7mþŸUÎÓÞl  dÈ"Times New RomanN123L&Heading 1L ð < &Heading 2Lð ð < &Heading 3L .Bullet listO ³•Swiss&Grundtext'ÿÿÿ! ð" Times Roman$Oð ðÐ ZA#ÿÿÿ! È"Courier$Oð Ðÿÿÿÿÿÿh3r h3r ÐР°  \c.ef6d\ccefkdýÐ/à=+oVienna from A to Z (Shortcut)Published by the Vienna Tourist BoardAlbertina Collection of Graphic Arts, 1st district, Augustinerstrasse 1The Albertina building dates from 1781; from 1801 to 1804, expansion work was done based on plans by Louis de Montoyer, incorporating parts of the adjacent monastery of the Augustinian Friars. Following severe damage suffered during World War II, the structure was restored in 1945. The Albertina Collection of Graphic Arts is named for its founder, Duke Albert of Saxony-Teschen, the husband of Maria Theresa's favorite daughter. With about 50,000 drawings and close to 1 million prints, it is one of the world's most impressive collections of graphic arts; the collection contains priceless works by Dürer, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo, Rubens, Rembrandt, Goya, Munch, Klimt, Schiele and many other artists, representing the evolution of graphic arts from the 15th century to the present day. The building also houses the Austrian Film Museum (no items on display, showings of films of historical or artistic significance). On the large outside walkway, one can see the monument to Field Marshal Archduke Albrecht, the victorious general in the battle of Custozza (1866), created by Kaspar Zumbusch 1898-99.Beethoven Memorials and ResidencesLudwig van Beethoven (1770_1827) moved to Vienna permanently in 1792. There are so many houses in Vienna in which, at one time or another, Beethoven had been a tenant, because he changed his residences in the city very often and liked to spend the summer months in Heiligenstadt or Döbling. Both outside the city walls in the countryside at the time of Beethoven, are now parts of Vienna's 19th district. Memorial rooms have been established at Mölker Bastei, Döblinger Hauptstrasse and Probusgasse.Belvedere Palace, Austrian Gallery (Österreichische Galerie)Prince Eugene of Savoy (1663_1736), the most brilliant military mind of his age and Commander in Chief of the Imperial Army in the war against the Turks (his equestrian statue can be found on Heldenplatz), commissioned Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt to design and build this garden palace as a summer residence outside the walls of the city. After Eugene's death, the palace, one of the most exquisite Baroque structures in the world, was acquired by the Habsburg family. At the beginning of the 20th century, it was the residence of Archduke Francis Ferdinand, who was assassinated at Sarajevo in 1914. When the palace became the property of the Republic of Austria, a majority of the rooms were adapted to house the Austrian Gallery. Upper Belvedere = Oberes Belvedere, 3rd district, Prinz-Eugen-Strasse 27This architectural marvel, built in 1721-22, represents the ultimate achievement of Hildebrandt's creativity. Prince Eugene never lived in the Upper Belvedere but used the palace for aristocratic galas and festivities. The Center Hall on the 2nd floor, decorated lavishly with red marble, was the scene of the signing of the Austrian State Treaty by the foreign ministers of Austria, France, Great Britain, the Soviet Union and the United States on May 15, 1955, ending the ten-year occupation of Austria by the four Allied powers after World War II, and re-establishing Austria as a free and independent country. In the Upper Belvedere, the Austrian Gallery of the 19th and 20th Centuries shows a marvelous collection of Austrian as well as international art from the last two centuries: the largest collection of works by Klimt, Schiele and Kokoschka, prominent works of the French impressionists, and the most important paintings of the Biedermeier era with works by Waldmüller, Amerling, and Fendi. It also contains major paintings by Romako, Makart, Boeckl, Wotruba, Hausner, Lehmden, Hundertwasser and many others. The famous composer Anton Bruckner lived in the caretaker's wing for a number of years and died there in 1896 (memorial plaque). Branches of the Austrian Gallery: Ambrosi Museum, Secession / Beethoven FriezeLower Belvedere = Unteres Belvedere, 3rd district, Rennweg 6Prince Eugene lived in this part of the palace, which was built from 1714 to 1716. Martino Altomonte created the ceiling fresco depicting the apotheosis (deification) of the prince. The Baroque Museum contains the world's most comprehensive collection of works by Maulbertsch, Messerschmidt and Donner (among them, the original statues from the Donner Fountain on Neuer Markt). The Museum of Medieval Austrian Art in the Orangery of the Lower Belvedere features Romanesque and Gothic wood sculptures and altar panels, among them works by Pacher and Frueauf. Alpine Garden, Botanical GardensBurgtheater, 1st district, Dr.-Karl-Lueger-RingThe theater was built from 1874 to 1888 according to designs by Gottfried Semper and Karl von Hasenauer and rebuilt from 1948 to 1955 after severe damage at the end of World War II. Ever since 1776, when Emperor Joseph II founded the Court and National Theater, the institution preceding the present-day Burgtheater, this theater, with its distinguished company, has held a leading position in the dramatic arts of the German-speaking countries. TheaterCemetery of St. Mark, Friedhof St. Marx, 3rd district, Leberstrasse 6_8This cemetery, laid out in the 18th century, has preserved the appearance of the Biedermeier age and conveys a romantic mood. In 1791, W. A. Mozart was buried here in the Masonic style of the era in a grave without any markers; the tombstone dates from a later period. The cemetery was in use from 1784 to 1874 and has been preserved as a memorial.Church of St. Charles Borromeo = Karlskirche, 4th district, KarlsplatzVienna's most significant example of ecclesiastical Baroque architecture, was built in fulfillment of a vow by Emperor Charles VI during a plague epidemic in Vienna in 1713. It was designed and constructed by J. B. Fischer von Erlach from 1716 to 1723 and completed by his son Joseph Emanuel from 1723 to 1739. Johann Michael Rottmayr painted the interior frescoes between 1725 and 1730. A number of important masters of the Baroque, such as Johann Michael Rottmayr, Daniel Gran and Martino Altomonte, contributed to the interior decoration. The mighty dome of the church, 236 feet high, is a dominant element of Vienna's skyline. The area in front of the church was redesigned during construction of Vienna's subway junction Karlsplatz and completed in the mid-1970s. A Henry Moore sculpture graces the reflecting pool. To the left of the church you find the Historical Museum of the City of Vienna.City Hall = Rathaus, 1st district, RathausplatzFriedrich von Schmidt, who had been the architect of the Cathedral of Cologne, designed and built Vienna's City Hall, the most important secular building in the neo-Gothic style in the city, between 1872 and 1883. 