TRAVEL VIENNA
GENERAL INFORMATION- Vienna is the capital of Austria .It is the largest city in Austria and as well as cultural, economic and political centre. It is the home of Hasburg Court and its various empires. It is the 9th largest city in Europe. It was the home to the first psycho-analyst-SIGMUND FREUD. The historic centre of Vienna is rich in architectural buildings, castles and gardens and the Ringstrasse. It is located on the banks of river Danube on the both sides. The Ringstrasse is the main street and along the road are- the Rathaus ,the Burgtheatre, the Parliament ,the twin museum (Natural History and Fine Arts) and Staatsoper, new wing of Hofburg Palace, Royal War Ministry and in the centre Gothic Stephansdom at Stephansplatz. Music prodigies like Mozart, Beethoven, Gustav Mahler have worked here. There are about 100 art museums and 80, 00,000 tourists came here.
HISTORY-The Romans created a military camp during the 1st century on the site of the city centre of present-day Vienna. The settlement was raised to the status of a municipium in 212AD. The Romans stayed until the 5th century. Early Vienna was centred on the Berghof. The first documented mention of the city during the Middle Ages is within the Salzburg Annals, dating to 881, when a battle Apud Weniam was fought against the Magyars .Emperor Otto I defeated the Magyars in 955 in the Battle of Lechfeld. This allowed early Vienna to start to develop towards the Middle Ages. Vienna was an important site of trade as early as the 11th century. In 1155, Duke Henry II of Austria made Vienna his capital. In 1156, Austria was raised to a duchy , with Vienna becoming the seat of the duke. In 1221, Vienna received the rights of a city and as a staple port (Stapelrecht). This meant that all traders passing through Vienna had to offer their goods in the city. This allowed the Viennese to act as middlemen in trade, so that Vienna soon created a network of far-reaching trade relations, particularly along the Danube basin and to Venice and to become one of the most important cities in the Holy Roman Empire. In 1278, Rudolf I took control over the Austrian lands after his victory over Ottokar II of Bohemia and began to establish Habsburg rule. Rudolf IV of Austria raised the level of prosperity. His epithet the Founder is due to two things: first, he founded the University of Vienna in 1365 and second, he began the construction of the gothic nave in the Stephansdom. Eventually, in 1469, Vienna was given its own bishop, and the Stephansdom became a cathedral. In 1556, Vienna became the seat of the Emperor, with Hungary and Bohemia having been added to the Habsburg realm in 1526.In 1529, Vienna was besieged by the Ottoman Turks for the first time (the First Turkish Siege), although unsuccessfully. The city, protected by medieval walls, only barely withstood the attacks.The siege had shown that new fortifications were needed. Vienna was expanded to a fortress in 1548. The city was furnished with eleven bastions and surrounded by a moat. A glacis was created around .Vienna, a broad strip without any buildings, which allowed defenders to fire freely. These fortifications, which accounted for the major part of building activities well into the 17th century, became decisive in the Second Turkish Siege of 1683, as they allowed the city to maintain itself for two months, until the Turkish army was defeated by the army led by the Polish King Jan Sobieski . This was the turning point in the Turkish Wars, as the Ottoman Empire was pushed back more and more during the following decades. In the course of reconstruction, Vienna was largely turned into a baroque city. As the nobility began to cover the surrounding land with garden palaces, known as Palais. The best known are the Palais Liechtenstein, Palais Modena, Schönbrunn Palace, Palais Schwarzenberg, and the Belvedere (the garden palais of Prince Eugene of Savoy). In 1704, an outer fortification, the Linienwall, was built around the Vorstädte. Also in this time, the first house numbers were issued, and the government postal system began to develop.Under Emperor Joseph II, the city administration was modernized in 1783, officials in charge of only the city were introduced and the Magistrate was created. At the same time, the graveyards within the city were closed .During the Napoleonic Wars, Vienna was taken by Napoleon twice, in 1805 and 1809. The first conquest happened without a battle. The second battle resulted in a victory for the French and Austria soon surrendered, ending the War of the Fifth Coalition .After Napoleon's final defeat, the Congress of Vienna took place from September 18, 1814 to June 9, 1815, in which the political map of Europe was redrawn. The events cost Austria a great deal of money .The city was expanded in 1850, mostly to include the area within the Linienwall. The Vorstädte thus became the 2nd to 9th districts, with the old city becoming the first. In 1858, the fortifications were demolished, and the broad Ringstraße Boulevard was built in their place. Many monumental buildings were built alongside it. .After the great flood of 1830, Regulation of the Danube was frequently considered. It was finally put into practice during the 1860s. The many branches of the Danube were removed and a straight course was created away from the city centre. The branch near the central city was made narrower and has been known under the somewhat misleading name Donaukanal (Danube Canal) ever since. During that period, the population of Vienna increased sharply, mostly because of immigration. World War I (1914–1918) did not result in an immediate threat to Vienna. In 1921, Vienna was separated from the surrounding Lower Austria and became a state of its own. In March 1938 Nazi Germany occupied and annexed Austria. Adolf Hitler was received in Vienna by large crowds of admirers and famously gave a speech at Heldenplatz .Only a few days after the war, a provisional city government and administration was created. The first municipal elections were held in November 1945. After WWII it was divided into four sectors-USA, UK, France and Russia. The four power control lasted up to 1955 .On May 15, 1955- the country regained its political independence and sovereignty with the "Austrian State Treaty". The Austrian Parliament immediately amended the treaty to establish Austria's future neutrality and non-alignment. During the 1970s, Vienna became the third official seat of the United Nations, and the UNO-City was built.
GEOGRAPHY-Vienna is located in north-eastern Austria, at the easternmost extension of the Alps in the Vienna Basin.
CO-ORDINATES- 480 12' 32"N 160 22' 21" E
AREA- 414.65Km2
POPULATION - 17, 33,000
TIME ZONE – UTC+1 and in Summer UTC+2
CLIMATE-The temperature of the city remains as-
MONTH JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
AV.MAX 3 5 10 15 20 23 26 25 20 14 7 4
AV.MIN -2 -1 2 6 10 13 15 15 12 7 2 -1
AV.MAX 3 5 10 15 20 23 26 25 20 14 7 4
AV.MIN -2 -1 2 6 10 13 15 15 12 7 2 -1
VIENNA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (VIE) –It is located at Schwechat and 18 km southeast of central Vienna. It has only one terminal building with four check-in areas (check-in 1,1A,2,3) and five concourses (Area-B for gates B22-B43 {and serves only Schengens flights}, C ,D,G).The cheapest way to the airport is by taking the S-Bahn (commuter rail),the line S7 stops at every station. The City Airport Train (CAT) connects the airport to the Wien Mitte Station close to the city centre in 16 minutes, where S-Bahn trains also stops.
VIENNA ATTRACTIONS & SIGHTS-
001-SCHONBRUNN PALACE- Originally Schonbrunn Palace was a hunting lodge and ground at the time of Emperor Maximilian II in 1569. In 1695, after the Turkish destroyed the hunting lodge, Emperor Leopold I, ordered the construction of a grand palace to outshine Versailles. Construction started in 1696 and completed in when Maria Theresia was queen. For most of the year, the Habsburgs resides in the large imperial palace in the formal state rooms .The palace is located about 6kms from Vienna City and palace complex covers total area of 435 acres. 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. 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.
