Cruising on the Danube overnight, we arrived in Vienna the morning of October 31. We left the Egil longship in the morning after breakfast for a tour of the historic Innere Stadt (Inner Town) inside Vienna’s famed 5.3 km circular grand boulevard, the Ringstrasse.
The Ringstrasse was built in the mid-19th century to replace the city walls, which had been built during the 13th century and funded by the ransom payment received for the release of Richard the Lion Heart (Richard I of England). The walls were reinforced as a result of the Turkish Siege in 1529 and the Thirty Years’ War in 1618. The walls were surrounded by 500m of open fields (glacis) for military defense reasons. By the late 18th century, these fortifications became obsolete. Under Emperor Joseph II, streets and walkways were built in the glacis, eventually lined by trees and open-air workshops. In 1857, Habsburg Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria ordered the demolition of the city walls. He laid out the exact size of the Ringstrasse, as well as the positions and functions of the planned new buildings, all intended to showcase the grandeur of the Habsburg Empire. The Habsburg’s power base was moved to Vienna in 1278 where the dynasty ruled until 1918.
The Innere Stadt in the central First District is Vienna’s old town. Encircled by the Ringstrasse, it is designated a World Heritage Site. Until the city boundaries were expanded in 1850, the Innere Stadt was considered the city of Vienna. On a morning tour under an overcast sky, we took the U-Bahn to the edge of the Inner Stadt. We approached the city center and walked through an entrance into the Hofburg Palace.
The Hofburg is a large complex of buildings, formally the imperial seat of power and winter palace of the Habsburg dynasty. Buildings within the complex range from 13th century through the beginning of the 20th century to include a 14th-century chapel, a 16th-century palace, and an 18th-century Winter Riding School. The palace grew to 18 wings and 2,600 rooms. In 1918 the last Habsburg ruler of Austria, Charles I, left office when Austria became a republic. In 1938, the Nazis took possession of the Hofburg, and it was from the balcony of the Neue Burg (new palace completed in 1913) that Hitler announced Germany’s annexation of Austria. Since 1946, it has been the official residence and offices of the Austrian President.
Inside the palace grounds we stopped at the Innerer Burghof, the largest inner courtyard in the Hofburg. Here one can see an interior view of the beautiful Michaeletor gate with its Hercules statues. The Innerer Burghof was initially an independent square where chivalric tournaments were held until the 16th century and again under Emperor Maximilian (1527 - 1576). This part of the Hofburg houses the Imperial Apartments and the Sisi museum. The Sisi Museum features the life of Empress Elizabeth (Sisi), the wife of Franz Joseph. This St. Michael's Wing of the Hofburg currently serves as the connection between the Winter Riding School and the Imperial Chancellery Wing.
*Views below include: 1) Michaelertor from inside the Innerer Burghof with it’s Hercules statues; 2) Monument of Franz I of Austria looking in the direction of the Swiss Wing, the oldest part of the Hofburg - the Imperial Chancellory Wing and Sisi Museum are to the right; 3) Equestrian Statue of Holy Roman Emperor Joseph I.
The walking tour took us through the Stallburg Imperial Stables. This large Renaissance complex is the home of the famous Lipizzaner horses of the Spanish Riding School. The building has been used as stables since constructed in the 1560’s, although it received extensive reconstruction following World War II damage. The ground floor currently houses the Lipizzaner stallions as it did the personal horses of the court in Renaissance times. During the Habsburg Dynasty, family members or honored guests used the upper level apartments.
We left the Hofburg via the Michaelertor gate into the Michaelerplatz, a major historic square in the center of Vienna. This baroque star-shaped square intersects several inner-city streets as well as the northeast entry point to the Hofburg. The Michaelerplatz is dominated by the beautiful Neo-Baroque Michaelertor Gate.
