Vienna Guide
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April 22—24, 2015, Vienna, Austria Hotel Park Royal Palace Vienna Guide SIGHTSEEING Vienna is old, Vienna is new… and the sights are so varied: from the magnificent Baroque buildings to “golden” Art Nouveau to the latest architecture. And over 100 museums beckon… ALBERTINA The Albertina has the largest and most valuable graphical collection in the world, including works such as Dürer’s “Hare” and Klimt‘s studies of women. Its latest exhibition presents masterpieces of the Modern era, spanning from Monet to Picasso and Baselitz. As the largest Hapsburg residential palace, the Albertina dominates the southern tip of the Imperial Palace on one of the last remaining fortress walls in Vienna. ANKER CLOCK This clock (built 1911–14) was created by the painter and sculptor Franz von Matsch and is a typical Art Nouveau design. It forms a bridge between the two parts of the Anker Insurance Company building. In the course of 12 hours, 12 historical figures (or pairs of figures) move across the bridge. Every day at noon, the figures parade, each accompanied by music from its era. AUGARTEN PORCELAIN MANUFacTORY Founded in 1718, the Vienna Porcelain Manufactory is the second-oldest in Europe. Now as then, porcelain continues to be made and painted by hand. Each piece is thus unique. A tour of the manufactory in the former imperial pleasure palace at Augarten gives visitors an idea of how much love for detail goes into the making of each individual piece. The designs of Augarten have been created in cooperation with notable artists since the manufactory was established. Young designers work on modern shapes and minimalist decoration, while simultaneously continuing the almost 300-year-old tradition. BELVEDERE See Gustav Klimt‘s legendary painting „The Kiss“ as well as major works by Egon Schiele and Oskar Kokoschka for yourself. You’ll be delighted by the magnificent Baroque palace complex and its extensive gardens. Prince Eugene of Savoy (1663–1736), successful general and art connoisseur, had Belvedere garden palace built by Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt as his summer residence – at the time it was still outside the gates of the city. This Baroque architectural jewel consists of two palaces (Upper and Lower Belvedere), which today house Austrian art from the Middle Ages to the present. 1 Vienna Guide IMPERIAL BURIAL VaULT (IMPERIAL CRYPt) The Imperial Crypt is located beneath the Capuchin Church and is intended for members of Austria’s former Habsburg dynasty, who have been laid to rest in the crypt since 1633. 149 Habsburgs, including 12 emperors and 19 empresses and queens, have their final resting place here. The magnificent double sarcophagus of Maria Theresia and her husband, Emperor Franz I. Stephan von Lothringen, is a work by Balthasar Ferdinand Moll. In strong contrast to this is the plain sarcophagus of her son Joseph II. The last emperor to be buried here was Franz Joseph I (1916). The sarcophaguses of Empress Elisabeth and Crown Prince Rudolf are situated in the crypt, which is looked after by Capuchin monks. The hearts of the Habsburgs were buried in the Heart Crypt of the Church of the Augustinian Friars from 1654 to 1878. THE DaNUBE TOWER 826 feet high, with two express elevators that take you to the rotating restaurant for a splendid view (at 564 feet) within 35 seconds: this is the Danube Tower, one of Vienna‘s most impressive landmarks. From the top, enjoy an excellent view of Vienna‘s old city and the Vienna Woods, as well as the environs of the city (weather permitting). The Danube Tower was built in 1964 on the occasion of the Vienna International Garden Show, of which the Danube Park is a lasting reminder. In the park, large meadows, extensive jogging paths, playgrounds and pretty flower beds form a lovely environment in which to relax. THE GIANT FERRIS WHEEL You may want to visit this landmark of Vienna in the footsteps of the immortal movie “The Third Man” or simply enjoy the view of the city from almost 200 feet up. One thing is certain – only when you have taken a ride on the Riesenrad are you really in Vienna! The Giant Ferris Wheel is open year round and is one of the most frequented attractions in the metropolis on the Danube. At the entrance to the Prater amusement park, Ferris Wheel Square was redesigned in 2008 and is now is a nostalgic theme world reminiscent of Prater in the year 1900. IMPERIAL PALacE – HOFBURG For more than seven centuries, the great empire of the Habsburgs was ruled from the Imperial Palace. Today, the Gothic Imperial Chapel, where the Vienna Boys’ Choir performs during High Mass on Sunday, is a remnant of the Imperial Palace during the Middle Ages. In the center of the old city, you can admire the splendor and magnificence of the daily life of the noblest family of the Habsburg monarchy when you visit the private apartments and state rooms. Numerous galleries and collections represent the imperial family’s passion for art. The Imperial Palace, which until 1918 was inhabited by the imperial family, was originally a castle built in the 13th century, which was extended to a splendid residence in accordance with the increasing power of the Habsburgs and the expansion of their realm. Today, the Imperial Palace houses the office of the President of Austria, as well as an important congress center and numerous art collections. 