i-The Palace- A main gateway flanked by two obelisks leads to the vast courtyard, it is decorated with two large fountains, one with allegorical figures depicting the rivers Danube, Inn and Ems and the other with sculptures representing Transsylvania, Galicia and Lodomeria. Right ahead is the main palace building of the complex, with the large garden behind. To the right is the Schönbrunn Court Theatre, built in 1767 in Rococo style. The central palace is 574 feet wide and has a symmetrical Baroque façade. All buildings were painted in a typical light yellow. During its heyday, some 1,000 people lived in the 1441 rooms and halls of the complex. Forty of these rooms - grand state apartments and the rooms of Franz-Josef and Elisabeth are open to visitors. The Rococo style interior of the Schönbrunn apartments is much more luxurious than the rather sober apartments in the Hofburg Palace. a-The Chinese Cabinet- a room decorated with porcelain. In this room Empress Maria Theresia held meetings with advisors. b- Blue Chinese Room - decorated with blue Chinese motifs –Charles I set his signature to hand over state affairs in 1918 and making the end of 640 years of Habsburg domination in Austria . c-The Vieux-Lacque Room, where Maria Theresia spent much of her time after she became a widow. d- Hall of Mirror-It was the setting for a duet of a young Mozart and his sister in front of Maria Theresia. In 1772, six-year-old child prodigy Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart gave a concert in the Hall of Mirrors. e- Rosa Room-It was name after the artist who created the frescoes of landscapes on the walls. f-The Private Rooms of Franz-Joseph and Empress Elisabeth have less elaborate decorations. g-Room of Millions-The Emperor held audiences in the Walnut room, named for the wooden Rococo panelling .It is panelled 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. Gates on the right and left open up towards the garden, from where you have a better view of the whole complex. On the left seen from the garden is the Wagenburg (Coach Room), which houses the imperial collection of coaches, sledges and carriages. To the right is the Orangery, where plants and flowers were housed during wintertime to protect them
ii-Gardenn/Schlosspark - The vast park extending for 1.2kms from east to 1.0kms from north to south, is situated on a sloping site behind the palace, originally a hunting ground. It was laid out in 1705-1706 in a formal French style. Between 1753 and 1775, during the reign of Maria-Theresia, parts of the park were redesigned as a Baroque landscape .The centre of the park still consists of formally aligned flowerbeds flanked by rows of statues. They lead to the large Neptune Fountain. Around the flowerbeds are formal gardens arranged in a star shape around two fountains known as the Najadenbrunnen. The garden space between the palace and Sun Fountain is called the Great Parterre, it has 32 sculptures which represents deities and virtues. Behind the Neptune fountain a zigzagging path leads to the Gloriette, an impressive arcade on top of the Schönbrunn Hill. The area around the Gloriette is a formal and some forest-like area .Throughout the park are a number of monuments, buildings, and architectural follies such as a mock Roman ruin and a large obelisk. The park was opened to the public in 1779 and to this day can be visited for free.
iii- Neptune Fountain- One of the highlights of Schönbrunn is the Neptune Fountain, the park's most monumental fountain. It was built in 1780 by an Austrian sculptor. The Baroque sculpture group depicts a mythical scene in which the sea goddess Thetis asks Neptune to allow her son Achilles a safe voyage to Troy.
iv- Gloriette - The crowning glory of the park is the Gloriette, a neoclassicist arcaded structure perched on Top of the Schonbrunn hill at 200ft high. The Gloriette was built here in 1775 as a last building in the garden as a monument to the soldiers who had given their lives for the empire. It is dedicated as a Monument to Just War, which leads to peace .From the Gloriette there is a magnificent panoramic view, not only over the park and palace, but also over the city of Vienna. It serves as both a focal point and a lookout point for the garden. The Gloriette was used as the dining hall by the monarchy today it is home to a café where one can relax after the uphill climb.
v- Palm House-On the western side of the park is the magnificent steel construction of the Palmenhaus (Palm House), built in 1883. Inside, you'll find a numbers of exotic plants. It is divided into three pavilions and three climatic zones, which are connected by tunnel like corridors .It include a 23mts tall palm and largest water lily in the world.
vi-Zoo- Nearby is the Tiergarten (zoo). Maximilian II already kept a collection of exotic animals here, but the current zoo dates back to 1752, during Maria Theresia's reign. The zoo is now modernized and is home to a variety of animals such as elephants, apes, hippopotamus, koalas.
vii- Roman Ruins-To the left of the Neptune Fountain is a mock Roman Ruin, built by Ferdinand von Hohenberg in 1778. Such ruins were all the rage at the time, and provided a romantic backdrop for theater productions.
viii- Spring- Nearby lie the Schöner Brunnen that gave the domain its name. A small pavilion, decorated with the statue of a nymph, is built over the spring.
ix- Obelisk-Further east is one of the park's most impressive architectural follies: a tall obelisk erected on top of a monumental cascade.
vi-Zoo- Nearby is the Tiergarten (zoo). Maximilian II already kept a collection of exotic animals here, but the current zoo dates back to 1752, during Maria Theresia's reign. The zoo is now modernized and is home to a variety of animals such as elephants, apes, hippopotamus, koalas.
vii- Roman Ruins-To the left of the Neptune Fountain is a mock Roman Ruin, built by Ferdinand von Hohenberg in 1778. Such ruins were all the rage at the time, and provided a romantic backdrop for theater productions.
viii- Spring- Nearby lie the Schöner Brunnen that gave the domain its name. A small pavilion, decorated with the statue of a nymph, is built over the spring.
ix- Obelisk-Further east is one of the park's most impressive architectural follies: a tall obelisk erected on top of a monumental cascade.
x- Maze -In the old days, the Imperial family walked through these winding hedges. Today, the Maze at Schönbrunn provides fun for everybody. You can find the symbols of all twelve signs of the zodiac. The Maze was started between 1698 and 1740. It originally consisted of four different parts with a central, raised pavilion, from which one could overlook the labyrinth. Through the use of historic models, the new Maze was created in the fall of 1998 with a total area of 18,640 square feet.
xi-Miscellaneous-More sights in the park include a Botanic Garden, a Japanese garden, the beautiful two similar fountains, Taubenhaus - a dovecote, the Najadenbrunnen, the Meierei (dairy farm), now a café-restaurant, the labyrinth - a recreated version of the original 17th century version and the Wüstenhaus, a hothouse near the Palmenhaus with plenty of cacti.With the downfall of the monarchy in 1918 the newly founded Austrian Republic became the owner of Schönbrunn Palace and preserved, as a museum, the rooms and chambers. The gardens and palace have been the location for various movies, such as the Sissi trilogy in 1950s, in A Breath of Scandal with Sophia Loren and in James Bond's The Living Daylights (1987) as a hotel where Bond (Timothy Dalton) was staying on a mission. Also the comedy movie The Great Race was filmed there in 1965.
002-HOFBURG PALACE(COURT PALACE) - Hofburg Palace is a palace located in Vienna, here the most powerful people in European and Austrian history, including the Habsburg dynasty, rulers of the Austro-Hungarian Empire lived. It currently serves as the official residence of the President of Austria .The Hofburg (Court Palace) is a vast complex which consists of eighteen wings with more than 2000 rooms with the royal apartments, chapel, church, library, the Winterreitschule and museums buildings from Gothic to Baroque and Neoclassicist architectural styles .The Hofburg has been expanded over the centuries to include, various residences (with the Amalienburg), the chapel (Hofkapelle or Burgkapelle), museums (the Naturhistorisches Museum & Kunsthistorisches Museum), the Imperial Library(Hofbibliothek and the Prunksaal), the treasury (Schatzkammer), the national theatre (Burgtheater), the riding school (Hofreitschule), the horse stables (the Stallburg and Hofstallungen) and the Hofburg Congress Centre ,it was built between 1881 and 1913. Despite spending fortunes on the construction of the Hofburg, the Habsburg rulers rarely resided in the palace complex, especially after the Schönbrunn Palace was constructed in the 18th century. The palace was mainly used for official obligations and meetings with foreign dignitaries.
i-Alte Hofburg - Construction of the complex was started after 1533 and completed in 1552, when Ferdinand I decided to move his main residence to Vienna, making it the capital of the Holy Roman Empire. The Schweizertor, the gate that leads to the Alte Hofburg, was built the following year. Ferdinand's son, Maximilian II, added the Stallburg to the complex.
i-Alte Hofburg - Construction of the complex was started after 1533 and completed in 1552, when Ferdinand I decided to move his main residence to Vienna, making it the capital of the Holy Roman Empire. The Schweizertor, the gate that leads to the Alte Hofburg, was built the following year. Ferdinand's son, Maximilian II, added the Stallburg to the complex.
ii-Amalienburg - Maximilian's son, Rudolf, added his own palace and built the Amalienburg named after the widow of Joseph I, it is across from the Swiss gate, detached from the existing structure. A courtyard, now known as the Innenhof separated the two palaces. There is a small tower with its dome and the astronomical clock on its façade.
