Vienna Ring
Boulevard is 4 kilometres long and circles the city centre. The construction
of the Ring Boulevard was initiated by Emperor Franz Joseph I in December
1857.
The magnificent road was errected on the
free space, which emerged after tearing down the former city walls, glacis
and military enforcements protecting the city center, today's first district
('Innere Stadt'). By this the emperor hoped to overcome the separation of
city center and the suburbs, which had officially become part of Vienna in
1850. Ring boulevard was generously planned, leaving sufficient space for a
shaded avenue and monumental buildings like
Hofburg,
Austrian Parliament,
State Opera
House,
Museum of
Fine Arts,
the first public observatory Urania and Vienna university among others.
Even though most buildings have been planned
and build at pretty much the same time, their styles vary strongly. This mix
of archiectural styles is often referred to as 'Ringstrassenstil' and takes
its principles from Historicism. Various styles were copied to underline the
function of the buildings: the
Museum of
Fine Arts and
its counterpart the Museum of Natural History were built to resemble Italian
Renaissance, so was the
Vienna
Opera House.
Parliament echos Greek classicism as this was the epoch of the birth of
democracy.
The Ring Boulevard was
ceremonously inaugurated on 1st May in 1865 and is one of the biggest and
most beautiful boulevards of its kind.
Karlskirche
The building
of Karlskirche was started in 1715 following plans of one of the most famous
Austrian Baroque architects, Johann Fischer von Erlach. The church is
spectacular. It is the biggest cathedral in Baroque style north of the Alps.
Initially,
the church was build to honor the vows of Emperor Karl VI. given in the time
of a severe plague epidemic. It was dedicated to saint Karl Borromeo.
An unusually wide front is
composed of a number of contrasting elements which surprisingly add up to a
unique and harmonic overall image. Two colums with an allegoric
representation of the life of saint Borromeo are reminiscent of Italian
Renaissance Trajan colum. They frame the main portal which resembles a Greek
temple. The oval nave of the church is topped by an eye-catching dome (72 m
high) spectacularly painted at the inside.
The church is situated at one
of Vienna's central nodes, spacious 'Karlsplatz'. The area in front of
Karlskirche was redesigned in the 1970s by one of the most important
sculptors of the 20th century: Henry Moore. His artwork 'Hill Arches'
adornes an oval water basin which reflects the church building.
If you take the tube (U4 or
U2) you can admire one of Otto Wagner's art deco tube stations.
Secession
museum is another famous sights closeby where Karslplatz meets
Naschmarkt!
The
art-history museum and the scientific-history museum
The
art-history museum is the oldest public museum of Europe and is especially
famous for its Brueghel and Rubens collections. It is the huge domes of the
buildings that make the art-history and the scientific-history museums
unique.
The
scientific-history museum boasts a scientific collections of a variety that
makes it rank among the top respected museums in Europe. It looks exactly
the same as the building across from it, the art-history museum. This
museum, however, has its focus on (natural) science.
Nachmarkt
There is quite a number of markets where you can buy fresh
vegetable and asorted tidbits. But Naschmarkt is arguably more than that: it
is a Viennese institution dating back to the 16th century.
The location itself is spectucular: Wienfluss, Vienna's
second river, was roofed over during the 19th century. Some dealers put up
their stalls on top of this roof and that was that.
Today, Naschmarkt is a unique mixture of Austrian traditions
and oriental influences. Viennese shrewdness meets bazar mentality. It is a
great place to shop for goodies and to have lunch at one of the many stalls,
coffee shops and restaurants.
Saturdays, Vienna's major fleemarket sells anything from junk
to antiques to early birds.
Linke Wienzeile 40
is the adress of two beautiful art deco houses built by Viennese Jugendstil
architect Otto Wagner himself.
Prater
The Prater is
Vienna's most popular fun fair. Enjoy a great view over Vienna from the
giant Ferris wheel, or do some sports and relax in an expansive area of
parks, forest land and fields.
