Vienna – City of Music Art and Architecture

A red planted treble clef, Mozart Monument and Ephesos Museum, Burggarten Vienna Austria

Mozart Monument and Ephesos Museum
Vienna’s monument to Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) in the Burggarten of the Hofburg Palace was shrouded in scaffolding for repairs when we visited.

Vienna.

City of Mozart. And waltzes.

And that other Strauss: Richard – known for his operas, and familiar to my generation thanks to his fanfare from Thus Spake Zarathustra that was used in Stanley Kubrick’s film 2001: A Space OdysseyBut when I think of Vienna, I always think of Billy Joel, or of Leonard Cohen’s melancholy three-quarter time dirge: Take This Waltz, based on the “Little Viennese Waltz”, written by Spanish poet Federico Garcia Lorca

Viennese streets are full of history and tradition, and rich with the art of BaroqueRenaissance and contemporary architecture: large, gilded structures in metal, glass, stone and marble sitting majestically in public gardens and open plazas, or rising over narrow streets crowded with tourists on foot and in horse-drawn carriages. It is not all sublime, however: men in Mozart costumes spruik musical entertainments, and shops sell all manner of tacky souvenirs. Scaffolding and machinery also crowd the public spaces in an effort to prevent the ancient fountains, monuments, and facades from crumbling into the cobbled roadways.

Vienna is lines and curves and patterns and beauty – and also good coffee, fine chocolate, and rich pastry.

Vienna waits for you … 

Front of Palais Auersperg against a night sky, Vienna Austria

Palais Auersperg
It is probably fitting that the first stop in Vienna for my husband and myself, once our Danube canal boat tied up securely, was to the baroque Palais Auersperg – built between 1706 and 1710 – for a program of classical pieces from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Johann Strauss.

A Viennese subway with a moving train in it, Austria

Leading Lines and Subway Patterns
Early next morning found us in a spotless underground station, watching trains disappear into the tunnels.

Fluorescent "Opera WC" sign in the Viennese underground, Austria

“Opera WC”
Coin-operated toilets are a feature of many European cities; this one in the Viennese U-Bahn was bright, clean and quirky-looking.

Fountain - Vienna Royal Opera House, Austria

Fountain – Wiener Hofoper/Vienna State Opera House
We emerged from the subway near the Neo-Renaissance-style Vienna State Opera House – built as the Vienna Court Opera between 1861 and 1869.

Men dressed as Mozart on the Street, Vienna Austria

“Mozarts” on the Street
Men dressed as Mozart sell tickets for performances by the Vienna State Opera.

Richard Strauss

Richard Strauss
German composer Richard Georg Strauss (1864 – 1949) served as musical co-director of the Vienna State Opera (with Franz Schalk) from 1919 to 1924. His star in Vienna’s “Walk of Fame” is in the pavement outside the Opera House.

The Danubius (or Albrecht) Fountain at Albertina Museum, Vienna Austria

The Danubius Fountain
Everywhere you look in downtown Vienna, there are works of beauty and antiquity. The Baroque Danubius Fountain (also called the Albrecht Fountain), in front of the Albertina Museum, was carved from white Carrera marble and unveiled in 1869.

Art nouveau palm house, Vienna Austria

Palmenhaus and Schmetterlinghaus
At the edge of the Burggarten – the castle garden – delicate Art Nouveau glass and metal buildings house an upmarket restaurant and a collection of tropical plants and butterflies.

Franz Josef Statue in Burggarten, Vienna Austria

Emperor Franz Josef I (1830 – 1916)
A statue of the long-ruling Emperor of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy stands in the castle gardens.

Mozart Monumentin scaffolding, Burggarten Vienna Austria

Mozart in Scaffolding
The much more popular Mozart monument in the castle gardens was almost completely obscured by scaffolding. By Austrian sculptor Viktor Oskar Tilgner (1844 – 1896), the work was finished just before his death.

Statue of Prince Eugene of Savoy seen through an ornate fence, Vienna

Through the Fence
Statues are everywhere in Vienna. Looking into the Heldenplatz (Heroes’ Place), we can see the 1865 bronze equestrian statue …

Statue of Prince Eugene of Savoy, Vienna

Prince Eugene of Savoy
… of the landowner Eugene of Savoy – also known as Prince Eugene.

Vienna City Hall Clock Tower behind green trees, Austria

Vienna City Hall Clock Tower
Delicate gothic spires rise up from the Rathaus, nestled in its gardens.

Swiss Gate into Vienna

“Swiss Gate”
A lovely archway leads into the Alte Burg or Old Fortress.

Power at Sea Fountain - Rudolf Weyr, 1893, Hofburg Imperial Palace, Vienna

“Power at Sea” Fountain 
The Hofburg Imperial Palace is a treasure trove of sculpture.

Statue of Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II, Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Austria

Equestrian Statue of the Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II
Holy Roman Emperor from 1765 to 1790 and ruler of the Habsburg Empire from 1780 to 1790, Joseph II, eldest son of Habsburg Empress Maria Theresa and brother of Marie Antoinette, was considered one of the “Enlightened Despots” of the 18th century.

Chariots and horses in marble on the Roof Hofburg Imperial Palace, Vienna

Chariots and Horses
The roof of the Imperial Palace is adorned with marble horse-drawn chariots …

Lipizzan horses being led out of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, Austria

Spanische Hofreitschule
… while the horses of the Spanish Riding School

Lipizzan horses being led out of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, Austria

Lipizzana Horses
… live and train below.

Hofburg Imperial Palace roof detail, Vienna

St. Michael’s Wing – Hofburg Imperial Palace

St. Michael

St. Michael’s Wing
Walking out into Michaelerplatz gives an imposing view back to the St. Michael’s Wing of the Hofburg Imperial Palace.

Horses and carriage, Vienna Street, Austria

Vienna Streets
Back in the old city streets, the horses are for tourists.

Marble sculpture: man with a cross, cherub, Vienna street, Austria

Religious Iconography
Many of the marble sculptures in the city are under netting to protect them from pigeons.

Holy Trinity column on Graben street in Vienna, Austria

Holy Trinity Column
The ornate Baroque Pestsäule (Plague Column) was erected in 1693 as a memorial to the Great Plague of Vienna (1679).

St. Stephen

St. Stephen’s Cathedral
At the end of a street, the spire of the Gothic Stephansdom stands tall.

Glass panels of Haas Haus, Vienna Austria

Haas Haus Reflections
Not all the buildings in the city centre are ancient: finished in 1990, the Romanesque rounded glass surfaces of the contemporary Haas Haus reflect the Medieval architecture surrounding it.

Mostly Mozart Souvenirs storefront, Vienna, Austria

Mostly Mozart Souvenirs
Quality Austrian chocolates and souvenirs are readily available …

Small busts of Mozart in a Viennese shop window, Austria

Mozart
… as are all kinds of trinkets.

Plaza in the Sun, Old City Vienna Austria

Plaza in the Sun
After a morning of exploring the parks, architecture, statues, and cobbled streets, we find a place for coffee and cake to relax briefly …

Heiliger Franz von Assisi - Jubiläumskirche, Vienna Austria

Heiliger Franz von Assisi – Jubiläumskirche
… before catching an underground train and returning to the Danube and our boat.

Vienna waits … 

And exceeds any preconceptions or expectations.Text: Happy Travels

Until next time,

Happy Travels!

Photos: 21August2014

Your email is never published or shared. Required fields are marked *

*

*