iii-Leopoldinischertrakt - In 1660 the expansion of the Hofburg continued with the construction of the Leopoldinischertrakt (Leopold Wing) by Emperor Leopold I. This new wing connected Amalienburg with Alte Hofburg. Construction accelerated after the landmark victory over the Turkish in 1683. It is in this wing that the offices of the Federal President are located. The lower section of this wing as well as that of the Amalienburg served as the enormous wine cellar for the Hofburg.
iv-Reichskanzleitrakt - The offices of the Imperial Vice Chancellor (Reichsvizekanzler), who was the de facto prime minister of the Holy Roman Empire since the position of Imperial Arch-Chancellor (Reichserzkanzler)-which the Imperial Vice Chancellor. After the end of the Holy Roman Empire, this wing housed the apartments of the Duke of Reichstadt (Napoleon II) and later those of Emperor Francis Joseph I.
v- Imperial Library -Imperial Library (Hofbibliothek) was housed on the other side of the complex. Charles VI founded the library, which is now called the Prunksaal, cared for by the Austrian National Library.This magnificent hall contains the book collection of Prince Eugene in a lavishly decorated, 77 meter (253 feet) long hall with a collection of historic books arranged on wooden shelves along the walls with an enormous ceiling fresco, and statues of emperors, this part of the Hofburg its most significant in artistic terms. The exterior decoration with Attika figures. He placed a statue of Pallas Athene riding on a quadriga above the main entrance. On the left portion of the roof, he situated Atlas, supporting the celestial globe, flanked by Astronomy and Astrology and on the opposite side, Gaia with the terrestrial globe, flanked by allegories of Geometry and Geography.
vi- Wiener Sängerknaben-The performances of the Wiener Sängerknaben - a famous boys choir - in the Hofkapelle at the Schweizerhof.
vii- Neue Burg - The most recent part of the Hofburg is the Neue Burg, an imposing wing built between 1881 and 1913. It can be accessed from the Heldenplatz which is reached via a gate through the Leopold Wing coming from the Hofburg or via the Ringstrasse. Neue Burg is not only home to a number of museums but also contains the main reading room of the National Library.
viii- Josefsplatz - An archway connects Schweizerhof with Josefsplatz, a square graced with a statue of Joseph II, created in 1807. Behind the statue is the Prunksaal, a monumental Baroque room. It is easily the most impressive room of the National Library, which is spread out over the Hofburg.
ix- Albertina – It was the largest Hapsburg residential palace, the Albertina dominates the southern tip of the Imperial Palace on one of the last remaining fortress walls in Vienna. The Albertina, is a museum with an important collection of quarrels, illustrations, etches drawings and photos. It is housed in a palace that was once owned by Duke Albert of Saxony-Teschen, a son-in-law of Empress Maria Theresia, after whom the museum is named. The museum is entered from a raised terrace which overlooks Albertina square. A large equestrian statue of Archduke Albrecht dominates the terrace. It houses one of the largest and most important print rooms in the world with approximately 65,000 drawings and approximately 1 million old master prints, as well as more modern graphic works, photographs and architectural drawings . The museum also houses temporary exhibitions.
x- Spanish Riding School - The Spanishche Reitschule (Spanish Riding School) is a popular attraction of the Hofburg that is steeped in history. The famous horse riding school is housed in the purpose-built Winterreitschule (Winter Riding School), an ornately decorated building complete with a series of chandeliers. Visitors can attend one of the performances, but keep in mind that those are often fully booked months in advance. Alternatively, attend one of the training sessions or visit the Lippizaner Museum in the nearby Stallburg (stables). Named after the horses that show off their prowess in the Winterreitschule, the museum displays an array of equestrian-related items. Visitors can also see the Lippizaner horses in their stables.
xi- Kaiserappartements - A favorite visit along the Kaiserappartements, the imperial apartments. Before these apartments, one can tour the Silberkammer - a silver museum - and the Sissi Museum, an exhibition on the most popular of all the Habsburg Empresses. There are two entrances to the museums, one at the large inner courtyard and another one in the gateway through the Michaelertrakt. An impressive collection of silverware and golden and porcelain items are on display on the ground floor in the Silberkammer. The museum's piece de resistance is a gilded bronze table-centerpiece which stretches more than 10 meters long. The Sissi Museum shows memorabilia, dresses, portraits and other items related to Empress Elisabeth, who is affectionately known as Sissi. She was married to Emperor Franz-Joseph but became estranged and travelled across Europe for much of her life until she was killed in Geneva. In the Sissi Museum, the apartments of Franz-Joseph, where the emperor used to spend much of his time. These apartments are modestly decorated, in line with the emperor's frugal reputation. Adjoining are the apartments of Empress Elisabeth, including the bedroom, dressing room and exercise room, complete with wooden exercise equipment. Following are a number of rooms named after tsar Alexander I, who stayed here during the Congress of Vienna in 1815.
xii-Schatzkammer -The Schatzammer a museum display of crowns, scepters and other powerful (and expensive) symbols of the Holy Roman Empire. Highlights include the imperial crown of Emperor Rudolph II, studded with countless gems and the crown jewels of the Holy Roman Empire, with an octagonal imperial crown. The Schatzkammer's entrance is at Schweizerhof, the oldest part of the Hofburg.
xiii-Neue Burg and Heldenplatz (Hero square ) - The additions to the complex were built including the Michaelertrakt - a wing with a monumental gate, the Michaelertor - and the Neue Burg, an enormous wing with a curved façade, facing Heldenplatz. Neue Burg was just a part of an ambitious project to build a new Kaiserforum, an imperial forum which would have connected Hofburg with the museum complex across the Ringstrasse via a series of triumphal arches with the twin museums (Kunsthistorisches Museum and Naturhistorisches Museum) as flanks and terminating at the old Imperial Stables . The museums were completed in 1891. In 1913, on the south-west wing, the New Castle (Neue Burg) was completed. The New Castle wing today houses a number of museums (the Ephesus Museum, the Collection of Arms and Armor, the Collection of Ancient Musical Instruments, and the Museum of Ethnology) as well as the reading rooms of the Austrian National Library and the Hofburg Congress Center. Equestrian statues of the two most important Austrian field marshals, Prince Eugene of Savoy and Archduke Charles, stand at the foci of Heroes Square.(see also at sl-014)
xiv-Innenhof (large court yard) - Entering the courtyard, you can see the Alte Burg - the oldest part of the Hofburg complex - on the left and Amalienburg - a Renaissance palace with a clock tower - on the right hand side. The Leopoldinischer Trakt (Leopold Wing) is straight ahead and opposite is the Reichskanzleitrakt, ornately decorated with monumental sculptures (The Labors of Hercules). The central door in the Reichkanzleitrakt leads to the Kaisersappartementen and the Sissi Museum. At the center of the courtyard - originally a parade ground - is a large monument dedicated to Emperor Francis I of Austria . The large monument was created in 1824-1846. The monument shows the emperor in classical Roman attire set atop a tall plinth, surrounded by four other statues.
xv-Schweizerhof (Swiss Court) -The Emperor looks in the direction of the Schweizertor, an old gate which leads to Schweizerhof (Swiss Court), the inner courtyard of the oldest part of the imperial palace. Its name is derived from the Swiss guards who were hired in the 18th century to protect the monarchs. Bordering Schweizerhof is Burgkapelle, a small chapel decorated in Baroque style. It is famous for the Wiener Sängerknaben (Vienna Boy Choir), who performs here on a regular basis. Another attraction at the small courtyard is the Schatzkammer (Treasury).
The entry to the Hofburg is from Michaelerplatz. An ornate Baroque gateway, the Michalertor, connects the square with a large courtyard, the In der Burg, sometimes also referred to as the Innenhof. The monumental gateway is decorated with expressive statues of Hercules. Inside the wide passageway are entrances to some of the most famous attractions in the Hofburg, the Winterreitschule (Winter Riding School) on the left and the Kaiserappartements (apartments of the Emperor) to the right.
