The so-called Hahnsäge in the Austrian Waldviertel, a small, disused, weathered sawmill in the Kamptal, was acquired in 1966 from the previous owner Heinrich Hahn in the name of Elsa, the artist's mother. Of all Hundertwasser's residences, this is probably the most modest. Here, too, there was no connection to a water pipe or electricity. Running water only existed in the nearby Kamp River. The idyllic surroundings, which could hardly have been more beautiful, compensated for the lack of comfort. It is unbelievable that so much seclusion could be found less than two hours' drive from Vienna. Peter Schamoni shot some inspired sequences of his "Rainy Day" film here. Hundertwasser repeatedly withdrew to the Hahnsäge for shorter stays, only occasionally staying longer, as in the winter months of 1977/78, which he spent here with his painter friend René Brô. As on the Picaudière, the artist also practised "nature free-buying" in the Kamptal, i.e. purchasing nearby forest plots in order to save the tree population. In 1987/88, Hundertwasser created the designs for the remodelling of an old artist's house in the Hahnsäge into the Roiten village museum, which is not far away. During the artist's frequent absences, the Hahnsäge was looked after by the Peter and Barbara Kastner family, whose own estate is located a few kilometres upriver.
Wieland Schmied, in: Hundertwassers Paradiese. The Hidden Life of Friedrich Stowasser, Munich 2003