine art personalisation service in the fifth image. Zoom in and take a look. My personalised artwork is always very well received. Take a look at more examples of personalisation.

You can also choose to age your art print to make it look older. This is popular amongst my customers who want their artwork to look like an older, antique print. You can see an example of ageing in the sixth product image, or go ahead and check out lots of examples of other aged artwork.

The model in the listing images is holding the 24x36in (60x90cm) version of this art print.

I can print and frame this beautiful piece of art at sizes up to 3 metres (10ft). If you are looking for a size or framing option that isn't available online, please get in touch.

This artwork is available as a giclée print on acid free archival matte paper, or you can buy it framed. My standard frames come in six colours (black, dark brown, dark grey, antique gold, oak and white), and custom framing is available for an additional charge. My frames are glazed with super-clear museum-grade acrylic (perspex/acrylite), which is significantly less reflective than glass, safer, and will always arrive in perfect condition.