The entry to the Hofburg is from Michaelerplatz. An ornate Baroque gateway, the Michalertor, connects the square with a large courtyard, the In der Burg, sometimes also referred to as the Innenhof. The monumental gateway is decorated with expressive statues of Hercules. Inside the wide passageway are entrances to some of the most famous attractions in the Hofburg, the Winterreitschule (Winter Riding School) on the left and the Kaiserappartements (apartments of the Emperor) to the right.
003- ST. STEPHEN’S CATHEDRAL (STEPHANSDOM) -The church was built on the ruins of two earlier churches and completed in 1160 and today's St. Stephen's Cathedral - the towers of the front façade were built in the thirteenth century. It is the first church built with limestone in Vienna. It was promoted to the status of cathedral in 1469. It has tomb of Prince Eugene. It is the most important religious building in Vienna and seat of Archbishop. The south tower and the nave were completed in 1455 and the construction of the north tower was completed in 1511, after the church was promoted to the status of cathedral in 1469.The west façade of the cathedral, facing Stephansplatz, is the only surviving part of the 13th century Romanesque church. The two towers are known as the Heidentürme (Pagan towers) - possibly because material from Roman buildings were used to construct the towers. The main entrance to the cathedral via the Riesentor, (Giant's Gate), a monumental pointed arch. The crowning piece of the Stephansdom is the south tower, ironically nicknamed Steffl (little Stephen). The tall Gothic tower's spire reaches a height of 450 feet and even today it towers high over Vienna's inner city , it took 65 years from 1368 to 1433 to costruct.On the tip of the tower stands the double-eagle imperial emblem with coat of arms on its chest . A staircase, 418 steps long, leads from the sacristy to the top .Opposite the Steffl is the unfinished north tower. St. Stephen's Cathedral has 23 bells in total. The tower houses the Pummerin bell, originally cast in 1711 from the metal of captured Turkish cannons. The bell is the largest in the Stephansdom (20,130 kilograms) and even second of the largest in Europe after Cologne Cathedral (23,500-kilogram). The roof of the cathedral is decorated with more than two hundred thousand glazed tiles. They form enormous mosaics depicting a double headed eagle (symbol of the Holy Roman Empire) and the coats of arms of Vienna and Austria .The nave of the Stephansdom is 354 feet long and impresses to its Gothic vaulted ceiling, which reaches a height of about 88ft.The stone Gothic pulpit, and the pulpit is beautifully adorned with statues of animals and saints.The panels of the winged altarpiece show saints and scenes from the lives of Jesus and Mary. A majestic red marble tomb in the Apostles' Choir to the right of the high altar contains the remains of Emperor Frederick III. The tomb was built between 1467 and 1513, is decorated in Renaissance style with several hundred statues and thirty-two coats of arms. Stairs in the north lead to the catacombs, where the bones of thousands of locals are stocked. A more dignified final resting-place has been reserved for some of the early Habsburg rulers, including Emperor Rudolf IV. Later Habsburgs were buried in the Kaisergruft.
004 -BELVEDERE-This palace comples was built as a summer palace for Prince of Savoy, the commander of French descendent who succeeded in defeating the Turkish army in 1683.The complex consists of two Baroque palaces ,the Orangery ,the palace Stables. The Baroque palace complex was built as a summer residence for Prince Eugene of Savoy. Prince Eugène of Savoy was an avid patron of the Arts and amassed a large collection of paintings and sculptures from across Europe. After the death of the childless prince and their heirs, Empress Maria Theresia purchased the property ,large library and art collections and converted the palace into a museum .There are two buildings one is at upper level (at the southern end) and the other is at lower level. The lower Belvedere (Unteres Belvedere) was the living quarter of Prince Savoy, built between 1714 to 1716 and many rooms are open to visitors and have collection of Baroque paintings and sculpture .One can visits -Dining Room ,Mirror Hall and Bed Room .The Marble Hall is elegantly decorated and Golden Cabinet is worth visiting, a small but richly decorated room .The upper Belvedere (Oberes belvedere),lies on the south end of the park and at the top of the slope, is very beautiful and its façade which is very impressive with many sculptures . The sculptures that adorn the façade are a reference to the victory over the Turkish army. The rooftop structures are said to evoke tents at Turkish army camps. The most impressive hall is the Sala Terrena, where large statues support the vaulted ceiling. Its collection is mostly focused on artwork from the 19th and 20th century, with works from notable artists such as van Gogh, Monet, Renoir, Schiele and Kokoschka. But the museum is best known for its collection of works from Gustav Klimt, a famous Austrian painter who was one of the leaders of the Viennese Secession movement. The view from the upper palace building is marvellous. Between the two palace buildings there is a Palace Garden .The garden is decorated with statues and fountains and cascades .The palace garden has three levels and separated by two large cascades. Large statues of sphinxes - symbols of strength and intelligence - decorate the upper levels of the garden. Classical statues of eight muses adorn the lower level while statues along the staircase between the lower and middle part of the garden symbolize the twelve months of the year. Entrance to the garden is free of charge and can be accessed either from the south or north side of the Belvedere complex.
005-MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS/ART HISTORY (KUNS THIS TORI SCHES) –The collection of the Kunsthistorisches museum is based on the works of art that the many Habsburg rulers acquired over the centuries. It is located on Ringstrasse. The construction of two monumental museum buildings - one for Fine Arts and one for Natural History - started in 1872 at a new square, the Maria-Theresien-Platz. The twin structures were built on either side of the square and mirror each other. The building is rectangular in shape and topped with a dome which is 60 meters high. It was opened in 1891 with the Natural History Museum by Emperor Franz Joseph I. The inside of the building is lavishly decorated with marble, stucco ornamentations, gold-leaf, and paintings. The intention was to connect the palace with the new museums across the Ringstrasse by large triumphal arches. The interior of the Kunsthistorisches Museum, is spectacular, with large marble columns, monumental staircases and statues. The huge collection of the museum was amassed by the Habsburg monarchs, and hence is a reflection of their personal tastes. The Gemälderie, the collection of paintings, is one of the largest in the world and spans an era from the 15th to the 18th century. Especially well represented are Flemish artists, with the largest collection of Pieter Brueghel the Elder and three rooms of paintings by Rubens. Dutch, Italian (mainly Venetian) and Spanish artists - Velazquez in particular - are also well represented. The museum also has an excellent collection of German paintings from artists such as Albrecht Dürer and Hans Holbein the Younger.
006 -MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY (NATURHISTORISCHES MUSEUM) – The museum building opened in 1889 at the same time as the Kunsthistorisches Museum. The two museums have identical exteriors and face each other across Maria-Theresien-Platz. The Museum was built to house the huge collection of the Habsburgs. Both buildings were built between 1872 and 1891 on the Ringstraße. The museum houses approximately 30 million objects and the number is growing. Famous and irreplaceable exhibits, for instance the 25,000-year-old Venus of Willendorf and a skeleton of a Diplodocus dinosaur, plus extinct animal or plant specimens from 200 million years ago such as the Steller sea-cow, are displayed along 39 halls.
