There is much to see: From Gothic St. Stephen’s Cathedral to the Imperial Palace to the Art Nouveau splendor of the Secession, from the magnificent baroque palace Schönbrunn to the Museum of Fine Arts to modern architecture at the MuseumsQuartier. Record-breaking: In Vienna, there are over 27 castles and more than 150 palaces.
Vienna is old, Vienna is new – and so varied: from the magnificent Baroque buildings to “golden” Art Nouveau to the latest architecture. And over 100 museums beckon…
Imperial Vienna
Walk in the footsteps of the Habsburgs, visit the splendid baroque Schönbrunn and Belvedere Palaces, or stroll along the magnificent Ring Boulevard and take a look at the heart of the former vast Habsburg empire, the Imperial Palace. Get a sense of the luster and glory of the old empire by visiting St. Stephen’s Cathedral, the Spanish Riding School, the Giant Ferris Wheel at the Prater, as well as the sarcophagi in the Imperial Vault.
Schönbrunn Palace
Visit Empress Sisi’s former summer residence. This baroque complex contains an enchanting park, the Palm House, the Gloriette and a zoo. Spend an entire day at Schönbrunn: visit the show rooms with a "Grand Tour with Audio Guide," admire the splendid Bergl Rooms, and stroll through the “Labyrinth.”
Schönbrunn Palace, the former summer residence of the imperial family, is one of Europe's most impressive Baroque palace complexes. The land had been in the possession of the Habsburgs since 1569, when the wife of Emperor Ferdinand II. had a summer residence built there in 1642, which she called "Schönbrunn". The palace and garden complex built here from 1696, after the Turkish occupation, was redesigned from the ground up by Maria Theresia after 1743. For most of the year, the Habsburgs resided in the countless chambers that a large imperial family needed in addition to the formal state rooms.
Emperor Franz Joseph, who later married the enchanting Sisi and reigned from 1848 to 1916, was born here in 1830. The monarch spent his last years entirely in the palace, which became the property of the new Republic of Austria only two years after his death. Today, the palace is part of UNESCO’s cultural heritage due to its historic importance, its unique grounds and its splendid furnishings.
The rooms, shown to the public on guided tours, are mostly decorated in Rococo style. Most of the walls and ceilings are covered with white-lacquered surfaces with ornamentation covered with gold leaf.
Bohemian crystal chandeliers and white porcelain tile stoves are also part of the harmonious design. The living quarters and offices used by Emperor Francis Joseph are simple and very unpretentious; by contrast, the state rooms and guestrooms are much more lavish. In 1772, six-year-old child prodigy Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart gave a concert in the Hall of Mirrors.
In the Round Chinese Room, Maria Theresa held secret conferences with her Chancellor, Prince Kaunitz. Napoleon met with his generals in the Vieux Laque Room. In the Blue Chinese Salon, Emperor Charles I signed his abdication of the crown in 1918, marking the end of 640 years of Habsburg dominion in Austria and the demise of the monarchy.
The Room of Millions, paneled with rosewood and decorated from floor to ceiling with priceless Indian and Persian miniatures, is probably the most magnificent Rococo room anywhere in the world. The Congress of Vienna danced in the Grand Gallery in 1814-15; today, the Austrian government gives state receptions there when important heads of state come to Austria for official visits.
Prater
An amusement park for many, place of nostalgic dreams for some, oasis of greenery for almost everyone – and the location of the Giant Ferris Wheel, one of Vienna’s most famous symbols. The Vienna Prater is in season from March to October. But the world-famous Giant Ferris Wheel and a few other attractions are open all year round.
Otto Wagner's Stadtbahn Pavilions
Otto Wagner, the pioneering architect of Vienna's Art Nouveau era, was the designer in charge of the construction of Stadtbahn, a rail service running underground in some sections, as an elevated system in others, around 1900.
He considered the project an important contribution to the appearance of the city and paid as much attention to the large structural elements, such as bridges and station buildings, as to the small details, such as railings, lamps, signs and inscriptions, realizing a total design concept in the construction.
The Stadtbahn lines were laid out to connect the main railroad terminals in the city and to improve Vienna's position as the capital of the empire. As a connecting system among the railroads, the lines were peripheral; important radial lines never went beyond the planning stages.
In 1969, subway construction (U-Bahn) began on the U1 line. Wagner's Stadtbahn lines were converted into new subway lines, one of them ("Vorortelinie") into a rapid transit line (S 45, since 1987). In the process, several of the old station buildings were beautifully restored (Wagner's Court Pavilion in Hietzing, Schönbrunn, Stadtpark, Rossauer Lände, Währinger Strasse/Volksoper, Gersthof).
The old entrance pavilions to the former Karlsplatz Stadtbahn station, particularly elegant with their marble slabs and gilded ornamentation, were also carefully restored.
One of the two Stadtbahn Pavilions is open during the summer season for an Otto Wagner documentation of the Vienna Museum. In addition to the Stadtbahn Pavilions, eminent works such as the Church at Steinhof and the Postal Savings Bank will be exhibited in drawings and models.
The other pavilion, next to Musikverein, forms part of a café.
Otto Wagner's large bridge spanning Wienzeile and the Wien River was also preserved; it is now used by the new U6 subway line, basing on the former Stadtbahn line on the Gürtel.
original on wien.info
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