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History of Vienna

Vienna (Wien), capital of the Republic of Austria, deceit at the foot of the Wienerwald (Vienna Woods), the northeasterly foothills of the Alps, on the banks of the Danube, which here emerges, up to 285m/310yds wide, into the Vienna sink and some 50km/30mi downstream enters Slovakia at Bratislava. Being thus located at the intersection of the old ... Moretraffic routes from the Baltic to the Adriatic and from the Alpine foreland to the Hungarian plain made Vienna the gateway for trade between the different provinces which meet here and the natural nucleus of the Habsburg empire with its far-ranging territories, extending from the Alps and the Bohemian Forest by way of the Danube valley to the Carpathians.
Vienna also has the status of a federal region of Austria (a "Bundesland") and, although the smallest in terms of area, it is the most densely populated and the most heavily industrialized and is thus - in spite of its peripheral location in present-day Austria - very much the metropolis and the political, economic, intellectual and cultural hub of the Republic. It is also the see of a Roman Catholic archbishop. After the Second World War UNO City grew up on the eastern edge of the city, where the international organization is housed.

Tourist Attractions in Vienna

Vienna - Art Gallery; Albertina
Vienna's Albertina (art gallery) possesses 45,000 drawings and watercolors, about 1.5 million printed sheets of graphic fabric covering a period of half a millennium and 35,000 books - it is the world's most inclusive collection of graphic material. The collection was founded in 1786 by Maria Theresa's son-in-law, Duke Albert of Saxony-Tescha. Since 1795 it has been housed in the former Taroucca Palace. Between 1801 and 1804 the building was altered by Louis von Montoyer. The Albertina as we know it today resulted from the amalgamation, after the First World War, of the collections of Duke Albert and the print room of the Imperial Library. Since June 1994 the Albertina has been closed for refurbishment which should take until 1998. Information on the temporary special exhibitions which are held elsewhere can be obtained by telephoning 534 83-0.

Vienna - Austrian National Library; Österreichische Nationalbibliothek
The Austrian National Library is housed in the commanding Baroque building on Josefsplatz. It was built during the reign of Charles VI to plans by Fischer von Erlach, father and son, between 1723 and 1726. Nikolaus Pacassi made some changes in 1763-69. The Baroque building was at first free standing, but it was linked by the Redouten range (seriously damaged by fire in 1992 and now being rebuilt) to the Hofburg in 1760. The huge central section is crowned by a group of statues depicting the goddess Minerva with her chariot, drawn by four steeds; it is by L. Mattielli and dates from 1725. The National Library, formerly the Court Library, came into the possession of the state in 1920 and is now one of the world's major libraries. Its extensive collection goes back to the 14th C. The first Imperial Library Director was appointed in the 16th C., and in the 17th C. the collections were kept in the upper story of the Reitschule. By the 18th C. there was no longer enough space obtainable in the "Burg" and it was obvious that a new building would have to be provided. The total collection of the National Library amounts at present to some 2.5million books. In addition, there are the following special collections: prints, manuscripts and incunabula, maps and globes, papyri, portraits and photographic archives, music and theatrical collections and an Esperanto museum. The "New" building long ago became too small, and it was necessary to expand into the south wing on Josefsplatz and into the Neue Burg.

Vienna - Belvedere Palaces (Austrian Galleries)
There are two Baroque palaces built for Prince Eugene, the Unteres (Lower) Belvedere and the Oberes (Upper) Belvedere. They now house the three museums of the Austrian Gallery: the Museum of Medieval Art, the Austrian Baroque Museum and the Museum of 19th and 20th C. Austrian Art. In 1995 the palaces are to experience complete renovation with the 19th and 20th C. galleries being redesigned so that the temporary closure of some exhibitions is possible during this period. From the Oberes Belvedere there is access to the Alpine Garden. With the Château of Versailles in mind, Prince Eugene, who defeated the Turks, had a summer residence built on the abandoned slope of the Glacis by the Rennweg. Work began in 1700, and Lucas von Hildebrandt devoted 10 years to what was to be his masterpiece. In 1716 the Unteres Belvedere, where Prince Eugene actually lived, was completed. It was only in 1724 that the Oberes Belvedere with its reception rooms was finished. It stands on higher ground. Both palaces are linked by a magnificent garden. Dominique Gerard, a landscape gardener from Paris, designed them in accord with Hildebrandt's overall concept of a terraced park laid out along an axis with cascades and symmetrical flights of stairs and with hedges and paths forming the sides. The sculptures adorning the pools lead symbolically up from the bottom. At the foot can be seen the Underworld with Pluto and Prosperina in the bosquets, then Neptune and Thetis, the deities of water, in the area where the cascades play, together with Apollo and Hercules. From the terrace in front of the Oberes Belvedere there is a wonderful view down over the garden which drops away, and out over the towers of Vienna Woods. After the death of the Prince who remained a bachelor all his life, his heiress - "frightful Victoria", as the Viennese called her, - sold off the entire property without a second thought. The Imperial Court acquired the buildings and the gardens in 1752. A table in the curator's wing of the Upper Belvedere commemorates the death here of Anton Bruckner in 1896. The Emperor had located the quarters at the disposal of the Court Organist and Composer as a mark of his respect. Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the throne, lived in the Belvedere between 1894 and 1914, and he was living here at the time of his tragic visit to Sarajevo. It was in the Marble Chamber of the Oberes Belvedere that, on May 15 1955, the Foreign Ministers of France, Great Britain, the Soviet Union, the United States and Austria signed the Austrian State Treaty which restored Austria's independence.