007- AUSTRIAN PARLIAMENT-The building is located on the Ringstraße Boulevard near the Hofburg Palace and the Palace of Justice. The Parliament building was constructed between 1874 and 1884 as the seat of the Reichsrat, the Imperial Parliament representing the Austrian part of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. The parliament building covers over 13,500 square meters, making it one of the largest structures on the Ringstraße. Inside are two large assembly halls which originally housed the two chambers of the Imperial Parliament, the upper house and the lower house. In 1918, after the fall of the Habsburg Empire, parliamentarians declared the creation of the Republic of Austria. Today the building houses sessions of the Nationalrat (National Council) and the Bundesrat (Federal Council). The structure is dominated by the central portico with eight monumental Corinthian columns. Sculptures on the tympanum depict Franz Joseph who grants his subjects a constitution. Wide ramps lead to the portico. At the foot of the ramps are statues of Horse Tamers. Eight more statues on the balustrades show historians from the Antiquity: four Greek historians on the left ramp and four Roman historians on the right ramp. The building is decorated on all sides with many more statues and friezes (together more than 100) and four sculpture groups of chariot riders adorn the roof of the Parliament .The Greek theme of the Athenebrunnen, a monumental fountain (Pallas-Athena-Brunnen) in front of the Parliament Building, named after the Greek goddess Pallas Athena - goddess of wisdom - who is portrayed with a colossal statue on top of a fluted column , dressed in amour with a gilded helmet, her left hand carries a spear, her right carries Nike. Below her are two female statues, representing the legislative and executive powers of the state. At the base are four allegorical statues of the four most important rivers of the Austro-Hungarian Empire: the Danube and the Inn in the front and the Elbe and the Vltava in the back. On the sides little cupids ride dolphins. From the main entrance at the Ringstraße one passes into the vestibule of the building, which contains Ionic pillars. The walls are decorated with Pavonazzo marble. The niches contain statues of Greek gods. Seen from the entrance starting from the left these are Apollo, Athena, Zeus, Hera, and Hephaestus, and from the right Hermes, Demeter, Poseidon, Artemis and Ares. On the north side the Rathausplatz a park is located, on the southern side a small lawn next to the Justizpalast.
008-RATHAUS (CITY HALL) –The Rathaus was built between 1872 and 1883. On the top of the tower is the Rathausmann, one of the symbols of Vienna. The tower measures 321 feet, not including the "Iron Knight of City Hall" (Eiserner Rathausmann) who measures almost 20 feet to the top of his pennant. Facing the Rathaus is a large park, the Rathauspark. The Park of City Hall (Rathauspark) is a very attractively laid-out garden with two fountains and several interesting monuments, among them the memorial to the painter F. G. Waldmüller and the statues of two great composers of waltzes, Johann Strauss Father and Joseph Lanner. Facing the Burgtheater across the Ring are monuments to President Theodor Körner (1873-1957) and Mayor Karl Seitz (1869-1950).Off the spacious Arkadenhof (Arcade Courtyard) and also accessible from the back of the complex is the Stadtinformation (City Information Office), which is not a tourist information centre but a referral office for citizens and a source of information and statistics, on the city, its administration, its operations and its public services. This is also the starting point for guided tours through Vienna's City Hall. The Rathaus also accommodates the historic 'Wiener Rathauskeller' restaurant. The traditional restaurant consists of several baroque halls, offering small traditional Viennese delicacies to grand gala buffets. The Rathaus serves as the seat both of the mayor and city council of the city of Vienna. The town hall also serves, in personal union, as Governor and Assembly of the State of Vienna, a state with the Austrian federal system.
009 - THE MILITARY MUSEUM -The Military Museum is built on the grounds of the Arsenal, a fortress-like military complex of barracks and ammunition storage. Emperor Franz-Joseph I ordered the construction of a museum dedicated to the glory of his army. A grand red-brick structure in a neo-Byzantine style crowned with a large central dome. The facade is decorated with sculptures of armoury set in niches. Three arches, flanked by statues of war heroes, give entrance to the museum. Enter the museum building and see an almost palatial interior, starting with the Feldherrenhalle (Field Marshall's Hall). Statues of historic military leaders stand beside enormous pillars adorned with Corinthian columns. A staircase leads to the Ruhmeshalle (Hall of Fame) on the first floor, the most sumptuous room in the whole museum. It is decorated with large frescoes depicting historic battles of the Austrian army. The museum has an interesting display of weapons, historical uniforms and other war-related objects. Some notable items include an Ottoman tent and an Islamic banner seized from the Ottoman army. The convertible car in which archduke Franz Ferdinand was shot during a visit in Sarajevo is also one of the museum's highlights. The exhibits are spread over two floors. A collection of historical tanks, including Austrian, Russian, German and French tanks, can be seen outside the building, in the Panzergarten.
010-VOTIVE CHURCH-The Votive Church is a neo-Gothic church located on the Ringstraße. Following the attempted assassination of Emperor Franz Joseph in 1853, the Emperor's brother Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian inaugurated a campaign to create a church to thank God for saving the Emperor's life. Funds for construction were solicited from throughout the Empire. The construction of church began in 1856 and the church was dedicated in 1879 on the silver anniversary of Emperor Franz Joseph and his wife Empress Elisabeth. It is 85meters long and 55 meters wide with 99 meters high towers. The church was one of the first buildings to be built on the Ringstraße. Since the city walls still existed at that point, the church had no natural parishioners. At that time it was meant as a garrison church, serving the many soldiers that had come to Vienna in the wake of 1848 Revolution. The church is not located directly on the boulevard but along a broad square (the Sigmund Freud Park) in front of it. The Votivkirche is made out of white sandstone, similar to the Stephansdom. Since its architectural style is quite similar to the Stephansdom. In reality the two churches differ in age by more than 700 years.
011 – WIENER STAATSOPER (VIENNA STATE OPERA HOUSE) – The Staatsoper in Vienna, one of Europe's most famous Opera Houses, was built in the mid-19th century along the Ringstrasse .Vienna's Opera House opened on May 25, 1869 as the Winer Hofoper (Court Opera) with a performance of Mozart's Don Giovanni. The Wiener Staatsoper is one of the busiest opera houses in the world producing 50 to 60 operas per year and ten ballet productions in approximately 300 performances. Gustav Mahler was one of the many conductors who have worked in Vienna. Statues in the arches are allegorical representations of Heroism, Drama, Imagination, Comedy and Love. Perched on top of the loggia are two statues of winged horses, they represent Harmony and Poetry. On either side of the opera house sits a marble fountain. The one on the left is decorated with allegorical figures depicting Music, Dance and Joy while the one on the right shows Lorelei, the legendary Siren, with statues of Grief, Love, and Revenge below.
012 -BURGTHEATRE (IMPERIAL COURT THEATRE) - Originally founded in 1741, the Burgtheater, known as the 'Burg and one of the most important German language theatres in the world'. The theatre was moved to a new building at the Ringstraße on 14 October 1888. Now it is housed in a magnificent building, situated at the Ringstrasse opposite Vienna's City Hall .The Hofburgtheater building was constructed between 1874 and 1888. The theatre is designed in Italian high-Renaissance style. Many sculptures decorate the ornamented façade. The central statue shows a seated Apollo, with the muses Melpomene (muse of Tragedy) and Thalia (muse of Comedy) on either side. Below these figures is a large frieze depicting Bacchus and Ariadne. The balustrade is decorated with figures of putti, each of them playing a different musical instrument .The semi-circular central façade is flanked by two straight wings which house the grand staircases that lead to the 197 feet foyer which curves around the central theatre hall. Frescoes on the ceiling above the staircases show the history of drama.
013 - SPANISH RIDING SCHOOL (SPANISCHE HOFREITSCHULE) -The Spanish Riding School (Spanische Hofreitschule) in Vienna is the only institution in the world where the classic equestrian skills has been preserved and is still practiced in its original form .This Institute was founded in 1572 and the horses are from Spanish origin .The Spanish Riding School is located between Michaelerplatz and Josefsplatz near the Hofburg in central Vienna. Performances take place in the Winter Riding School, built between 1729-1735. The Winter Riding School is a sunlight- flooded hall, mainly white with some beige and light grey, with a portrait of Emperor Charles VI above the royal box and opposite the entrance (to which the riders always salute before they ride), which measures 55 x 18 meters and is 17 meters in height. Performances at the Spanish Riding School were originally only presented to guests of the Court. However, after the fall of the Austro-Hungarian empire in 1918, the school opened up regular performances to the general public to help pay for its upkeep. The best is the Lipizzan Ballet by horse in harmony with the music .The performance is presented in the most beautiful hall of the world .It is a tourist attraction in Vienna that offers public performances as well as permitting public viewing of some training sessions. The presentation builds on four centuries of experience and tradition in classical dressage. The leading horses and riders of the school also periodically tour and perform worldwide. The shows are on Sunday and Saturday mostly from at 11.00am.The duration is 80 minutes and the ticket is for €89 and € 47 for seating and for €23 is only standing.