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. This knight on top of the tower has become one of the symbols of Vienna. The City Hall is the seat of the mayor and governor of Vienna (with Vienna being both a city and a state since 1922, these functions are combined in one person), of the City Council and of the Assembly; it also houses the Municipal and State Libraries and Archives which hold many key documents of Vienna's history and a large collection of local memorabilia. On both sides of the approach from the Ring (closed to motor vehicles), statues honor personalities who left their mark on the history of the city. 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 center 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 City Hall.Coffeehouses = KaffeehäuserAn old tale, though historically incorrect, often repeated in Vienna, has it that one Georg Kolschitzky, a bold messenger during the second Turkish siege of 1683, found coffee beans left behind by the Turks and used them to open Vienna's first coffeehouse. The international reputation of Vienna's coffeehouses, often called cafés, was established around 1900, when they became the preferred meeting places of literati, artists and journalists, of philosophers, political activists and businessmen, of middle-class society as a whole. The great variety of different kinds of coffee also goes back to this time, a tradition which is kept up by better cafés to this day. Café Hawelka (1st district, Dorotheergasse 6) is the epitome of the artists' hangout, with the original paintings by some now-famous fantastic realists. Café Landtmann next to the Burgtheater, Café Schwarzenberg on the Ring side of Schwarzenbergplatz and Café Prückel on the corner of the Ring and Dr.-Karl-Lueger-Platz, across the street from the Museum of Applied Arts, carry on the tradition of the grand old café on the Ring. Café Central Ferstel Palace. Café Sperl (6th district, Gumpendorfer Strasse/Lehárgasse), restored to its old glory in the mid-1980s, is a haven for billiards players. And Café Dommayer (13th district, Auhofstrasse 12) near the Hietzing Gate of the Schönbrunn Palace grounds is typical of the cozy cafés of the outer districts. It should be noted that almost all of Vienna's coffeehouses serve modest hot and cold meals. Demel's on Kohlmarkt, very close to the Imperial Palace, is popular and famous; it is, however, not a true coffeehouse but a fine example of a somewhat different establishment, the Café-Konditorei, a combination of pastry shop and café with emphasis on pastries rather than coffee specialties. As the former "Imperial-Royal Court Pastry Makers," Demel's upholds a proud tradition.DanubeUntil 1870, the river immortalized in The Blue Danube Waltz ( Johann Strauss's Residence) spread over a large area at the edge of the city with numerous tributaries, backwaters, islands and sandbars, including a small branch which touched on the Old Quarter (today known as Danube Canal). The more people settled in the villages outside the walls and the suburbs, the more serious became the recurrent severe floods of the river. To avert this threat, the Danube in the area of Vienna was regulated from 1870 to 1875. A new, almost straight channel was dug by the steam shovels that had been used to build the Suez Canal, turning what was until then the main channel into the Old Danube (nowadays a recreation area with beaches, boat rentals, sailing schools, and so on). Many branches were filled in and the land was used for development; others became lakes and nature preserves (such as Lobau and Prater). The re-channeling of the river did not entirely control the flooding problem; therefore, another project was undertaken between 1972 and 1987: a flood control channel of more than 13 miles, the New Danube, was dug out of the old area along the levees on the left bank and the island between the two channels was raised to a flood-proof level with the fill from the new channel. This island is now Vienna's largest recreation center with beaches, swimming areas, cycling paths, charcoal grills, boat rentals, playgrounds, sports facilities, and so on ( Copa Cagrana). River navigation on the Danube is operated from the Schwedenbrücke landing on the Danube Canal in the first district (local sightseeing excursions) and the Reichsbrücke landing in the second district (travel to other parts of Austria and international cruises). Danube Park and Danube Tower = Donaupark, Donauturm, 22nd district, Wagramer Strasse / Arbeiterstrandbadstrasse / DonauturmstrasseThis large park was once a garbage dump. For the Vienna International Horticultural Exposition of 1964, it was graded, landscaped and planted; the Danube Tower, several halls and a restaurant were built; and walking and cycling paths, ponds, and playgrounds were laid out. The Danube Tower measures 827 feet; two express elevators carry passengers in 45 seconds to the observation platform 558 feet above the ground. Above the platform are a café and a restaurant, both revolving. The platform, the café and the restaurant provide a fine view of the Danube River, the city and the Vienna Woods. Near Wagramer Strasse, the Vienna International Centre (UNO-City) was inaugurated in 1979; the Austria Center Vienna, Austria's largest convention hall, in 1987.Giant Ferris Wheel = Riesenrad, 2nd district, PraterIn 1896-97, the English engineering firm of Walter Basset built the Giant Ferris Wheel, which has become one of the most recognizable symbols of Vienna (other ferris wheels they had built in Chicago, London, Blackpool and Paris have long since been scrapped). In the final days of World War II, all the gondolas were destroyed by bombs and fire; operation was resumed in 1947 with half the former number of gondolas. The wheel, with its 15 gondolas, turns at a rate of two and a half feet per second and offers a magnificent panoramic