Vienna - Imperial Palace; Hofburg
The Imperial Castle, the Hofburg, in the inner city was for more than six centuries the seat of the ruler of Austria. From here the Habsburgs ruled until the end of the First World War in 1918. European history was written in this place of power, from here Empress Maria Theresa carried out her policies and bewailed the military defeats against Prussia's Frederick the Great. It was here that Joseph II introduced his progressive reforms and Franz Joseph ruled for 68 years until the downfall of his empire. For two and a half centuries until 1806 it was the seat of the German Emperor and today it is the official seat of the Austrian Head of State. The Federal President of Austria movements his office and carries out representative functions in rooms once belonging to Maria Theresa and Joseph II. The compound consists of 10 major buildings and in them may be seen the reflection of the 700- year-long architectural history of the Hofburg. Nearly every Austrian ruler since 1275 ordered additions or alterations to be made to the palace. therefore in the Hofburg examples may be seen of architecture in a great variety of styles - Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Roccoco, Classicism and the early 1870s. Together with its squares and gardens the entire Hofburg complex occupies an area of some 240,000sq.m/59 acres. This "city within a city" comprises 18 ranges of buildings, 54 major staircases, 19 courtyards and 2,600 rooms. Some 5,000 people are employed here. In November 1992 a major fire injured a large part of the Hofburg, notably the 18th C. Redoutensäle (Redoubt Rooms). The frescoes in the Reading Room of the National Library were also partly damaged in the attempts to extinguish the fire, as was part of the Court Riding School but this was repaired by 1994. During the repair work, which is expected to last until 1997, the access to the Winter Riding School is via a temporary entrance in the square.

Vienna - Imperial Vault
On the left-hand side of the Kapuzinerkirche (church) in Vienna is the entrance to the Imperial Vault. Beneath the Church of the Capuchins is the Habsburg family vault where 138 members of the House lie buried. Since 1633 all the Austrian Emperors have been buried here, with just a few exceptions. (Ferdinand II was buried at Graz, Frederick III in St Stephen's Cathedral, and Charles I, the last Emperor, at Funchal in Madeira where he had gone as an exile.) The coffins contain only the embalmed bodies without the internal organs and the hearts. The nine vaults are arranged in chronological order which makes it easy to trace the evolution of taste. Unfortunately the bronze caskets dating from the 17th and 18th C. have been attacked by decay, which necessitates extremely expensive conservation work.

Vienna - Karlskirche
The church dedicated to St Charles Borromeo, the Karlskirche, was designed by J. B. Fischer von Erlach and his son. It is Vienna's most important spiritual building in the Baroque style. Emperor Charles VI vowed he would build it when the plague was raging in 1713, and in 1737 the church was dedicated to St Charles Borromeo, one of the saints evoked during plagues. In 1738 it was handed over to the Knights of Malta, and in 1783 it was declared an Imperial prebend. The vast Baroque building is some 80m/262ft long and 60m/200ft wide. The dome rises to a height of 72m/235ft. It cost 304,000 guilders to build. All countries owing allegiance to the Crown had to contribute to the cost as a fine for the deliberate destruction of the chapel of the Austrian Embassy. There is much to be seen in the church with its tall oval central area, two major side-chapels and four smaller chapels in the corners.

