Vienna architecture
spans the gamut from Gothic to Baroque to Rococo and for those of us who like
all sorts of architecture, it was eye-candy. Some of this architecture dates
back to
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Examples of different sorts of architecture plus a
rabbit and a man on a clock for whimsy |
when Vienna was a Roman military camp during the 1st century;
even today there are streets show evidence of the encampment’s walls and moats.
The Romans hung around until the 5th century when a fire destroyed
the encampment but didn’t discourage the settlers who had been steadily
arriving from Germany, Slavic and Russian areas. Vienna continued to develop as
a gateway to trade routes and a staging area for troops going off to fight wars
throughout the Middle Ages. The capture of Richard
the Lionhearted at the end of the 12th century and his subsequent
ransom to Duke Leopold V the Virtuous for 10 to 12 tons of silver allowed the
creation of a mint and the construction of city walls. Pride of place
vacillated between Prague and Vienna with each city competing with the other
for the holy seat and the political power that accompanied the honor. The
distinction of founder of the city goes to Rudolf IV of Austria. His sensible
economic policies raised the level of prosperity as did the establishment of the
University of Vienna in 1365 and the construction of the gothic nave in the
Stephansdom which was a symbolic substitute for a bishop. Under German King
Albert II, Vienna became the capital of the Holy Roman Empire, and in about
1441 he tossed out the Jewish population of Vienna supporting the anti-Semitism
that has been present ever since. Political upheavals continued through this
city’s history with the inevitable destruction and restoration of buildings. In
both of the World Wars, Vienna was on the losing side, finally being occupied
by allied troops in 1945. Vienna was then divided into five occupation zones among
France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, and with the
city center (first district) being patrolled by all four. Since 1955, the
country regained its political independence and sovereignty; it now serves as a
political center in Europe with more than 17,000 diplomats. Its city center is a
UNESCO World Heritage Site
making it a tourist hub.
We began our visit at Maria Teresa’s house, the Schönbrunn
Palace. Although this was the Imperial Summer Residence, as hot as it was
in Vienna when we visited, I wondered
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Top L to R: Neptune's Fountain, Janus and Bellona, Gloriette
Bottom: Schönbrunn Palace |
whether this shouldn’t have been the
winter palace. The building reminded me a great deal of the palaces I’d seen in
Russia (see Underground
Art) with its numerous bedrooms, ballrooms, dining rooms, waiting rooms and
lots of other rooms – in this case 1,441 rooms in total. Built in the early 17th
Century but rebuilt and remodeled by Marie Theresa in the 1740s. She was one of
the most prolific monarchs, bearing 16 children, most of them girls who she
married off to the princes around Europe. This gave Maria Teresa the unofficial
title as ‘mother-in-law to Europe’. Her daughters became the Queen of France,
the Queen of Naples and Sicily, the Duchess of Parma, and her five sons, included
two Holy Roman Emperors, Joseph II and Leopold II. While the castle was
impressive, the gardens were even more so. I particularly liked the Neptune
Fountain set into the hillside. This sculptured water feature was designed by Johann Ferdinand Hetzendorf von Hohenberg. The
fountain sits just below a 200 foot hill, which is topped by the Gloriette;
this was supposed to be the entrance to the palace at one time, but Maria
Theresa wanted it to represent a ‘Just War’ won by the Hapsburgs. There are
many other sculptures in the garden, all of them Roman in origin.
One of the other places I particularly wanted to
see what the Belvedere Museum. It is
housed in part of the Belvedere Palace and although smaller than the Louvre in
Paris, still
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Top L to R: Belvedere Palace, Cinnabar statue, Belevedere Gardens
Bottom L to R: Baroque sculpture, Three Graces, Entrance hall |
takes the better part of a day to see the art in all of the
buildings. The Belvedere actually consists of the Upper and Lower palaces, the
Orangery, and the Palace Stables. The tiered fountains and cascades, Baroque
sculptures, and wrought iron gates decorate the gentle gradient on which the complex
was built as a summer residence for Prince Eugene of Savoy (1663–1736) by the famous
Baroque architect, Johann
Lucas von Hildebrandt. It is now listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The
art collection dates from the Middle Ages to the present day, and is
complemented by the works of international artists. Of course, being set in
rooms of state only enhances the presentation of these works. The collection of
Gustav Klimt was what had drawn me to this particular museum and I wasn’t
disappointed. Two of his pictures are perhaps his most well-known. The Portrait
of Adele Bloch-Bauer I came to the forefront with the popularization of the
book and movie, The Woman in
Gold. Of course this painting was not in the museum, but ‘The Kiss’ was. I had seen
pictures of piece, but I had no idea how large it is nor just how shiny.
Painted during his ‘golden phase’ it is quite amazing. There were two other
paintings that I really liked. One was ‘Judith’ and the other was
‘Portrait
of Fritza Riedler’; both of these emphasize Klimt’s favorite subject, the
female body.
Of course, the centerpiece, both literally and
figuratively, of Vienna is Saint
Stephan’s Cathedral, the mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of
Vienna and the seat of the Archbishop of Vienna, Christoph Cardinal Schönborn,
OP. This Romanesque and Gothic monolith dominates the skyline and sits in the
center of the old town. Its placement is
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Top L to R:Spire, High Alter, Blackened stones
Bottom L to R: Roof tiles, Capistran Chancel, Hapsburg Eagles |
particularly nice when you’re trying
to find your way through the maze of streets; just look along the housetops and
you’ll usually see the steeple of the church. Built of limestone, the cathedral
is 351 feet long, 130 feet wide, and 446 feet tall at its highest point; it
stands on the ruins of two earlier churches, the earliest of which was
consecrated in 1147. One of its most striking characteristics is its ornately
patterned roof made up of 230,000 glazed tiles. On the south side of the
building the tiles form a mosaic of the double-headed eagle symbolizing the
rein of the Habsburg dynasty. The north side displays the coats of arms of the
City of Vienna and of the Republic of Austria. The roof is so steep that it is
cleansed by the rain and is rarely covered by snow. The rest of the building
isn’t as clean. Over the centuries, soot and air pollution have accumulated on
the exterior walls, giving them a black color. Recently restoration projects
have returned some portions to their original white, which is one reason that the
area around the cathedral is under construction. However, visitors can still
get inside, and the inside is worth seeing. The high alter, is a baroque
carving designed by Tobias Pock that tells the story of Saint Stephan’s
stoning. Flanking the nave are chapels dedicated to saints that include works
of art, and the pulpit, a late Gothic design, sits on one of the main pillars
positioned so that the audience can hear the sermon.
Vienna was a wonderful city and the brief time we spent
there certainly wasn’t enough. I can’t wait to go back and see all of the
things I missed. Next week I’ll write about two of the towns we visited while
on a brief, but lovely, cruise down the Danube.
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