view of the city; the diameter of the Giant Ferris Wheel is 200 feet. It has achieved immortality in the Graham Greene/Carol Reed film The Third Man, starring Orson Welles and Joseph Cotton. Haydn's Residence = Haydn-Gedenkstätte, 6th district, Haydngasse 19The composer Joseph Haydn, born in 1732 in Rohrau in Lower Austria, was a choirboy in St. Stephen's Cathedral, later principal conductor of Prince Esterházy and, above all, a composer renowned throughout Europe. One of his works, created in 1796-97, is well-known even to non-music lovers: the melody of the former Austrian national anthem, dedicated to Emperor Francis, which, since 1922, has been the melody of the Deutschlandlied, the German national anthem. Haydn bought this house in 1793 between two journeys to England, had the second floor added on and lived in it from 1797 until his death in 1809. His two oratorios, The Creation and The Seasons, were composed here. The house has been turned into a museum (a branch of the Historical Museum of the City of Vienna). It also contains a memorial room to Johannes Brahms.Heldenplatz and the Palace Gates = Heldenplatz, BurgtorIn this area, there was once a heavily fortified section of the city walls of Vienna, protecting the older parts of the Imperial Palace. Outside the walls in the present location of Heldenplatz, the Ring and the two large museums ( Museum of Fine Arts and Museum of Natural History), a glacis was maintained, open meadows without any cover for approaching enemies who were then within unobstructed firing range from the walls and bastions. When Napoleon occupied Vienna in 1809, he ordered the razing of the old Palace Bastion. The outer Palace Gates were built from 1821 to 1824 and converted to Austria's Monument of the Unknown Soldier, a World War I memorial, in 1933-34. Anton Fernkorn was the sculptor of the two equestrian statues, one commemorating Archduke Charles who, in 1809, defeated Napoleon in the battle of Aspern, thus shattering the myth of invincibility the French Emperor had cultivated (monument completed in 1859); the other dedicated to Prince Eugene of Savoy, the great military commander whose major victories between 1697 and 1717 played a decisive role in driving the Turks from central Europe once and for all (monument completed in 1865). While Hitler held a well-orchestrated triumphal rally on Heldenplatz on March 15, 1938, following the forcible annexation of Austria into the German Reich, Austrian opponents of the Nazis were being rounded up and loaded on trains destined for German concentration camps. A metal cross next to the outer Palace Gates commemorates the visit to Vienna by Pope John Paul II in 1983. Standing on Heldenplatz with your back to the Imperial Palace, you have a sweeping panoramic view which encompasses, from left to right, the Museums of Fine Arts and Natural History, Palais Epstein Parliament, City Hall, Volksgarten, Burgtheater and the Chancellor's Office. Hermes Villa, 13th district, Lainz Game Preserve (Lainzer Tiergarten; access from Hermesstrasse)This small mansion was built between 1882 and 1886 for Empress Elisabeth (1837_1898), Emperor Francis Joseph's wife. The name is derived from a marble statue of Hermes on the garden level. After 1945, the building decayed considerably, but in the 1970s it was completely restored and faithfully rebuilt in the original style. The Historical Museum of the City of Vienna uses the Hermes Villa for special exhibitions. Since 1981, the villa's stables have been used as summer quarters for Lipizzan stallions from the Spanish Riding School. HeurigerHeuriger is a uniquely Viennese institution. The term refers both to this year's wine (or, more precisely, to wine from the last vintage) and to the vintners' taverns which dispense this wine. Old privileges, renewed by Emperor Joseph II in 1784 and incorporated into the laws of modern Vienna, grant Vienna's vintners the right to serve the wine they have cultivated and processed themselves in their own taverns. A bunch of pine twigs or a small pine wreath on the front of the house indicates that the tavern is open. The Schrammel musicians in the taverns derive their name from the brothers Johann and Josef Schrammel, famous about 100 years ago as collectors of old Viennese folk songs, composers of new ones and great performers of both; their original quartet (two violins, a guitar and a clarinet) has been reduced to a duo of guitar and accordion. Many local connoisseurs prefer their Heurigen without music. Vienna's Heurigen areas dot the edge of the city. These outlying districts have largely retained their village atmosphere and character although they have, administratively, long been within the city limits. Grinzing is internationally famous, but the pine boughs are also hung out at Sievering, Neustift am Wald, Salmannsdorf, Heiligenstadt, Nussdorf, Kahlenbergerdorf, Stammersdorf, Strebersdorf, Gross-Jedlersdorf, Hernals, Ottakring, Mauer and Oberlaa.Imperial Burial Vault, Church of the Capuchin Friars = Kaisergruft, Kapuzinerkirche, 1st district, Neuer Markt The Imperial Burial Vault lies below the Capuchin Church, which was built between 1622 and 1632. The façade was restored in 1935-36, following old illustrations. With one exception, only members of the ruling dynasty of Austria, the House of Habsburg, have been buried here since 1633. The glorious double casket of Maria Theresa and her husband, Emperor Francis I, sculpted by B. F. Moll, is of particular artistic merit. The simple coffin of their son, Joseph II, on the other hand, presents a stark contrast. Francis Joseph, in 1916, was the last emperor entombed here. In 1989, a solemn funeral was held for Empress Zita, the widow of Emperor Charles I, who had reigned from 1916 to 1918. To this day, the Capuchin friars are the guardians and caretakers of the vault. According to tradition, from 1654 to 1878, the hearts of the Habsburgs were entombed in a special vault in the Church of the Augustinian Friars.Imperial Palace = Hofburg, 1st district, Michaelerplatz/Josefsplatz/Heldenplatz/BallhausplatzThe Imperial Palace was the residence of the Habsburg emperors until 1918. Originally a medieval castle, of which only the chapel has survived to this day, the residence of the court was expanded and made ever more lavish as the power of the Habsburgs grew and the territory of their dominions increased. The Palace Stables and Amalia's Wing were added in