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| Picture by Kolohe |
(This continues our car tour of Vienna, Austria, from the previous blog.)
Minoritenkirche is officially known as the Italian National Church of Maria Schnee (Our Lady of the Snows). It is one of Vienna's oldest and finest Gothic churches and is a stark contrast to the more ornate Baroque churches such as St. Peter's. Even though most historic churches in Vienna were extensively renovated during the Baroque period, Minoritenkirche retained its French Gothic character.
The church's most famous treasure is a huge mosaic reproduction of Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper. After Napoleon conquered northern Italy, he planned to move Leonardo's original fresco from Milan to Paris, but that proved to be impossible. So he commissioned an exact mosaic copy. The copy weighs 20 tons and was installed in Minoritenkirche in 1847.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
Palais Ferstel is a collection of buildings that were built in 1860 for the Austrian National Bank and Stock Exchange. The buildings follow an Italian Renaissance design from Florence, with a glass-roofed passage that leads to the famous Café Central. The building that houses Café Central is currently undergoing a major renovation, and the café is operating from a temporary location. This is one of the few buildings in Vienna named for the architect rather than the owner.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
Palais Collalto is a Baroque palace assembled from several older buildings and is famous because six-year-old Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and his sister performed there in October 1762. This was one of Mozart's earliest public appearances in Vienna.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
The Palais Niederosterreich (Palace of Lower Austria) was never a "palace," but it is historically significant because this government building is where the Austrian Revolution of 1848 started when citizens gathered outside demanding constitutional reforms. On 30 October 1918, the Provisional National Assembly proclaimed the new state of German-Austria, ending the Habsburg Empire and marking the birth of modern Austria.
Josefsplatz is within the Hofburg Palace complex and contains the Equestrian Statue of Emperor Joseph II and a public entrance to Augustinerkirche. Unlike most churches in Vienna, Augustinerkirche lacks an elaborate facade; instead, the entrance is integrated into the Hofburg Palace complex. Maria Theresa married Francis Stephen of Lorraine here in 1736; Napoleon's marriage to Archduchess Marie Louise was celebrated by proxy in 1810; and Emperor Franz Joseph I married Empress Elisabeth ("Sisi") in 1854.
A sculpture fountain at the end of the building depicts the sea deity Neptune, and at the other end is the Hercules fountain, with Hercules standing with a sword and raised arm, symbolizing courage and strength.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
The allegorical sculptures along the Imperial Library's roofline symbolize knowledge, science, and the Habsburg Empire. In the first picture, Minerva (Athena), the Roman goddess of wisdom, learning, and the arts, rides a quadriga, an ancient symbol of Triumph. The composition proclaims that wisdom and learning triumph over ignorance.
In the second picture, the large golden sphere represents the Earth (terrestrial globe). Surrounding it are the allegorical figures Gaia (Tellus), the personification of the Earth; Geography, representing the study and mapping of the world; and Geometry, representing mathematics and measurement. Together they symbolize humanity's understanding of the physical world.
The entire facade was designed as a visual statement that the Imperial Library contained the accumulated knowledge of both heaven and earth.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
In the center of the square stands the Equestrian Statue of Emperor Joseph II, the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and one of the most influential rulers of the Habsburg Empire from 1765 to 1790.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
The public entrance to Augustinerkirche is just an ordinary-looking door along one wall of the Imperial Library building.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
At Michaelerplatz near Hofburg Palace is the location of a 1990s archaeological excavation site revealing several periods of Vienna's history: Roman Vienna (Vindobona), remains of houses, streets, from a civilian settlements and a Roman military camp dating from the 2nd to 4th centuries; Medieval Vienna, buildings, wells, streets from the Middle Ages; and Early Modern Period structures before the modern square was created. This excavation revealed that modern Vienna was built directly on top of the Roman city of Vindobona, where soldiers once guarded the northern frontier of the Roman Empire.
The ruins were discovered when Michaelerplatz was being redesigned, so the city chose to leave them visible, allowing visitors to look down through 2,000 years of Vienna's history.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
Located in the famous Hotel Sacher, one of Vienna's most iconic landmarks, Café Sacher serves the hotel's world-famous Original Sacher-Torte. Prince Metternich created the Sacher-Torte in 1832 by combining chocolate cake with a thin layer of apricot jam, covering it with dark chocolate glaze, and serving it with unsweetened whipped cream. I discovered that one has to develop a taste for unsweetened whipped cream.
Also in front of the Hotel Sacher are two giant pink sculptures by internationally renowned Austrian artist Erwin Wurm. Dancer, the pink briefcase-like figure, is dancing across the hotel entrance, and Step Big, an oversized pink handbag, is walking on extremely long legs to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Hotel Sacher, which opened in 1876.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
The Palais Erzherzog Ludwig Viktor (Archduke Ludwig Viktor Palace) was built between 1869 and 1870 for Franz Joseph I's younger brother. The Burgtheater now uses the building for plays and experimental productions.
In front of the building stands the Schwarzenberg Monument, an equestrian statue of Karl Philip, Prince of Schwarzenberg, a field marshal during the Napoleonic Wars. He commanded the Army of Bohemia, the largest coalition army assembled against Napoleon. In 1813, he led the armies to victory at the Battle of Leipzig (also known as the Battle of the Nations), the decisive defeat that forced Napoleon's retreat from Germany.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
Karlskirche (St. Charles's Church), one of Vienna's most famous churches, is easily recognized by its large green copper dome. With its unique blend of Roman, Greek, and Baroque architectural styles, it is considered to be one of the greatest masterpieces of High Baroque architecture in Europe.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was one of the greatest figures in German literature. Although Goethe lived primarily in Germany, his literary works profoundly influenced Austrian culture, theater, music, and intellectual life.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
Mozartdenkmal (Mozart Monument) is located in Burggarten, just behind the Vienna State Opera House. Mozart is depicted holding a musical score while preparing to conduct a concert. The relief on the front of the pedestal shows a scene from Mozart's opera Don Giovanni, and the putti (cherubs) around the base represent music and artistic inspiration. The lyre and other musical decorations symbolize Mozart's extraordinary contribution to classical music. In front of the pedestal is a flower bed planted each year in the shape of a treble clef.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
The Vienna Secession Building is one of Vienna's best examples of Jugendstil (Art Nouveau). It was constructed between 1897 and 1898 as an exhibition hall for the Vienna Secession, a group of artists who broke away from Vienna's conservative art establishment.
The golden openwork dome is made from thousands of gilded laurel leaves and berries, which symbolize victory, rebirth, and artistic achievement. Above the entrance door is their motto, translated to read "To every age its art. To art its freedom."
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
For dinner we decided to eat at Naschmarkt, Vienna's most famous open-air market. The market dates back to the 16th century, and today it stretches for about 1.5 km (1 mile) with restaurants, cafes, produce vendors, and specialty shops. We were surprised that diners took all the outdoor tables in the evening, so we decided to walk back to our hotel and eat at a nearby restaurant. I'm not sure what I ate, but it was filling.
