We arrived at the Vienna International Airport on Friday night with our friends Kurt, Carrie, Adam and Melanie.
Vienna, or Wien (pronounced "veen"), was founded in 500 B.C. as a Celtic settlement. Eventually, Vienna became a key city in the Roman Empire and from 1273-1918 it was ruled by the Hapsburg Family. Under their rule, Vienna became capital of the Holy Roman Empire as well as a cultural centre for art, music, and science. Vienna's cultural status has been preserved over the centuries and is now the capital and largest city in Austria, with 1.7 million inhabitants.
Tutanchamun und die Welt der Pharaonen
On Saturday morning we began touring the city and soon after setting out we came across an exhibit of King Tutanchamun (King Tut) and other Egyption kings at the Folkart Museum. Although the exhibit did not include King Tut's tomb as we had all thought, it did include a lot of artifacts from his tomb. Interestingly, King Tut was essentially unknown in the modern world until the discovery of his tomb in the Valley of the Kings by English archaeologist Howard Carter in 1922. As with many Egyptian tombs, thieves raided King Tut's tomb, but failed to find the room in which King Tut's body was held. There were something like 10 layers surrounding his body and there were all sorts of items that were thought to provide comfort and communicate status in the after life. For King Tut, there was a small bed, toys (he was a child after all), jewels, and little figurines that were apparently thought to grow in size and serve as laborers in his next life.
Posing in front of the pyramids of Vienna...
Hofburg Palace
The Hofburg Palace was the first Hapsburg residence, built and added to from the 13th century to 1913. It is still home to the Spanish Riding School, the Vienna Boys' Choir, the Austrian president's office, and several museums.
Statute of Empress Maria Theresa (of the Hapsburg Family)
The Neue Burg (shown below) was the last addition to the Hofburg Complex built just before the start of WW I.
Neue Burg by night
This statue of Prince Eugene of Saxony stands in front of the Neue Burg.
More pictures from the Hofburg Complex...
Augustinerkirche (Augustinian Church) was built in the 14th-century and served as the Court Chapel for the weddings of Marie Louise to Napoleon (1812) and of Elisabeth of Bavaria to Franz Joseph (1854).
Unique wood carving on a pew...
The tomb of Maria Theresa's favorite daughter, Maria Christina.
The Monument Against War and Fascism is a four-part statue (you can see the four parts in the picture below) built in rememberance of the victims of all wars and violence. It is a pretty raw and disturbing monument, especially the dying woman giving birth to a child in the central column below.
For lunch on our first day in Vienna we chose an Australian restaurant that ended up being a refreshing change of pace from German/Austrian cuisine (so refreshing that we came back again for lunch on our last day). We were even able to order a big pitcher of water (for free)!
Staatsoper
Since we came during the summer when the Opera is closed for repairs, the only way for us to go inside was to take a guided tour. Below you can see what would be the stage (the large golden mural) and the box seats lining the walls. Apparently it is extremely expensive to attend a performance, which is why they sell standing tickets where you can watch the Opera from the back.
Frau Adam at the Opera
There are several different reception rooms in the Opera house, one of which is called the Tapestry Room, filled with tapestries depicting scenes from different operas.
Next up, the Treasury at the Hofburg Palace. It was pretty neat to see crowns, scepters, swords and robes used by the Royal family.
Do you see the black spots along the collar of this robe? I always thought that this fur just came from a spotted animal. After looking at the fur more closely, you can see that it is actually white fur with little black tail-like pieces attached. It's these unexpected learning experiences that are so much fun!
The Throne Cradle was used by Napoleon's son. I'm not sure that the eagle perched at the foot of the cradle was such a good choice...Can you say creepy?
A unicorn horn (yes, we know unicorns aren't real)
Statue of Mozart in the Palace Garden, once a private garden of the emperor, now open to the public.
Stephansdom (Stephens Cathedral) was built about 800 years ago, but was largely destroyed during WW II. The twin Towers of the Heathens (shown below) and the Giants' Doorway are the only remaining parts of the original 13th-century Romanesque church. The mosaic roof is covered with 250,000 glazed tiles.