the 16th century, Leopold's Wing in the 17th century and the Imperial Chancery Wing, the Court Library and the Spanish Winter Riding School in the 18th century, giving Josefsplatz its present appearance; the monument to Emperor Joseph II (1780_1790), imitating the statue of Marcus Aurelius in Rome, was unveiled in 1807. In the 19th century, on the plot on which the old Court Theater had stood (along with other areas), the vast complex was harmonically completed on its northeast end on Michaelerplatz by the addition of St. Michael's Wing. In the last building period, about 1900, the New Palace was created; it is one part of a grand design that envisioned another mirror-image wing symmetrically arranged on the other side of Heldenplatz and archways to tie in the two great museums to form a magnificent Imperial Forum _ alas, the empire ended before these plans could be carried out. Today, the Imperial Palace houses the offices of the Austrian president, an international convention center, several museums and state rooms which are open to the public, the chapel where the Vienna Boys' Choir sings mass on Sundays and religious holidays, the hall in which the Lipizzan stallions of the Spanish Riding School perform, and various official and private apartments.Swiss Courtyard = SchweizerhofThis oldest part of the Imperial Palace was first documented in 1279. Around this courtyard, there was a square structure, a fortified castle with corner towers and a moat (vestiges of the latter can be seen in front of the Swiss Gate, built 1552-53 in the Renaissance style). From the courtyard, you enter the Treasuries and the Chapel of the Imperial Palace. Both the courtyard and the gate get their names from the bodyguard of Swiss mercenaries who used to guard this innermost area; Swiss guards were held in high esteem by many medieval sovereigns; the Popes have retained theirs to this day.Secular and Ecclesiastical Treasuries = Weltliche und Geistliche SchatzkammerIn this, the most important treasury in the world, the most magnificent individual treasures are the imperial crown of the Holy Roman Empire (crafted around 962), the crown of the Austrian Empire (1602, before 1804 merely the family crown of the Habsburgs), the Burgundian treasure (15th century) and the treasure of the Order of the Golden Fleece. Among the heirlooms of the Habsburg family (which cannot be sold), the most unusual pieces may well be a 4th-century agate bowl and the 96-inch horn of the unicorn, both of which have remained in the treasury for more than 500 years. Imperial Chancery Wing = ReichskanzleitraktCommissioned by Emperor Charles VI, Maria Theresa's father, this wing was begun in 1723 by Lukas von Hildebrandt and completed between 1726 and 1730 by another great architect of the Baroque period, Joseph Emanuel Fischer von Erlach. The most important apartments can be visited in the course of a tour of the state rooms. The statues by Lorenzo Mattielli represent the labors of Hercules. The monument to Emperor Francis (Francis II as the last emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and then Francis I as first sovereign of the new Austrian Empire proclaimed in 1804; he reigned from 1792 to 1835) in the spacious courtyard (called In der Burg) was erected between 1842 and 1846.State Rooms of the Imperial Palace = Kaiserappartements In the Imperial Chancery Wing, the following rooms are accessible to the public as part of a tour of the imperial apartments: the apartments for officers on duty with the imperial staff; the great audience hall with a painting by the Biedermeier master Peter Krafft; the conference room in which the council of ministers and the crown council met; and the private rooms of Emperor Francis Joseph (ruled 1848_1916). In Amalia's Wing, the private apartments of Empress Elisabeth, Francis Joseph's wife, the apartments of Alexander (Czar Alexander the First lived there during the Congress of Vienna) and the dining room of the imperial family form part of the tour. The rich decoration of the rooms with stucco work in the Rococo style, the valuable 17th- and 18th-century tapestries from Brussels, the chandeliers made of Bohemian crystal and the stoves with porcelain tiles are some of the particularly remarkable features. The 19th-century furniture is done in the style of Louis XV and the Empire. The state rooms may be reached from the square in the Imperial Palace called In der Burg.Court Tableware and Silver Depot = Hofsilber- und TafelkammerEntrance at the square in the Imperial Palace called In der BurgThe table decorations, centerpieces, trays, serving bowls, serving pieces, place settings, silverware and other utensils on display here are proof of the great extent to which a meal at the imperial court was an affair of state, an occasion of splendor and pomp. Some of the most spectacular items are the Milan centerpiece, about 98 feet long; china from the Far East, Sèvres and Vienna; plates painted with elaborate panoramic views; glazed earthenware in the faience manner; goldsmiths' work, such as pitchers and bowls used by Emperor Francis Joseph for the ceremonies on Maundy Thursday, the Thursday before Easter; and the largest showpiece of a dinner set, vermeil table settings for 140 people.New Palace = Neue BurgThe most recent and, at the same time, most monumental section of the Imperial Palace is the New Palace, built from 1881 to 1913 as part of the design of an Imperial Forum which was doomed to remain incomplete when the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy disintegrated. The New Palace now houses the Ethnological Museum (entrance near Burgring), branches of the Museum of Fine Arts: the Ephesus Museum displaying art from classical antiquity in Asia Minor, the Collection of Arms which ranks as the second-largest in the world and the Collection of Historical Musical Instruments. The entrance to these branches of the Museum of Fine Arts and to the new reading rooms of the National Library is located behind the monument to Prince Eugene of Savoy on Heldenplatz.Palace Stables = StallburgThis wing was built before 1558 in the Renaissance style as a court building for Archduke Maximilian, remodeled in 1565 and later converted into stables and an art gallery. The building houses the stables for the Lipizzan stallions of the Spanish Riding School, which are not open to the public, and the Lipizzaner Museum.Kärntner Strasse, 1st districtKärntner