2 Vienna Guide KUNSTHISTORISCHES MUSEUM The Kunsthistorisches Museum (Art History Museum) was built in 1891 near the Imperial Palace to house the extensive collections of the imperial family. The museum houses a vast array of eminent works and the largest Bruegel collection in the world. Numerous major art works of European history, among them Raphael’s „Madonna in the Meadow,“ Vermeer’s „The Allegory of Painting“ and the Infanta paintings by Velazquez, as well as masterworks by Rubens, Rembrandt, Dürer, Titian, and Tintoretto are housed in the paintings gallery. The Egyptian and Near Eastern Collection contains fascinating treasures from mysterious cultures long past. MADAME TUssaUDS Vienna has a brand new attraction: The world-famous waxworks museum Madame Tussauds is the new highlight in the Vienna Prater. On display at Madame Tussauds on Riesenradplatz in Vienna‘s Prater are 69 lifelike wax figures. Emperor Franz Joseph and his wife Sisi, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Falco, Maria Theresia, and Gustav Klimt are just some of the local personalities and historic people to be seen on 2,000 sq m of exhibition space (spread over three floors). In specially created interactive settings, you can also take an intelligence test against Albert Einstein, conduct the „Blue Danube“ waltz with Johann Strauß or try to beat football legend Hans Krankl in a penalty shoot-out. International celebrities are also heavily represented: Johnny Depp, Nicole Kidman, Robert Pattinson, Angelina Jolie, and Michael Jackson „represent“ the show business industry. Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela arrived from the stage of world politics. MUSEUM OF MODERN ART - MUMOK The Museum of Modern Art in the MuseumsQuartier focuses on the art of the 20th and 21st centuries. Works by Andy Warhol, Claes Oldenburg, Pablo Picasso, Yoko Ono, Günter Brus, and Gerhard Richter invite visitors to engage with contemporary art. With its collections based on Pop Art, Photorealism, Fluxus and Nouveau Réalisme, and Viennese Actionism, the mumok combines highlights of societal and reality- related visual art, as well as performance art of the 20th century. The collection comprises around 9,000 works: paintings, sculptures, installations, drawings, graphics, photos, videos, films, architectural models, and furniture. MEETING PLacE MUSEUMSQUARTIER The MuseumsQuartier (MQ) is one of the ten largest cultural quarters in the world. Located at the border of the old city in the former imperial stables, it combines institutions of different art fields, restaurants, cafés, and shops in an area of over 640,000 square feet in a post-modern setting, a combination of baroque buildings and modern architecture. The MQ offers an ambiance that fits the urban lifestyle of its visitors ¬– retaining the old, experiencing the new, and enjoying both of them together. Following this principle, a colorful and varied scene developed amid the eminent museums and collections. After a visit to the Schiele collection, drop by Café Leopold (Sun-Wed 10.00 am to 2.00 pm, Thu-Sat 10.00 am - 4.00 pm), which features its own DJ line on occasional evenings. In Café.Restaurant HALLE (10.00 am - 2.00 am daily), you can take a look at the furnishings of Vienna‘s trendy bar designers, Eichinger and Knechtl. The MQdaily (Thu-Sat 9.00 am - 1.00 am, Mon-Wed, Sun & holidays 9.00 am - 12.00 midnight) invites you to drop by for a short break. The hustle and bustle on the large square can be best followed from here. 3 Vienna Guide OLD VIENNA SCHNAPSMUSEUM An attractive and rewarding stop during your sight-seeing tour through Vienna is the Old Vienna Schnapsmuseum. A visit to this museum offers an insight into the tradition of distilling, as well as presenting the atmosphere of an old Viennese bourgeoise family that has been running the distillery for generations. The whole interior, from the office to the copper pot stillheads is original, dating from the 1870s to the 1920s, and still in use. PARLIAMENT Theophil Hansen created the parliament building, constructed from 1873 to 1883 in the Greek Revivalist style. He also created the Pallas Athena Fountain in front of it; the 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).