014 - HELDENPLATZ (Hero’s Square) -Heldenplatz (Heroes' Square) is a public space in front of Hofburg Palace and was as the central square of the Kaiserforum was part of a grandiose plan for a new extension of the Imperial Palace of the Habsburg Monarchy . The plan was made when city's fortifications was demolished to make way for the Ringstrasse, the grand boulevard around Vienna .The project which was not fully realized due to the collapse of the Habsburg Empire in 1918. Of this grand scheme only the south wing of the Neue Burg was completed before the Habsburgs' reign came to an end. The square is named for two Austrian war heroes -Prince Savoy, the victor over the Turks in 1683 AD and Archduke Charles, who defeated Napoleon in 1809 in Aspern, near Vienna .They are honoured with a monumental equestrian statue. In the direction of the Ringstrasse - at the Heldenplatz is framed by a wide triumphal arch, known as Au Bere Burgtor or Heldentor .The arch commemorates the Battle of Leipzig in 1813, where Austria defeated Napoleon. At this square there are two museums- Kunsthistorisches Museum and Naturhistorisches Museum made as two arches across the Ringstrasse. Heldenplatz is notorious for its place in history as the site where Hitler announced the Anschluss - the annexation of Austria by the German Third Reich - from the Neue Burg, where he was greeted by a large enthusiastic crowd.
015-MICHEAELERPLATZ -Michaelerplatz is one of Vienna's most famous squares, it is entry point to the Hofburg, Vienna's imperial palace. There are some other noteworthy sights around the square as well. Michaelerplatz is dominated by the impressive neo-Baroque Michaelertor, the entrance gate to the Hofburg. Opposite the palace is one of Vienna's first modern buildings, the Looshaus. The oldest building at Michaelerplatz is the Michaelerkirche, long the parish church of the emperors. At the centre of the square is an open area with Roman and medieval remains. The domed Michaelertrakt is one of the most exuberant wings of the imperial palace. At the centre of the wing is a monumental gate, the Michaelertor. Along the sides of the three entrances are colossal statues of Hercules. At either end of the Michaelertrakt are large wall fountains with sculpture groups. The fountain on the right, the 'Mastery of the Land', and symbolizes the Austrian army. The fountain on the left is known as the 'Mastery of the Sea'. It symbolizes the Austrian naval power. The Michaelerkirche (St Michael's Church) is the former parish church of the Austrian monarchy. It was originally built in 1221 but regularly expanded and modified to such an extent that it now consists of an amalgam of architectural styles. The tower is still Gothic and dates from the 14th century. Excavations at Michaelerplatz unearthed remains of a Roman house as well as some medieval foundations and remains of the former Burgtheater. The ruins are now exposed and can be seen from street level.
016 - MARIA-THERESIEN-PLATZ - Maria-Theresien-Platz is a square just north of the Hofburg that was created in the 19th century. It is named in honour of Empress Maria Theresa, whose huge monument is the centrepiece of the square. The square houses the Kunsthistorisches Museum (Museum of Fine Arts) and on the opposite is the Naturhistorisches Museum (Museum of Natural History).The area between the two museums is laid out with formal gardens that are decorated with statues, fountains and shrub beds .At the centre stands a colossal monument honouring Empress Maria Theresa, who reigned for forty years. The monument shows Maria Theresa seated on top of a large pedestal supported on all sides by Corinthian columns. She is holding a scroll with the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713, an edict issued by Emperor Charles VI that allowed women to ascend the throne. The empress is surrounded by some of her closest advisors. Four of her generals (von Daun, von Khevenhüller, Traun and von Laudon) are shown on horseback. Von Kaunitz, the chancellor of state, Van Swieten, her physician, Liechtenstein, director of the artillery forces and count von Haugwitz, who reformed the economy and strengthened central authority are shown standing near the pedestal.
017-BURGGARTEN (Emperial Garden) -This garden is located near Hofburg. With the fall of Hasburg Empire the park was opened to public in 1918.When Napoleon left the Vienna in 1809, the defensive wall around the city was proved useless and was demolished .This created space around the Hofburg , and part of it was used to create a private palace garden, the Burggarten. The garden was laid out in an informal English style. In 1918, with the fall of the Habsburg Empire, the park opened to the public. There are several monuments in the park, including a fountain with a statue depicting Hercules fighting with a lion. The 18th century statue was installed at the centre of the Burggarten's pond in 1948.The solemn statue of Emperor Franz-Joseph I was created in 1904 and moved to its current location in 1957. A more classical equestrian statue shows Emperor Franz I, spouse of Empress Maria-Theresia. The most photographed statue in the Burggarten is undoubtedly the Mozart Denkmal, created in 1896. The monument, which was originally erected at Augustinerplatz but moved to the Burggarten in 1953, shows Mozart on a pedestal surrounded by putti and musical instruments. Reliefs refer to Mozart's famous opera 'Don Giovanni' .The Burggarten is bordered to the north by the Palmenhaus, a magnificent glass palm house. The iron and glass structure was built between 1901 and 1907 as a greenhouse. Today the central part is home to a popular café. The left part of the Palmenhaus houses the Schmettlerlinghaus, a butterfly garden where you can see tropical butterflies and even bats.
018-STADTPARK –During the devlopement of City Centre and Ringstrasse some areas were kept for the parks and this is the largest park. The park was laid out in English landscape style between 1858 and 1862. The following decades the park was adorned with a large number of statues and several fountains. The river Wien, a small branch of the Donau River, cuts through the park. From the pedestrian bridge that connects the two sides of the river you have a nice view over the Wienflussportal, a series of elegant pavilions in Jugendstil style. The largest structure in the Stadtpark is the Kursalon, built in 1867 in a neo-Renaissance style. It was originally intended as a spa pavilion, but the building was soon used as a concert venue. Even today Strauss and Mozart concerts are held regularly at the Kursalon. The Stadtpark is popular for its many statues of artists, in particular musicians. Throughout the park you'll find statues and busts of composers. There are also several fountains installed in the Stadtpark. The oldest is the Danube Woman fountain. The fountain group entitled 'The Liberation of Spring'. A more recent fountain is the Vogeltränkebrunnen, a small fountain with penguins created in 1953.
019 – RINGSTRASSE (RING BOULEWARD) – It is a 5.30km long road in Vienna. After the old city walls were demolished in mid-19th century, when the Napoleon left in 1809, a grand boulevard was created around the historic centre of Vienna, known as Ringstrasse. Monumental buildings were erected along the boulevard during 1860’s to 1890’s .The designs are influenced by Greek and Roman designs .The road was constructed in 1857 by order of Emperor Francis Joseph who wants the that at the space of old city walls to create an imperial city .The road has flowering chestnut trees and ends at Donaukanal .On this road are- At Museum Quarter on the left side is Art History (Kunsthistorisches ),on the right side is Museum of Natural History & Modern Art Museum (Mumok) , Hofburg Palace, Austrian Parliament, The People's Garden (Volksgarten), City Hall & Beer Garden (Rathaus) & Rathaus Platz, Vienna State Opera House (Staatsoper) etc.
020 -VISIT OF RINGSTRASE BY TRAM-Visit of Ringstrasse from the Vienna Ring Tram which ply all year round. The Vienna Ring Tram is the only tram line that lets you go right around the Ringstraße without changing trams, it is daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Departure time of the last tram for a full circuit of the Ringstrasse from Schwedenplatz: 5.21 pm). Inside the wagons (31 seats), LCD screens inform you about the highlights along the route, supplemented by information in several languages on the headphones. The tram will run on a hop-on-hop-off basis, stopping at selected stations to pick up and drop off passengers and a separate ticket will be required. Round-the-Ring Tickets: i-one complete ride around the Ring with no stops, duration 30 minutes is for 6Euro , ii-24-hour Ring Tram ticket- You can get on and off at any station, valid for 24 hours is for 9Euro.The starting point is at Museum Quarter (near the Museumsquartier Metro stop) and stop point at State Opera House (near the Karlsplatz Metro stop), the total distance covered is 3.6miles and the duration is 24minutes for loop and 4-5 hours with stops. Yellow Tourist Tram is the only tram that continuously follows the Ringstraße loop without needing a line change. It runs clockwise starting at the Opera and takes 24 minutes to circle the loop.