Strasse street begins at Stock im Eisen near St. Stephen's Cathedral, passes the State Opera House at the Ring and ends on Karlsplatz. Since 1974, most of the street has been a pedestrian mall. It is the main thoroughfare of the Old Quarter and one of the most elegant shopping streets in the city. It is named after Carinthia (Kärnten), an Austrian state in the south of the country. There are fewer old buildings on Kärntner Strasse than on the side streets crossing it because it was widened during the latter part of the 19th century. The oldest remaining building is at No. 41, the Esterházy Palace (dating from mid-17th century), which now houses the Vienna gambling casino. At No. 26, the glass and crystal house of J. & L. Lobmeyr, founded in 1823, has set up a remarkable glass museum on the second floor of the store. Near the corner of Philharmonikerstrasse, behind the State Opera House, is the venerable Hotel Sacher with a small store which sells and ships the world-famous Original Sacher-Torte, a superb chocolate cake. Next door, at No. 38, is the Tourist Information Office of the Vienna Tourist Board. To separate pedestrian and vehicular traffic at the very busy intersection of Kärntner Strasse and the Ring, Vienna's first underground pedestrian mall, known as Opernpassage, was created in 1955. An extension of the mall toward Karlsplatz provides access to the Karlsplatz subway junction.Lainz Game Preserve = Lainzer Tiergarten, 13th district, HermesstrasseThis section of the Vienna Woods became one of the hunting preserves of the imperial court in 1557. In 1772, Maria Theresa ordered the construction of a 15-mile wall to enclose the park; the work was carried out after 1782. In 1919, the 9.7 square mile park was opened to the public, the city of Vienna acquired it in 1937, and in 1941 it was turned into a protected nature park. Wild boar, elk and deer roam the area freely; other rare mountain animals are kept in enclosures. There are 50 miles of walking paths, several restaurants, playgrounds and rest areas. Between the Lainz Gate on Hermesstrasse and Hermes Villa, signs along the path inform walkers about the flora, fauna and ecology of these woodlands; on Kaltbründl Hill (1,666 ft.), an observation platform affords a grand view over Vienna and the Vienna Woods. The entire park is open to the public free of charge from mid-February to mid-November, the section around Hermes Villa year-round. Cars, bicycles and dogs are not permitted inside the park.Museum of Fine Arts, Museum of Natural History = Kunsthistorisches Museum, Naturhistorisches Museum1st district, Burgring 5 and 7Vienna's two great museums were built by Gottfried Semper and Karl von Hasenauer as repositories for the vast collections then owned by the imperial family: the Museum of Fine Arts (Kunsthistorisches Museum) from 1872 to 1891 and the Museum of Natural History (Naturhistorisches Museum) from 1872 to 1881. With a few minor exceptions, Semper created the exteriors, von Hasenauer the interiors. The interior decoration was done by the leading artists of the era and features paintings by Makart, Munkaczy, Gustav and Ernst Klimt and others. Between the two museums stands the monument to Empress Maria Theresa, completed in 1887: the empress is surrounded in proper hierarchical formation by her advisers and generals as well as other eminent contemporaries (among others Gluck and Haydn, with Mozart as a child). Karl von Hasenauer designed the monument, the figures and reliefs were executed by Kaspar Zumbusch. The Museum of Fine Arts ranks among the richest and most important art collections in the world. The showpiece of the Egyptian-Oriental Collection is the complete and intact cult chamber of Prince Kaninisut. One of the outstanding items in the Classical Antiquity Collection is the Gemma Augustea, a magnificent work of ancient hieroglyphic art. The Sculpture and Applied Arts Collection prides itself on the famous golden salt cellar by Benvenuto Cellini. The unique Gallery of Paintings consists mainly of the collections accumulated by two art-loving members of the Habsburg family, Emperor Rudolph II in Prague and Archduke Leopold Wilhelm in Brussels, combined here and complemented by many other significant works of art; at the core of the museum's collection are paintings by Rubens, Rembrandt, Dürer, Raphael, Titian and Velazquez, as well as the most comprehensive collection of Brueghel's paintings in the world. Further collections: Numismatic Collection on the 3rd floor (2. Stock); Imperial Palace / Secular and Ecclesiastical Treasuries, New Palace, Imperial Palace/New Palace: Collection of Arms, Collection of Historcal Musical Instruments, Ephesus Museum, Harrach Palace: special exhibitions. The collections in the Museum of Natural History began with the private acquisitions of Francis Stephen of Lorraine (1708_1765), Maria Theresa's husband. Some of them, such as the collection of meteorites with well over 1,000 items, the paleontological collection with more than three million fossils and the entomological collection with more than six million insects, rank among the largest in the world. Skeletons of pre-historic animals and various fossils, the 25,000-year-old figurine of the Venus of Willendorf, a 260-pound giant topaz and Maria Theresa's bouquet of precious stones are some of the most remarkable pieces on display here. Museum of Military History = Heeresgeschichtliches Museum , 3rd district, ArsenalstrasseSeemingly romantic in its architectural appearance but designed as a fortress, the Arsenal (Armory) was built immediately after the revolution of 1848, from 1849 to 1856. It represents a cooperative effort of a number of the leading architects of the period: Ludwig Förster, Theophil Hansen, Eduard van der Nüll, Karl Rösner and August Sicardsburg. In the center of this sprawling complex is the Museum of Military History, designed by Hansen and Förster. The collections give a thorough and detailed overview of the development of Austrian military life since the beginning of the 17th century. Outstanding exhibits include the automobile in which Archduke Francis Ferdinand rode and the uniform he wore when he was assassinated at Sarajevo in June of 1914 (the event touched off World War I) and an excellent display dealing with the Austro-Hungarian navy.Austrian National Library = Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, 1st district, Josefsplatz 1Joseph Emanuel Fischer von Erlach executed a design by his father Johann Bernhard in the construction of the Court Library from 1723 to 1726. The Grand Hall with frescoes by Daniel Gran is the most spectacular of the many rooms; it can be visited only during designated hours. Frescoes by Johann Bergl decorate the historical Reading Room. On the top floor, the National Library's Museum of Globes is accessible to the public. The Large and Small Ballrooms, where the court held its masquerades, dances and other entertainment, adjoin the Court Library wing; their architect was reputed to be J. N. Jadot de Ville-Issey. The entrance to the new reading room and to the catalog section is on Heldenplatz, behind the monument to Prince Eugene of Savoy. Franz Anton Zauner sculpted the monument to Emperor Joseph II between 1795 and 1807. The reliefs on the pedestal show the advancement of agriculture and commerce by the emperor.Parliament = Parlament, 1st district, Dr.