Interior of Stephansdom
The Baroque Pestaule (Plague Column) was built on Graben Street by Emperor Leopold at the end of the plague in 1687-93.
Peterskirche (St. Peter's Church) was founded in 792 by Charlemagne and the present Baroque church was built in the 18th century.
Interior of Peterskirche
Albertina Museum
Matt and I also went to the Albertina Museum and saw an exhibit containing works by Monet and Picasso among others. The Albertina was once the residence of Maria Teresa's favorite daughter, Maria Christina, so we were also able to tour the state rooms, but unfortunately photography was not allowed.
"The water lily pond, around" (1919), by Monet
Michaelerplatz faces the main entrance to the Hofburg Palace.
This is the Natural History Museum...it is mirrored by the Kunsthistorisches (Art History) Museum.
Kunsthistorisches Museum
The Museum of Art History opened in 1891 and is the fourth largest art gallery in the World, containing the Hapsburg family collection.
Statue of "Theseus Clubbing the Centaur"
The museum collection is massive and contains Greek, Roman, Italian, Dutch, and Spanish art.
"Infanta Margarita Teresa in a Blue Dress" (1659), by Velazquez
Given that there are so many art museums in Vienna, we had to pick and choose which ones to see. In addition to the Albertina Museum and Kunsthistorisches Museum, there is also the Leopold Museum, Museum of Modern Art, Kunsthalle Wien, The Secession, Liechtenstein Museum, KunstHaus Wien, and Academy of Fine Arts, all art museums in Vienna.
Schloss Schonbrunn
At the Schonbrunn Palace, we toured the summer home of the Hapsburg family (yellow building shown below). The home was completed under the reign of Maria Theresia in the late 18th century. We did an audio tour through the 40 rooms in the palace, most decorated in opulent Rococo style. Just to give you an example of the time and energy dedicated to outfitting these apartments, picture a clock sitting on a table in front of a mirror. The clock was constructed to have two faces- one, a normal face to be viewed from the front and the other, a mirror image of a clock face on the back so if viewed in the mirror, it would read the correct time. Craziness.
The vast palace grounds included a Maze, fountains, and several manicured gardens.
We also went to an Apple Strudel Show at the Hofbackstube (Palace bakery). Our friend Melanie was even chosen to the baker's helper! This is where we tried the infamous Apfel Strudel of Vienna...yum.
Danube River
On our last day in Vienna, Matt, Adam, Melanie and I walked to the Neues Rathaus (New City Hall)...click on the picture below to see the ornate detail of the Neo-Gothic facade. Apparently this building was modelled after the Brussels town hall. Check out our Brussels blog to see for yourself.
During the summer, this huge screen (see below) is set up against the City hall building so that viewers can watch movies of opera and classical concerts. Remember how we said the Opera was closed in the summer? Well apparently the Viennese don't even want to go 3 months without their opera. In the winter, the front of this building is turned into a giant Advent calendar, as one window is opened each day until Christmas.
Votivkirsche (Votive Church) was built twenty years after a failed assassination attempt on Franz Joseph I, as a thank you to God for sparing his life. Unfortunately, the interior of the church was closed on Monday's, so we were only able to admire the exterior. To be honest, the 325 ft. tall, lacy, white steeples are most impressive from a far (as opposed to up close, shown below)...makes you go, "What is that over there??"
Universitat Wien (Vienna University) was established in 1365, making it the oldest university in the German-speaking world.
Ashley and Melanie with the Pallas Athena (godess of wisdom) monument in front of the Parliament building. The main section of the building (shown below) is modeled after a Greek temple.
One of the last things we did as a group was visit Demel, a high-end Vienesse chocolate shop. Some of the desserts were very good, others were so-so. We probably would've been better off just trying desserts at the restaurants (at half the cost); live and learn:)
This marks our third trip to Austria (Lech, Salzburg, Vienna) in one year. It's amazing how different the cities have been, each beautiful in their own way. Lech- think mountains and ski chalets. Salzburg- think salt mines, Sound of Music, birth place of Mozart, hilltop fortress, fountains, gardens, and a river cutting through the city. Vienna- think opulent architecture and sculptures, extensive museum collections, opera houses, home to Mozart and Freud, art museums, and Schnitzel. Another great trip!
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