Vienna - Museum of Art History / Fine Arts; Kunsthistorisches Museum
The Kunsthistorisches Museum, its mighty dome crowned by a bronze figure of Pallas Athene, houses one of the most important art collections in the world. It underwent restoration at the beginning of the 90s. In the second half of the 19th C. it was realized that Vienna had no counterpart of the great art galleries of London and Amsterdam, particularly since the imposing collections in Prince Eugene's former summer mansion had become far too large for those premises. Karl Hasenauer and Gottfried Semper were charged with the task of drawing up plans for two splendid museums, the Kunsthistorisches Museum and the Naturhistorisches Museum. Between 1871 and 1891 they erected the vast pair of buildings which form the left and right hand sides of Maria-Theresien Platz. Though the state was close to bankruptcy, the architects were under instructions not to make economies, and they were able to use expensive materials and commission highly rated artists with the adornment of the interior. Among those who worked on the embellishment of the Museum's interior were Viktor Tilgner, Hans Makart, Michael Munkacsy, the brothers Ernst and Gustav Klimt and Franz Matsch.

Vienna - National Theater; Burgtheater
This theater, "Die Burg" as the Viennese call it, is the stage with the richest traditions in the German-speaking lands. For a long time it was also the most important. The Classical style of the Burgtheater and the German verbal by the players exerted a decisive influence on the development of the German stage, and even now an engagement to play at the Burgtheater is still a high point in the artistic career of an actor or actress. Many famous names have played here. The theater was founded by Emperor Joseph II in 1776 as a "Court Theater" intended to be a National Theater. It was later called the "Court and National Theater" with "Imperial Royal Court Theater" above the entrance. In 1888 a new theater was built on the instructions of Franz Joseph I on the Ring to designs by Hasenauer and Semper for the huge sum of 10million guilders. When the Viennese voiced criticisms of the new theater, Gottfried Semper retorted that "every theater has to be rebuilt after 60 years or it is bound to burn down after that period". Right on time the Burgtheater was burned down within 57 years, when it caught fire in 1945. The auditorium was completely destroyed, and it was not until October 15 1955 that the theater could reopen with Grillparzer's "König Ottokars Glück und Ende" (King Ottokar's Prosperity and Demise). The structure is 136m/445ft long and the middle section is 95m/320ft across. The height of the facade is 27m/88ft. In the auditorium there are seats for 1,285 and standing room for 105. The season runs from September to June. The exterior of the Burgtheater is impressive on account of the numerous decorative figures, colossal groups, scenes and busts by the sculptors Tilgner, Weyr and Kundman. The interior has costly decoration in the French Baroque style. The staircase has frescoes by Gustav and Ernst Klimt and by Franz Matsch.

Vienna - Natural History Museum; Naturhistorisches Museum
The Natural History Museum in Vienna is the counterpart of the Kunsthistorisches Museum, which lies directly differing. It was designed, like the latter, by G. Semper and K. Hasenauer and was completed in 1881. The exhibits are displayed in 39 galleries and a domed hall, and now form one of the major European natural history collections. The collection was founded by Francis I, the consort of Maria Theresa who opened it to the public in 1765. The exhibits have been on show in the present building since 1889, and the layouts have been continuously extended and modernized.

Vienna - Schönbrunn Palace
5km/3mi to the north of Sierndorf, off the main road, lies Schloss Schönbrunn (by Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt, 1712-17), in a gorgeous park, with an Orangery and, in an open field, the Chapel of St John Nepomuk (figure of the Saint under a canopy).
In 1559 Emperor Maximilian II acquired a small summer palace in a converted mill on this site. After the glorious defeat of the Turks in 1683 Emperor Leopold I commissioned J. B. Fischer von Erlach to design an Imperial palace on the site of the little Palace of Klatterburg which had been destroyed. For the Glorietta Hill Fischer intended a castle larger and more magnificent than the Palace of Versailles, but the project never came to fruition. The "more modest" Baroque Palace of Schönbrunn with 1,441 rooms and apartments was built between 1696 and 1730. In 1744-49 Nikolaus Pacassi converted the palace into a residence for Maria Theresa. There were further alterations between 1816 and 1819, and following severe damage in the Second World War rebuilding was completed in 1952. After the time of Maria Theresa the most brilliant period for the castle was during the Congress of Vienna, which met here in 1814/15. Other important dates associated with the palace are 1805 and 1809 when Napoleon I, whose troops had occupied Vienna, took up residence in Maria Theresa's favorite rooms. In 1918 Charles I relinquished the throne here, and in 1945 the British High Commissioner set up his headquarters in part of the building. Today the palace is used for state reception given by the President of Austria.

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