-Karl-Renner-Ring 3Theophil Hansen created the Parliament building, constructed from 1873 to 1883 in the style of the Greek Revival. He also created the Pallas Athena Fountain in front of it; this 15-foot figure of the Greek goddess of wisdom is by Karl Kundmann. Until 1918, the elected representatives serving in the Council of the Empire met here in legislative session for the Austrian half of the dual Austro-Hungarian Monarchy which extended from Galicia (now Polish and Ukrainian territory) all the way to Dalmatia (the Adriatic coast of modern-day Croatia). In modern Austria, this is the seat of both the National Council, the lower house of Austria's bicameral parliament whose representatives are elected by popular vote, and the Federal Council, whose members are chosen by the various states to serve in the upper house. To the left of Parliament is the Monument of the Republic, with statues of the prominent Social Democrats Jakob Reumann (mayor of Vienna from 1919 to 1923), Victor Adler (one of the ideological fathers of the Austrian republic and its foreign minister in 1918) and Ferdinand Hanusch (minister of social affairs from 1918 to 1920). To the right of Parliament is the Renner Memorial, dedicated to Dr. Karl Renner, Austria's chancellor at the establishment of the republic in 1918 and at its re-establishment in 1945 and president from 1945 to 1950.Plague Column = Pestsäule, 1st district, GrabenDuring the plague epidemic of 1679, Emperor Leopold I vowed to erect a memorial after the scourge subsided. In the same year, a temporary wooden column was erected. The work on the new stone-carved Trinity Column, consecrated in 1693, was done by a number of the leading artists of the time, among them the young Fischer von Erlach, L. O. Burnacini and Paul Strudel. This beautiful work became an example for many other such columns in Austria.Prater, PratersternThe woodlands along the banks of the Danube River were documented as early as the Middle Ages. After 1560, Emperor Maximilian II set up a game preserve in the Prater for the exclusive benefit of the imperial court. By decree of Emperor Joseph II, the Prater was opened to the general public in 1766. After that date, a number of amusement arcades and restaurants sprang up in the park, predominantly in the section close to Praterstern, giving rise to the Wurstelprater amusement park. The landmark of the Prater is the 220-foot tall Giant Ferris Wheel (Riesenrad) built in 1897. Next to the wheel is the terminal of the Lilliputian Railroad (Liliputbahn), a 2.6-mile amusement park line on a gauge of 15 inches, providing transportation to the Trade Fair Grounds (Messegelände), the Stadium, and the Prater Museum, which contains mementos of old-style entertainment. In addition to traditional amusements, such as tunnels of love, merry-go-rounds, shooting arcades, and so on, there are modern rides _ roller coasters, bumper cars, go-carts and others _ and all kinds of arcade games from pinball machines on up. Numerous food stalls and restaurants complete the picture. In the sprawling park landscape of woods, meadows and ponds to the southeast of the amusement park, there are major facilities for sports and recreation, such as the Krieau harness racing track, the velodrome named for Austrian cyclist Ferry Dusika; the Ernst Happel Stadium (named for a soccer star), a soccer and track-and-field facility completed in 1931, with the spectator area covered by a roof in 1986; the Stadionbad public swimming pools; the Freudenau race track and golf course; various horseback riding clubs and the Lusthaus.Ring Boulevard = Ringstrasse, 1st district, Stubenring / Parkring / Schubertring / Kärntner Ring / Opernring / Burgring / Dr.-Karl-Renner-Ring / Dr.-Karl-Lueger-Ring / SchottenringIn 1857, Emperor Francis Joseph (ruled 1848_1916) ordered the demolition of the city walls which had outlived their usefulness as military fortifications and were hemming in the growing city. In the area where the walls and the glacis (a defensive area outside the city walls) had been, the Ring Boulevard was laid out between 1858 and 1865, a 2.5-mile-long, 187-foot-wide thoroughfare befitting the capital of an empire of 50 million people (at the time, the United States had a population of about 32 million), with walkways, riding paths and a roadway separated by four lines of trees. In the following decades, an array of lavish public and private buildings were built along the Ring, representing a cross-section of architectural styles through the ages. On a walk from Stubenring to Schottenring (the Ring actually has nine different street addresses), you see the following buildings and points of interest: Post Office Savings Bank, former Ministry of War (ehemaliges k. u. k. Kriegsministerium) with the equestrian Statue of Marshal Radetzky in front, Museum of Applied Arts, monument to former mayor Dr. Karl Lueger, Stadtpark, Johann Strauss monument, Schwarzenbergplatz (Schwarzenberg Palace), State Opera House, monuments to Goethe and Schiller, Burggarten, Imperial Palace, Museum of Fine Arts and Museum of Natural History, monument to Maria Theresa, Heldenplatz and the Palace Gates, Volksgarten, Epstein Palace, Monument of the Republic, Parliament, City Hall, Burgtheater, University, Mölker Bastei Beethoven / Pasqualati House, Liebenberg Monument, Votive Church, Stock Exchange (Börse), Deutschmeister Monument, Ring Tower (Ringturm).St. Stephen's Cathedral = Stephansdom, 1st district, StephansplatzThe