The Prater is situated near
the city centre and is ideal for walking, cycling, jogging or just lying in
the grass after an exhausting sightseeing tour of Vienna. Furthermore one
can find major facilities for sports and recreation, such as the Krieau
harness racing track, the Prater Stadium (soccer and track-and-field), the
Stadionbad, a public swimming pool, the Freudenau flat racing track and the
Pleasure Pavillion (Lusthaus) in the Prater.
Two further attractions in
the Prater are the Vienna Wurschtlprater, a fun fair with the Giant Ferris
Wheel (Riesenrad), where one can enjoy a terrific view over Vienna from 200
feet altitude and the Lilliputian Railroad (Liliputbahn), a 2.6 mile
amusement park line on a auge of old steam locomotives, providing
transportation to the Trade Fair grounds and to the Stadium.
The Giant Ferris
Wheel (Riesenrad) was erected in 1897 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of
the reign of Empereror Franz Joseph I. The wheel itself spans 200 feet
(about 60 m.). 15 cabins and the upholding structure weigh a total of 430,5
t and rotate at the speed of 0,65 m/sec.
In 1914 the Giant Ferris
Wheel was the location of a sensational film stunt: Madame Solange d'Atalide
managed to complete one round on horseback on top of one of the cabins. This
would not be the only time that the 'Riesenrad' was featured in major films:
The Third
Man or
Before Sunrise
to name just a few.
In 1944, at the height of
World War II, the Giant Ferris Wheel burnt down, but was rebuilt in 1945 -
at the same time as
St. Stephen's cathedral.
The Viennese Riesenrad is the only giant ferris wheel of its time which is
still in use today.
Schönbrunn Pallace
Schönbrunn
Palace with its surrounding buildings and the huge park is one of the most
significant cultural monuments in Austria. The castle was build to rival
French Versailles in Baroque beauty and importance but House Habsburg lacked
funds to outdo its rivalling nation France.
In earlier times it served as summer residence to various Habsburg rulers.
Emperor Franz Joseph (ruled 1848-1916), who was born here in 1830, spent the
last years of his life entirely in Schönbrunn. In 1918, the palace became
the property of the new republic. Due to this historical importance, its
beautiful location and its gardens this palace is one of the very top sights
in Vienna. Furthermore the entire complex was added to the UNESCO's world
cultural heritage list.
Don't miss out on a tour of the residence itself and a chance to admire the
magnificent apartments of Maria Theresia, her sitting rooms, bedroom and the
parlour in which 6 year old
Mozart
used to play for the Empress, as well as the parlours and apartments of
Imperial couple Franz Joseph and
Sissi.
The interior is an orgy of frescoed ceilings, crystal chandeliers, huge
mirrors and gilded ornaments.
When you are a tad tired after visiting almost 40 rooms bear in mind that
you have seen less than 3% of the residence's 1441 rooms!
At the ‘Hofratstrakt’, somewhat hidden in the extensive parks at Schönbrunn
palace, you can find a very special theatre: a puppet show! Professional
productions with elaborate puppets and stage settings guarantee a successful
evening.
Schönbrunn
zoo
Schönbrunn
Zoo is the world's oldest and only baroque zoo. The Schoenbrunn Zoo is
situated in the south-eastern part of the Habsburgs' summer residence and
was built in 1760.
What makes the zoo so special is the keeping
of animals after their specific requirements and the simultaneous emphasis
of the baroque heritage. The historical buildings are restored by experts of
international reputation under the supervision of the conservation
authorities and serve present-day purposes without any defeat of its
fascination.
In Mai 2003 Schönbrunn zoo
was greatly honored by being entrusted with the care of a pair of Chinese
Great Pandas!
As a
proof of the excellent care and the natural habitat many of the zoo's
animals give birth. With a bit of luck you might just see an elephant baby,
a young hippo or a teenage giraffe!
Spanish
Riding School
The Spanish
Riding School is the oldest and last Riding School in the world where
classic dressage is still practised in its purest form. This Institute was
founded in 1572.
It's name was derived from the fact that the
horses were of Spanish origin. The Lipizzaner is regarded to be the oldest
classic horse race in Europe. The horses have been bread in Lipizza in
Slovenia. Tody, there is a stud in Piber, close to Graz. Young Lipizzaner
are black and only turn white when reaching maturity. They need to undergoe
elaborate training before they are able to perform their prancing
Renaissance ballet to the sound of classical music.
