Well I had another WOW moment on this trip. As I walked around Vienna today it seemed like each building was grander than the last. I just kept looking up and saying, WOW! But of course first some history!
Vienna is the capital of Austria, the cradle of classical music, the home of the rich Habsburg heritage, and said to be one of the world’s most livable cities. For much of its 2500 year history, Vienna was on the frontier of civilized Europe. It was threatened by Germanic barbarians (in Roman times), marauding Magyars (today’s Hungarians, 10th century), Mongol hordes (13th century), Ottoman Turks (the sieges of 1529 and 1683), and encroachment by the Soviet Union after World War II.
The Habsburg dynasty ruled their great empire from Vienna, setting the stage for its position as an enduring cultural capital. Vienna reached its peak in the 19th century, when it was on par with London and Paris in size and importance. Emerging as a cultural powerhouse, it was home to groundbreaking composers (Beethoven and Mozart), scientists (Doppler), philosophers (Freud), architects (Loos), and painters (Klimt). However, after the turmoil of two world wars and the loss of the Austrian empire, Vienna has settled down into being a very pleasant place where culture is still king.
So I took another “Free” tour (love those!), and the guide was again very good. I could have sent a ton more pictures but here are some highlights from the ones I sent.
Believe it or not, that orangish church with the cross on it is where all of the rich and famous Habsburg are buried. It’s a small Capuchin Church and they wanted to be buried like a commoner. I was shocked given their grand palaces.
The huge church with the colorful roof and tall spire is St Stephen’s Cathedral. The ruler who built the church in 1300 wanted it to be bigger than the one in Prague so he could get a bishop and be able to make the church a “cathedral”. Politically that helped Vienna replace Prague as the seat of the Holy Roman Empire. The 450 foot tower took 65 years to build and was completed in 1433.
The next pic is the Holy Trinity plague column (60 foot pillar of clouds sprouting angels and cherubs with the golden Father, Son and Holy Ghost (and cross) at the top. In 1679, Vienna was hit by a massive epidemic of the bubonic plague killing 75,000 (a third of the city). Emperor Leopold I begged God to spare the remaining people and so he erected this monument for that.
The next church tucked in the corner with the green dome is St Peter’s church which was built by Leopold I as a thank you for surviving the plague.
The white church (yes, I know I love churches!) is St Michael’s Church which is tied in with the Hofburg Palace.
The building with the two statues out front and the green cupola dome is a small portion of the Hofburg Palace. This Palace is where the Habsburg emperors lived out their lives (except in the summer when they resided at Schonbrunn Palace). I hope to tour both.
The next pic that looks like a mini version of the Hungary Parliament is the Kunsthistorisches Museum. This building was built in 1888 and showcases the grandeur and opulence of the Habsburgs’ collected artwork.
The last building, with the golden eagle on top, is called the New Palace (Neue Burg). It was from that balcony in 1938, with 300,000 Viennese gathered in the square below, that Hitler declared their annexation with Germany (called the “Anschluss”). Austrians now look back on that as a very sad day in their history.
Well that’s all for today. Hope everyone has a great weekend!
Jeff
The Wandering Italian 