oldest remaining parts of Saint Stephen's, the Giant Gate (Riesentor) and the Towers of the Heathens (Heidentürme) are in Romanesque in style and date from the 13th century. Duke Rudolph IV of Habsburg ordered the complete restructuring of the church in Gothic style (this and the establishment of the University earned him the sobriquet the Founder) and, in 1359, laid the cornerstone of the nave with its two aisles. The South Tower (Südturm), 448 feet high, was completed in 1433 (the Viennese have given it the nickname Steffl, which also denotes the whole cathedral). In 1469, Emperor Frederick III, who was later buried in the cathedral, persuaded the Pope to make Vienna, until then under the spiritual guidance of Passau, an independent diocese. After 1511, building of the North Tower (Nordturm), 224 feet high, ceased; the unfinished Gothic tower was capped with a makeshift Renaissance spire from 1556 to 1578. During the 17th and 18th century, the cathedral was decorated with Baroque altarpieces _ the panel of the main altar shows the stoning of its namesake St. Stephen, the first martyr of Christendom. In the final days of World War II, the church was virtually gutted by fire. The people of Vienna and all of the Austrian states contributed to the reconstruction, and the cathedral was reopened in 1948. St. Stephen's Cathedral, Austria's most eminent Gothic edifice, houses a wealth of art treasures, some of which can only be seen during a guided tour: the red-marble sepulcher of Emperor Frederick III, sculpted from 1467 to 1513 by Niclas Gerhaert van Leyden; the pulpit, a work from 1514-15 by Anton Pilgram (who put his own relief portrait underneath it as his signature); the Altarpiece of Wiener Neustadt (Wiener Neustädter Altar), a Gothic winged altar from 1447 _ and the tomb of Prince Eugene of Savoy, dating from 1754. In the North Tower, Austria's largest bell, known as the Boomer Bell (Pummerin), has found its home (there is an express elevator to the observation platform _ skip this great view if you are araid of heights!): the forerunner of this giant bell was cast from the material of the Turkish guns left behind in the retreat ending the siege of 1683 and was suspended in the South Tower; in the fire of 1945, it fell and shattered; the new bell, with a diameter of more than 10 feet and a weight of more than 47,000 pounds, is only rung on very special occasions, such as to mark midnight on New Year's Eve. Next to the North Tower elevator is the entrance to the catacombs underneath the cathedral, an underground burial place which contains the mausoleum of the bishops, the tombs of Duke Rudolph the Founder and 14 other members of the Habsburg family, and 56 urns with the intestines of the Habsburgs which died between 1564 and 1878. Imperial Burial Vault. In the South Tower, the 343 steps of a tight spiral staircase lead up to the watchman's lookout 246 feet above street level; it was once used as a fire warden's station but now serves as an observation point.Schönbrunn Palace = Schloss Schönbrunn, 13th district, Schönbrunner Schloss-StrasseIn 1559, Emperor Maximilian II purchased a mansion on the outskirts of the city, situated in a popular imperial game preserve in order to have an elaborate hunting lodge built. After the destruction of the hunting lodge by the Turks in 1683, J. B. Fischer von Erlach, by order of Emperor Leopold I, designed a grand new building on the hill where the Gloriette now stands. This plan, however, was abandoned as too costly. By 1713, a simplified version was essentially completed on the current site. Nikolaus Pacassi, from 1744 to 1749, created the present exterior during an adaptation commissioned by Empress Maria Theresa, who lived here with her husband, Emperor Francis I, and their 16 children. During his campaigns against Austria in 1805 and in 1809, Napoleon, Emperor of France, set up his quarters in Schönbrunn while his troops occupied Vienna. Napoleon's son from his marriage to Archduchess Maria Louise of Austria, the Duke of Reichstadt, died here in 1832 at the age of 21 (he was also known as King of Rome, Napoleon II and l'aiglon, the eaglet). Schönbrunn Palace was generally used as the summer residence of the Habsburgs. For the time, it was a fair distance away from the city out in the woods and meadows; in the winters, the imperial family stayed at the Imperial Palace (Hofburg). Only Emperor Francis Joseph (ruled 1848_1916), who was born here in 1830, and liked to live the same Spartan life he imposed on the soldiers of his army, spent the last years of his life entirely at Schönbrunn. In 1918, the palace became the property of the new republic. Owing to its historical importance, its beautiful location, its magnificent architecture and the splendid layout of its gardens, this palace is among the very top sights in Vienna. 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 harmonous design. The living quarters and offices used by Emperor Francis Joseph are simple and very unpretentious; by contrast, the state rooms and guestrooms are much more lavish. The Room of Millions, paneled 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. Many important events in history have taken place in the rooms of Schönbrunn Palace. In 1772, six-year-old child prodigy Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart gave a concert in the Hall of Mirrors. In the Round Chinese Room, Maria Theresa held secret conferences with her Chancellor, Prince Kaunitz. Napoleon met with his generals in the Vieux Laque Room. In the Blue Chinese Salon, Emperor Charles I signed his abdication of the crown in 1918, marking the end of 640 years of Habsburg dominion in Austria and the demise of the monarchy. 