1-Museum Quarter: -
i-On the east side is Art History (Kunsthistorisches Museum)
ii- On the Westside of the square is the Museum of Natural History(Naturhistorisches)
iii-Behind the 2 main museums is the Modern Art Museum (Mumok).
2-Hofburg Palace
3- Austrian Parliament
4- The People's Garden(Volksgarten)
i-Austrian National Theater (Burgtheater)
5. City Hall & Beer Garden (Rathaus):
i-Rathaus Platz.
ii-Votive Church,
6. Beethoven's Pasqualati House
7. Votive Church (Votivkirche)
8. Sigmund Freud's Home
9. Barracks (Roßauer Kaserne)
10. Anti-Gestapo Memorial Site
11. St. Ruprecht's Church (Ruprechtskirche)
12. Viennese City Park (Stadtpark)
13. Schwarzenbergplatz
14. St. Charles Church (Karlskirche)
15. Vienna State Opera House (Staatsoper)
16. St. Stephen's Cathedral (Stephansdom)
1-Museum Quarter: -
i-On the east side is Art History (Kunsthistorisches Museum)
ii- On the Westside of the square is the Museum of Natural History(Naturhistorisches)
iii-Behind the 2 main museums is the Modern Art Museum (Mumok).
2-Hofburg Palace
3- Austrian Parliament
4- The People's Garden(Volksgarten)
i-Austrian National Theater (Burgtheater)
5. City Hall & Beer Garden (Rathaus):
i-Rathaus Platz.
ii-Votive Church,
6. Beethoven's Pasqualati House
7. Votive Church (Votivkirche)
8. Sigmund Freud's Home
9. Barracks (Roßauer Kaserne)
10. Anti-Gestapo Memorial Site
11. St. Ruprecht's Church (Ruprechtskirche)
12. Viennese City Park (Stadtpark)
13. Schwarzenbergplatz
14. St. Charles Church (Karlskirche)
15. Vienna State Opera House (Staatsoper)
16. St. Stephen's Cathedral (Stephansdom)
021 - GRABEN & PLAGUE COLUMN & FOUNTAINS-Graben is a pedestrianized shopping street in the centre of Vienna. The stately buildings along Graben and neighboring Kohlmarkt are home to upscale stores. The street was created around 1220, when lots of space was created by the removal of a moat .Graben is lined with some beautiful buildings in a variety of architectural styles. At nr 11 is the Baroque Bartolotti-Partenfeld palace .At the centre of Graben stands the Pestsäule (Plague Column), also (Trinity Column).Construction of the column was commissioned by Emperor Leopold I. During the terrible plague epidemic of 1679, which cost an estimated 1, 00,000 lives, the desperate emperor prayed for help and vowed he would erect a memorial at the end of the epidemic. That same year a large cross was erected, later replaced with the monument .The column's central sculpture group shows allegorical figures depicting Faith defeating the Plague. Below is a statue of a praying emperor. The gilded sculpture group at the top represents the Holy Trinity, seated on a cloud. The monument is decorated with numerous statues of angels. There are two fountains at Graben, one on either side of the Pestsäule. The fountains, named Josefsbrunnen and Leopoldsbrunnen are dedicated to two saints, St. Joseph and St. Leopold respectively. The statues on the fountains were sculpted in the 18th century, but the fountains are much older, possibly from the 16th and 17th century. Graben is at the heart of Vienna's most famous shopping streets. The adjoining Kohlmarkt, which leads to the Hofburg at Michaelerplatz, is even more exclusive. Demel, one of Vienna's most famous cafés, is located in this pedestrianized street. The most popular shopping street in the centre of Vienna, Kärntner Strasse - also pedestrianized - starts at the other end of Graben.
022- HOHER MARKET-This is one of the oldest market place of Vienna. The large Vermählungsbrunnen (Wedding Fountain) immediately attracts the attention. The fountain was commissioned by Emperor Leopold I who wanted to celebrate the return of his son Joseph from the siege of Landau. Hence the fountain is also known as the Josefsbrunnen .The Baroque fountain depicts the supposed marriage between Joseph and Mary by the High Priest under a bronze baldachin, supported by four large Corinthian columns. The star attraction at the Hoher Markt is the Ankeruhr, a large gilded clock in Jugendstil style. The clock spans a small alley, the Bauernmarkt. Each hour, a gilded figure representing a historic figure appears, accompanied by organ music. At the stroke of noon, each of the twelve figures appears one by one, often attracting a crowd. A small plaque near the clock identifies each of the twelve figures.
023 – HUNDER TWASSER HAUS (like Barcelona Gaudi's)-Hundertwasserhaus is a colourful complex designed by the controversial Austrian artist/architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser. It is like the Barcelona's Gaudí , without any unnatural straight lines but with bright colours and whimsical shapes. In 1983 Hundertwasser started with the conversion of a complex of public housing units into a bizarre looking colourful patchwork with irregular patterns and varied window shapes. When it was completed two years later, his fantastical creation caused quite a stir and was a hit with the general public and soon started to attract visitors to this otherwise quiet residential area. Hundertwasser's desire to bring architecture closer to nature is not only apparent in the use of curves but also in the landscaping of the terraces with trees and ivy and inside room-an unique living space both the natural world and architecture for future. To relieve the inhabitants of the tourist overload, a shopping arcade was constructed opposite Hundertwasserhaus. The arcade, also designed by Hundertwasser, is just as unconventional as Hundertwasserhaus itself .There are a couple of other buildings in Vienna that received the Hundertwasser treatment. Not far from Hundertwasserhaus, four blocks north at Untere Weisbergerstrasse 13, is the KunstHausWien. This building was originally a Thonet factory, where the famous Thonet bentwood chairs were produced. Today it houses a permanent exposition of the artwork of Friedensreich Hundertwasser. Its facade has a design similar to that of the Hundertwasserhaus, but this time black and white colors dominate. Another noteworthy project is the Fernwärme Wien in Spittelau. Here Hundertwasser converted a garbage incineration plant into a psychedelic looking castle with bright colours and a tall tower crowned with a metallic sphere.
024 -VIENNA SECESSION-It was built in 1898 as the headquarters of the Secession, an art movement that broke ties with classical art. The structure is crowned with a sphere of gilded intertwined laurel leaves. Flower motifs and small sculptures decorate the white painted facade. The Vienna Secession (also known as the Union of Austrian Artists) was formed in 1897 by a group of Austrian artists who had resigned from the Association of Austrian Artists, housed in the Vienna Künstlerhaus. This movement included painters, sculptors, and architects. The Secession artists objected to the prevailing conservatism of the Vienna Künstlerhaus with its traditional orientation toward Historicism. The Berlin and Munich Secession movements preceded the Vienna Secession, which held its first exhibition in 1898.The group earned considerable credit for its exhibition policy, which made the French Impressionists somewhat familiar to the Viennese public.
025 -PRATER-Prater is a large recreational tract of parkland situated between the Donau River and the Donau Canal, just east of Vienna's historic centre. Prater includes recreational facilities such as tennis courts, a large stadium, racecourses, a swimming pool and a planetarium as well as a trade fair centre, amusement park and a large woodland. Prater was originally a hunting ground along the Donau River only accessible to aristocrats. In 1766 Emperor Joseph II opened the park to the people of Vienna, which soon became famous for a picnic and a stroll through the woods. The biggest attraction is an amusement park. In 1873, Prater played host to a World Trade Fair, which was held mainly at the Rotunda, a large circular exhibition hall. The Rotunda, with its tall cupola and diameter of 350ft, was long a famous landmark in Vienna until it burned down in 1938. And numbers of entertainment attractions were set up in the north-western part of Prater, including as a carousel, a shooting gallery and a circus. The most famous attraction at Prater is the Riesenrad (giant wheel), part of an amusement park known as Volksprater or Wurstelprater. The enormous wheel turns at a speed of just 75 cm per second. From a height of about 64 meter. It offers a variety of roller coasters, merry-go-rounds, ghost trains, bumper cars and other attractions. Wurstelprater is modernized version of an older amusement park. The heart of Prater is formed by the 1500 acres large Grüner Prater, a nature park with woodland, ponds, streams and meadows .The Hauptallee, a 4.7 km long avenue lined with chestnut trees, cuts through the park and leads from the Riesenrad southeast towards the Lusthaus , an 18th century pavilion originally built as a hunting lodge, but today home to a restaurant .People enjoy walking or biking through Prater, but one alternative is a miniature railway, the Liliputbahn, which makes a four km tour along the Hauptallee with three stops- Praterstern near the Riesenrad , Rotunda in the middle, and Stadion near the large football stadium , which is situated halfway towards the Lusthaus. The overall area of the park has also been reduced by the building of the Ernst-Happel-Stadion (Austria's National Stadium), the Südosttangente (Austria's busiest piece of Motorway) and Krieau Race Track.