In contrast to this beautiful Michaelerplatz architecture, on the opposite side of the Michaelerplatz is the Looshaus, one of the most modern buildings in Vienna. With its functional upper facade which was diametrically opposed to the surrounding fine ornate Baroque architecture, the building caused outrage when completed in 1912. Emperor Franz Joseph was so upset by the contrast in architecture, he declared he would never use the Michaelertor Gate ever again. Built by Aldolf Loos, this commercial and residential building is now considered an example of groundbreaking modern architecture. The Looshaus was built with reinforced concrete which made large interior spaces possible. Loos also used varied ceiling heights to save space. The lower commercial section that now houses a bank is clad in green Cipollino marble. The interior is said to be beautiful, but the tour was on the move and the inside of this building wasn’t on the itinerary.
Our tour group then left the Michaelerplatz headed down the busy Graben pedestrian area. Since October was turning into November, Christmas decorations were beginning to go up. I bet this area of Vienna is beautiful at Christmas, particularly at night. Stopping to take photos amongst throngs of people, I was falling behind the tour group and in danger of getting lost in Vienna. I was captivated by beautiful images everywhere I looked. Outdoor malls in the USA pale in comparison to this architecture influenced by centuries of culture. Thanks to my wife, I came to my senses and caught up.
Walking up Graben, we passed St. Peter’s Church (Peterskirche), one of Vienna’s oldest known religious sites. With a history dating back to the early 4th century AD, the site has hosted a church for centuries. It is believed that Charlemagne established a grander version of this church around 792 AD. The old mediaeval church burned down in 1661 and received only minor repairs. After Vienna was decimated by the plague in 1679-1680, Leopold I took a vow to rebuild the church. Construction of the new Baroque church was begun in 1701. Most of the building was finished by 1722 and consecrated in 1733 to the Catholic Holy Trinity. The church sits quietly in the center of Petersplatz square, surrounded by buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries.
Again, no time to linger, our destination is the Stephansplatz (St. Stephen’s Square), a square at the geographical center of Vienna. Located at the intersection of the shopping streets of Graben and Kartner, the heart of this square is the Stephansdom (St. Stephen’s Cathedral). This impressive, massive Roman Catholic cathedral is one of the tallest churches (136 meters high) in the world and the seat of the Archbishop of Vienna. The current version of the cathedral was initiated in the 14th century, standing on the ruins of two earlier churches the first of which was consecrated in 1147. The Stephansdom has been the sight of many important events in Habsburg and Austrian history. The ornately-patterned, multi-colored roof is covered by 230,000 tiles. During World War II in 1945, the wooden framework of the roof was destroyed by fire from nearby buildings. Over 600 tons of steel bracing were used to rebuild the roof. The roof is so steep that it is seldom covered by snow and cleaned by rain alone.
A striking contrast to this Romanesque and Gothic cathedral on the Stephansplatz is the postmodernist architecture of the Haas-Haus. A department store dating from 1867 was rebuilt in 1953 after being destroyed during World War II. The current building, completed in 1990, was originally controversial. But it is strangely interesting sitting on the square near the medieval cathedral. Less interesting on the square, but I guess not shocking, was the sight of an iconic American fine dining establishment - McDonalds’ golden arches defile the bottom floor of one of these ancient buildings. They are everywhere! Now that’s a contrast. The Habsburgs must be turning over in their graves.
Much more interesting to me was the proliferation of pastry shops on and near the Stephansplatz. We were given a short amount of time to detach from the tour and roam around the square. Priorities were restroom, pastries, then a limited viewing of the interior of the cathedral - in that order. The restroom was problematic - one had to pay to get in. Lacking Euro coins, it was time to duck under the turnstile. Next up - pastries. A little time was left before we have to meet up with the tour again, so we entered the main part of the cathedral. Beautiful interior - this part of the church contains 18 altars (Wiener Neustadt Altar below). Time to walk back to the U-Bahn, back to the ship and board a bus to the Schönbrunn Palace, the summer residence of the Habsburgs.