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. The Imperial Coach Collection (Wagenburg) in one of the secondary wings of the palace contains about 60 historical coaches, carriages, sleighs and sedan chairs from the years between 1690 and 1917, plus ceremonial harnesses, riding outfits, saddle blankets, coachmen's liveries and paintings of horses and coaches. The centerpiece of the collection is the gilded and lavishly decorated 8,800-pound Imperial Coach, which was drawn by eight horses in coronation parades. The gardens of Schönbrunn Palace, with their spectacular, ever-changing designs of seasonal flowers, stretches between the front of the palace and the Neptune Fountain. Behind the fountain rises the hill bearing Gloriette on its crest, a graceful structure of arches built to commemorate the victory in the battle of Kolin (1757) over Frederick II of Prussia. Since 1995, the Gloriette, as in the times of Maria Theresa, is protected from the elements by glass windows. It now contains a café, wich is open to the public all year round. The Baroque Palace Theater of Schönbrunn was restored in 1979-80; it offers performances each summer. There is a very interesting palm house (Palmenhaus), a very decorative steel-and-glass structure from 1883, the Butterfly House (Schmetterlinghaus), featuring tropical butterflies and the Zoo (Tiergarten).Franz Schubert's Birthplace = Schuberts Geburtshaus, 9th district, Nussdorfer Strasse 54Franz Schubert was born in this 18th-century house on January 31, 1797 and spent the first years of his life here. This typically Viennese building contains an open wooden staircase in its inner courtyard, leading to Schubert's apartment. The building contains the Schubert Museum, a branch of the Historical Museum of the City of Vienna.Franz Schubert's Last Residence = Schuberts Sterbehaus, 4th district, Kettenbrückengasse 6This building contains Franz Schubert's last residence. The room in which he died on November 19, 1828 has been turned into a memorial.Secession, 1st district, Friedrichstrasse 12In 1897 a number of artists broke their ties with Künstlerhaus, the association and gallery of Vienna's art establishment which they considered intolerably conservative, seceded and formed a new art association with the name of Secession and the motto, "To the Age, its Art. To Art, its Freedom." In 1898, Joseph Maria Olbrich, a student of Otto Wagner, erected an Art Nouveau gallery building for the new association. In 1985-86, the cupola of the Secession was gilded anew and the Secession was renovated and adapted under the guidance of Adolf Krischanitz. The 112-foot Beethoven Frieze, a virtuoso pictorial interpretation of the 9th Symphony, created by Gustav Klimt for the Beethoven Exhibition of 1902, is on permanent display in a new room on the basement level. State Opera House = Staatsoper, 1st district, Opernring 2August von Sicardsburg and Eduard van der Nüll built the Court Opera House from 1863 to 1869. The initial reception of their architectural concept was so negative that van der Nüll took his own life; Sicardsburg also died two months later. After its near-total destruction at the end of World War II in 1945, the state opera was rebuilt according to original plans and re-opened in 1955. The Vienna State Opera, with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in the pit, is ranked as one of the leading opera houses of the world. A listing of some of its directors is dazzling: Gustav Mahler (1897_1907), Richard Strauss (1919_1924), Clemens Krauss (1929_1934), Karl Böhm (1954_1956), Herbert von Karajan (1956_1964), Lorin Maazel (1982_1984) and Claudio Abbado (1986_1991). The regular opera season begins September 1 and runs through almost 300 performances virtually every night through June 30. Tickets for opera performances should be ordered in advance as early as possible to assure seats on any given evening. The box office of the State Opera and other federal theaters (Bundestheaterkassen) is located in the next block (entrance from Albertinaplatz, Hanuschgasse 3). On a certain Thursday night every February, the stage, the orchestra pit and the main-floor seating are transformed into a huge dance floor, flowers cascade from the boxes, more than 100 debutantes in long white gowns with their escorts, in white tie and tails, go through the well-rehearsed moves of the opening polonaise; the president of Austria inaugurates the event, and the first public dance is always a left-hand waltz: it is, of course, Vienna's celebrated Opera Ball (Opernball), the high point of Europe's ball season. U-BahnThe Viennese subway system (U-Bahn) at present consists of five lines spanning 56 kilometers and containing 79 stations. Part of it runs along the lines of the Viennese Stadtbahn which was built before 1900 ( Wagner-Stadtbahn-Pavillons). The lines U1 (1969_1982) and U3 (started in 1983, projected to be finished by 2000), running straight through the center of the city, and the outer branches of the U6 to Siebenhirten (1991_1995) and Floridsdorf (1991_1996) were newly built; the U2 line was used by Viennese tramways until 1980. With Vienna's subway, one may reach, among others St. Stephens' and the Inner City (U1, U3: Stephansplatz); Schönbrunn Palace (U4: Schönbrunn); the Imperial Palace (U3: Herrengasse; U2, U3: Volkstheater); the Museum of Fine Arts (U2: Babenbergerstraße; U3: Volkstheater); the State Opera House, the National Library, St. Charles Borromeo, Secession (U1, U2, U4: Karlsplatz); Stadtpark, Johann-Strauss-monument (U4: Stadtpark); Danube Island, Copa Cagrana (U1: Donauinsel); Prater and Giant Ferris wheel (U1: Praterstern). University = Universität, 1st district, Dr.-Karl-Lueger-RingThe University of Vienna is the oldest in what is now German-speaking Europe, and, after Prague and Cracow, the third-oldest university in central Europe. Duke Rudolph IV, the Founder, established it in 1365. Heinrich von Ferstel designed the present main building in a style influenced by the Italian Renaissance; it was constructed between 1873 and 1884. Under the arcades of the main courtyard, one can find monuments to many outstanding säcientists and teachers, among them the bust of Maria Theresa's personal physician Gerhard van der Swieten (1769, by Franz Xaver Messerschmidt), the statue of the surgeon Theodor Billroth (1894, by Kaspar Zumbusch) as well as monuments to Anton Bruckner, Sigmund Freud (1955, by P. Königsberger) and Karl Landsteiner.Zoo = Tiergarten Schönbrunn, 13th district, Schönbrunner Schlosspark (near the Hietzinger Tor entrance)Emperor Francis I, Maria Teresa's husband, commissioned the world's oldest zoo in 1752 as an entertaining and educational menagerie for the court. Quite a few of the Baroque buildings still exist, but the animals are now accommodated in up-to-date enclosures which correspond better to their natural habitats. The zoo contains specimens of thousands of species, from domestic animals to exotic rarities. In the historical center of the circular layout is the Imperial Breakfast Pavilion (1759).ú„&Hb#ô=àI3=R0ÇH]G†0ám˃ö5×D?8*b `p—^^WNH,¤9B>B¿÷D“Gød×Y[\¡=R0½µµˆCÎU_YT[ˆ-:¥,=ùhï"Word.app C"˜CщÁÓ