The Riders of the Spanish Riding School
train the horses and perform in the Winter Riding School in the
Vienna
Hofburg (Imperial Palace)
in a splendid Baroque hall built by Josef Emanuel Fischer von Erlach between
1729 and 1735. The magnificient rooms are adorned with chandeliers and set
off the performance to best effects. The presentations of classical dressage
have been open to the public since 1920.
Tickets are expensive but the
elegant and complicated performance will provide exquisite pleasure. The
shows are often booked for months in advance. In July and August the white
horses enjoy their well-deserved summer break.
St.
Stephan´s Cathedral
Vienna
Touristic Guide - Visit St. Stephen's Cathedral - Stephansdom, one of
Vienna’s most famous sights -Church's Cathedral is situated in the city
centre, and for centuries it has been the heart of Vienna. It is one of the
most famous Viennese sights and was built in 1147.
The cathedral was dedicated
to Vienna Touristic Guide - Visit St. Stephen's Cathedral - Stephansdom, one
of Vienna’s most famous sights -Church. Duke Rudolf IV of Habsburg ordered
the complete restructuring of the church in Gothic style. In 1359, he laid
the cornerstone of the nave with its two aisles. The South Tower, was
completed in 1433 (the Viennese have given it the nickname "Steffl,"
representative of the whole cathedral). The cathedral has got two very
impressive features: The gigantic roof, and the tall, lean tower (136,7
metres of hight). One can find only few gothic towers of such height that
were finished in the Middle Ages. Inside the Cathedral there are many art
treasures like the tomb of Prince Eugene of Savoy (1754), the Altarpiece of
Wiener Neustadt, the pulpit by Anton Pilgram (1514-15), the sepulcher of
Emperor Frederik III by Niclas Gerhaert (1467-1513), the watchman`s lookout,
a self portrait of the sculptor, and the Gothic winged altar.
Town
Hall
The new
Viennese Town Hall extends 20.000 m² in a neo-gothic style with a broad main
façade which consists of five towers. The construction costs of 14 million
guldens forced the city of Vienna to the edge of bankruptcy.
With this
construction (1872-1883) the Viennese master builder Friedrich Schmidt had
his biggest success. The central tower rises up 98 meters into the sky and
is extended by the “Rathausmann”, “town hall man”, by not less than 5.50
meters. The town hall’s arcades, loggias, and roofs are magnificently
decorated with statues. In summer, open-air concerts take place on the
grounds. The two elegant staircases on the left and on the right side of the
town hall lead directly to the “Volkshalle”, full of wonderful exhibitions.
In addition, marvellous events like the famous Christmas market, the film
festival or “ice dream” (a big ice skating ring) take place on the huge area
in front of the town hall.
UNO-City
After New
York and Geneva, Vienna is the third UN city. Since 1979 Vienna has had its
own “UNO City”. The decision was made during the cold war - Vienna was
supposed to play a mediator role between the two large power blocs.
The
enormous office towers stand on a 180.000 m² grounds. In the middle there is
a round International Conference Center and an Austrian Congress Centre. The
towers are “Y”-shaped, so that daylight can flood into 90 percent of the
rooms. The Viennese UNO City cost Austria more than ten trillion Schilling
to build. The annual rent, however, was only one Schilling, which is today
0,73 Euro. The UNO City is the head office of the International Atomic
Energy Authority and of the Organization for Industrial Development.
Additionally, it houses a number of agencies of human rights organizations.
Vienna
Opera House
The Vienna Opera House is situated in
the frist district of Vienna at the southern end of the Kärntnerstrasse.
August von Sicardsburg and Eduard van der Nüll built the Court Opera House
from 1861 to 1869.
The Vienna Opera House has a world-wide reputation for its
first-class opera performances and is also known because of the Vienna
Philharmonic Orchestra. A night at the State Opera is one of the most
impressive events any visitor to Vienna can experience.