Originally a hunting lodge, the Schönbrunn property was purchased by Emperor Maximilian II in 1569. A variety of Habsburg rulers used it as a summer residence until the 18th century when Empress Maria Theresa enlarged it into the magnificent palace of today. Arriving late in the day, we began a tour of some of the 1,400 rooms in the palace. So much to see - each room opulently decorated, it was a walk through the long, fabulous, decadent history of the Habsburg dynasty. With the time allotted for this tour, no way were we going to see even a small percentage of the palace and its grounds. Not allowed to take photos inside, we were escorted quickly by a number of these rooms, stopping to get an overview of the long history of the Habsburg dynasty. Interesting but too much to absorb. I was more interested in seeing the hidden network of tunnels and chambers that the servants used to service the royal household. The servants would take care of the royal family’s every need (including when nature called) without ever being seen. But alas, we weren’t to see any of this - very disappointing tour. We exited the palace and were given a short time to walk the massive garden parterre. Night was decending early and next years garden hadn’t been planted yet. As awesome as our initial introduction to Vienna had been, there was plenty of time on our bus ride back to the ship to dwell on the disappointment of the Schonbrunn tour. There is always tomorrow, and with another day in Vienna, we are on our own.
After breakfast, we took the U-Bahn to the Innere Stadt. We were on a mission to visit the Albertina Modern - one of the three Albertina museums in Vienna. The original Albertina houses one of the largest and most important collections of European drawings and prints from the 15th to the 20th century - approximately 65,000 drawings, one million old master prints, as well as modern graphic works, photographs, and architectural drawings. The birth of this collection began in the 1700’s when Empress Maria Theresa and Emperor Francis I gifted the palatial residence to their daughter Duchess Maria Christina and her husband Duke Albert of Saxe-Teschen. It would not only serve as their home, but also house the duke’s art collection. Upon the duke’s death in 1822, his graphic arts collection numbered about 14,000 drawings and 200,000 prints. Needless to say, the Habsburgs had a lot of disposable income. His successors added to the collection until it and the palace were relinquished to the First Austrian Republic, marking the end of the Habsburg Dynasty.
Fast forward to May of 2020, the Albertina Modern opened as one of the world’s largest museums of modern and contemporary art boasting a collection of 60,000 works by 5.000 artists. This is where we were headed. Besides the collection of Monet and Picasso paintings on display, there was a Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960 - 1988) retrospective we wanted to see. Basquiat had been an American artist who rose to fame during the 1980’s as part of the Neo-expressionism movement in New York City. A contemporary of Andy Warhol, Basquiat’s art identified with his experiences in the black community with its social commentary on wealth versus poverty, racism, and the injustice of those in power. A unique artist, he died at 27 of a drug overdose. Very cool exhibit - worth seeing. It’s ironic that this exhibit is appearing in a museum whose existence traces back to the ultra-wealthy Hapsburg Dynasty.
We wandered the neighborhood surrounding the museum and headed back toward the Stephansplatz for a coffee and pastry break. With so many coffee houses and pastry shops to choose from, I’ve got to have a Sachertorte (chocolate cake thinly coated with apricot jam, topped with chocolate icing and unsweetened whipped cream) before I leave Vienna. Approaching the Stephansplatz from a different direction than the day before, there were many pastry shops nestled among the beautiful Innere Stadt architecture. It’s time to play European bon vivant, relax and people watch at an outdoor cafe while enjoying a slice of Sachertorte and a Melange (coffee with milk). After not looking much like a bon vivant, but really enjoying the pastry (some of which ended up on my shirt), it was time to return to the longship.
Tonight we will attend a Mozart concert in a small venue - a fitting end to our time in Vienna. As Billy Joel sung “Vienna Waits for You.” He’s not among my favorite musicians, but he was right about one thing - this is an amazing city. As with Budapest and Prague on this trip, an incredible walk through history, although two days was not enough time to immerse ourselves into everything we wanted to see. Tomorrow we are off on the longship east on the Danube to short stops in Krems, Austria, Passau and Regensburg, Germany.