026 -VIENNA INTERNATIONAL CENTRE/UNITED NATIONS OFFICE AT VIENNA-The United Nations Office at Vienna (VIC) was established on 1January 1980 as the third United Nations Headquarters after New York and Geneva (and before Nairobi).It performs representation and liaison functions with permanent mission to United Nations (Vienna).VIC was built between 1973 and 1979 just north of the river Danube. Six Y-shaped office towers surround a cylindrical conference building for a total floor area of 230,000m2. The highest tower stands 127 meters tall, enclosing 28 floors. The VIC is an extraterritorial area, exempt from the jurisdiction of local law.
027-MILLENNIUM TOWER- The Millennium Tower is currently the tallest building and 3rd tallest structure in Austria at 171 metres (561 feet) after the Donauturm .Millennium Tower has 51 floors, serves both commercial and residential purposes, and is the focal point of a complex known as "Millennium City". It was completed in 1999 for the coming of the third millennium. The shape of the tower is formed by two clasped each other fully glazed cylinder which is supported by a steel composite structure. In the Millennium Tower, around 120 companies have rented office space, including major international companies such as Xerox. Other tenants include: inter alia Cirquent, Trivadis, CSC, Carlson Wagonlit, Inode (UTA), Agip and Cisco.
028 -T-CENTRE ST.MARX -The T-Center is an office building in the Sankt Marx section of Landstraße . It was built between the years 2002 and 2004.The construction in the area of the former cattle market and slaughterhouse in the Viennese quarter of Sankt Marx. It is an unusually proportioned building as a reclining structure 60m high and 225 m long with 40m wing cantilevering out. It is a most unique building in Vienna. The tenants of the office spaces are the Deutsche - Telekom subsidiaries T-Mobile, T-Systems and Software Daten Service. In addition, on the ground floor are publicly accessible gastronomical enterprises. Due to the unconventional form and the use of unfinished concrete surfaces the T-Center rapidly gathered attention.
029 -VIENNA RAINBOW PARADE (REG ENBOGEN-PARADE) - Since it was first held in 1996, the Rainbow Parade has not only developed into the most important event for the lesbian, gay and transgender movement, it has also become an important symbol for a culture of solidarity, acceptance and equality. The parade is held in memory of the first protest by lesbians and gays against arbitrary police action in June 1969 in New York’s Christopher Street – this is the reason why similar events in many countries are also named CSD (Christopher Street Day).The Rainbow Parade – which takes place as part of Vienna Pride in the mid June is one of the largest annual demonstrations in Austria and every year entices 1,00,000 people to the streets to actively.
030- KARLSKIRCHE (ST. CHARLES'S CHURCH) - Karlskirche is a baroque church located on the south side of Karlsplatz, on the edge of the Innere Stadt, approximately 200 meters outside the Ringstraße. Widely considered the most outstanding baroque church in Vienna, as well as one of the city's greatest buildings, Karlskirche is dedicated to Saint Charles Borromeo, one of the great reformers of the sixteenth century. It was built in 1737 and its dome has height of 230feet. Karlskirche contains a dome in the form of an elongated ellipsoid. Since Karlsplatz was restored as an ensemble in the late 1980s, Karlskirche became famous due to its dome and its two flanking columns of bas-reliefs, as well as its role as an architectural building. The façade in the centre, which leads to the porch, corresponds to a Greek temple portico. The neighbouring two columns, same as found a model in Trajan's Column in Rome. Next to those, two tower pavilions extend out and show the influence of the Roman baroque (Bernini and Borromini). Above the entrance, a dome rises up above a high drum.
031- SIGMUND FREUD MUSEUM -The Sigmund Freud Museum in Vienna is a museum founded in 1971 covering the Sigmund Freud's life story. The museum was was opened in 1971 by the Sigmund Freud Society in the presence of Anna Freud. It is located in the Alsergrund district, at Berggasse 19. A third Freud Museum, after London and Vienna, was started in the Czech town of Příbor in 2006 when the house of his birth was opened to the public. In 1938 Freud was forced to leave German-annexed Austria due to his Jewish ancestry and fled to London .The building was newly built in 1891 when Freud moved there. His old rooms, where he lived for 47 years and produced the majority of his writings, now house a documentary centre to his life and works. The influence of psychoanalysis on art and society is displayed through a program of special exhibitions and a modern art collection .The museum consists of Freud's former practice and a part of his old private quarters. Attached to the museum are Europe's largest psychoanalytic research library with 35,000 volumes and the research institute of the Sigmund Freud Foundation .The display includes original items owned by Freud, the practice's waiting room and parts of Freud's extensive antique collection. However his famous couch is now in the Freud Museum in London, along with most of the original furnishings, as Freud was able to take his furniture with him when he emigrated. The collection consists of almost all of the existing photos of Sigmund Freud and his family, a large number of photos of Anna Freud and photos from psychoanalytic congresses etc.
032- VOLKSGARTEN -The Volksgarten ("folks' park") is a public park along Ringstrasse as part of the Hofburg. It was built over the city fortifications destroyed by Napoleon. The elegant park, long a favourite gathering place for the aristocracy, is laid out in French formal style with geometric flowerbeds and a beautiful rose garden. A number of decorative fountains and interesting monuments embellish the park. It was opened to the public in 1820. The park is famous for its rose gardens, the Theseus Temple (1819-1823) and the monument for Empress Elisabeth of Austria-Hungary (Sissi) (1907). There are also statues of the poets Franz Grillparzer and Karl von Hasenauer.
i-Theseus Temple-At the centre of the park is the Theseus Temple, a replica of the Temple of Hephaestus (Theseion) in the Ancient Agora of Athens. The temple was originally built between 1820 and 1823. It originally housed the statue 'Theseus and the Minotaur'. The statue is now missing in 1890, it was moved to the Empress Elisabeth Memorial, Volksgarten.
ii-Monuments- A memorial to Empress Elisabeth of Bavaria. The Austrian empress, better known as Sisi, while travelling in Geneva in 1898, she was stabbed to death by an anarchist, who had missed his chance to assassinate the Duke of Orléans and wanted to kill the next member of royalty that he saw. Sisi was the longest-reigning Empress of Austria, at 44 years. The memorial was created in 1907 and shows a seated statue of Elisabeth. At the other end of the park is a monument honouring Franz Grillparzer, created in 1889. It shows a statue of the poet and playwright Grillparzer in an exedra flanked by reliefs depicting scenes from his plays.
i-Theseus Temple-At the centre of the park is the Theseus Temple, a replica of the Temple of Hephaestus (Theseion) in the Ancient Agora of Athens. The temple was originally built between 1820 and 1823. It originally housed the statue 'Theseus and the Minotaur'. The statue is now missing in 1890, it was moved to the Empress Elisabeth Memorial, Volksgarten.
ii-Monuments- A memorial to Empress Elisabeth of Bavaria. The Austrian empress, better known as Sisi, while travelling in Geneva in 1898, she was stabbed to death by an anarchist, who had missed his chance to assassinate the Duke of Orléans and wanted to kill the next member of royalty that he saw. Sisi was the longest-reigning Empress of Austria, at 44 years. The memorial was created in 1907 and shows a seated statue of Elisabeth. At the other end of the park is a monument honouring Franz Grillparzer, created in 1889. It shows a statue of the poet and playwright Grillparzer in an exedra flanked by reliefs depicting scenes from his plays.