DESTINATION:
Vienna
Vienna, the former capital of the immense Hapsburg empire straddling east and west, is blessed with magnificent Baroque buildings, a glorious musical tradition – Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert and Johann Strauss were all resident, the Kunsthistorisches Museum with one of the finest picture collections in the world and a fascinating fin-de-siècle movement - the Secession. Two periods in particular shaped the city. After the Ottoman Turks were finally beaten back from the walls of Vienna in 1683, the architects Johann Bernhardt Fischer von Erlach (1656-1723), and his son Josef Emanuel (1693-1742) competed with Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt (1668-1745) in the creation of an imperial capital in a highly original variant of the Baroque style, lighter and almost proto-rococo in feeling.
The second period followed the French occupations of 1805 and 1809, and the 1848 revolution, when Vienna was transformed into a modern 19th century city. The massive encircling walls were pulled down in 1857 to make way for the Ringstrasse and a series of grand civic buildings were constructed in a variety of styles. In the twilight of the Empire, Vienna was the centre of a vibrant intellectual and artistic avant-garde, including Sigmund Freud, Mahler, the painters Kokoschka, Klimt, Schiele and the Viennese Secession, which pioneered the integration of all the arts in a geometric version of the art nouveau style. Stephansdom, the Gothic cathedral with its high pitched tiled roof, stands out as the focal point at the heart of the old city.
Recommended duration - 4 nights/5 days
KEY VISITS (Recommended)
- BELVEDERE PALACE – the Belvedere complex was designed as a summer palace for Prince Eugene of Savoy in three phases: the Lower Belvedere from 1714-1716, the landscaping and gardens from 1717-19 by Dominique Girard, and the Upper Belvedere from 1721-23. Today the Upper Belvedere houses 19th and 20th century paintings, whilst the Lower Belvedere is home to Austrian Medieval and Baroque art.
- KUNSTHISTORISCHES MUSEUM (Museum of Fine Arts) – one of the world’s foremost galleries. The Gemäldegalerie (Painting Gallery) forms but one part of the Museum, whose collection is understandably strongest in the art of former Habsburg lands. Highlights include a large number of paintings by Bruegel and notable works by Dürer, Cranach, Rubens, Vermeer, Rembrandt and Velázquez.
- ALBERTINA – housing one of the largest and most valuable collections of drawings and prints in the world with works ranging from the 15th to the 20th centuries.
- LEOPOLD MUSEUM – which houses the former private collection of Rudolf and Elisabeth Leopold and contains the world’s largest collection of works by Egon Schiele. Other major figures of the 19th and 20th century are also well represented, notably Kokoschka and Klimt.
- SECESSION BUILDING – a leading centre for contemporary art, it is an iconic example of Viennese Jugendstil (Art Nouveau). The magnificent Beethoven Frieze by Gustav Klimt lies in its basement, and is one of the most widely recognised examples of Secession style.
- LIECHTENSTEIN MUSEUM – boasting one of the most extensive collections of Rubens, prominent works by van Dyck, Lucas Cranach and Raphael, together with compositions by Rembrandt, van Ruysdael and Hamilton.
- HOFBURG COMPLEX – houses several museums which once served as both an imperial palace and administrative centre of the Hapsburg Empire, including:
- IMPERIAL APARTMENTS – some of the rooms occupied by Franz Joseph from 1857 to 1916 and those of his wife Empress Elizabeth of Austria (1837-98).
- SILVER COLLECTION – exhibiting a dazzling array of fine silverware from the Imperial household over the centuries taken largely from the inventory of the Court Silver and Table Chamber.
- PRUNKSAAL (the Baroque State Hall) – houses the Austrian National Library, and has beautiful wood panelling and spectacular frescoed ceilings by court painter, Daniel Gran. It is Austria’s largest library with over 200,000 books.
- SCHATZKAMMER – the treasury at the heart of the Imperial Collections is unrivalled in its depth, quality and historical interest. The dynastic, political and spiritual life of the empire is encapsulated in the history of these crowns, jewels, reliquaries, robes and vestments.
- STEPHANSDOM (ST STEPHEN’S CATHEDRAL) – with its distinctive tiled roof, the cathedral is the symbolic heart of the old city.
- SCHÖNBRUNN PALACE AND GARDENS – designed at the end of the 17th century, the former summer residence of the imperial family, built to rival Versailles, is decorated in sumptuous Rococo style, with formal gardens, fake Roman ruins and elaborate tropical greenhouses.
ALTERNATIVE VISITS
- SPANISH RIDING SCHOOL – a traditional riding school that has been in practice for over 450 years and is famous for its Lipizzan horses. They perform within the Winter Riding School that was commissioned by Emperor Charles VI in 1729 to be built in the Hofburg Palace.
- KARLSKIRCHE – designed by Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach, it is the finest Baroque church in Vienna with its great central dome framed by two Trajanic columns.
- MUSEUM OF APPLIED ARTS (MAK) – this spectacular collection chronicles the development of design over the centuries, and includes furniture, textiles, silverware and ceramics dating back to the Middle Ages.
- IMPERIAL CRYPT – a burial chamber situated beneath the Capuchin Church that holds the remains of the Hapsburgs. Members of the Royal family have been laid to rest in the crypt since the 17th century.
- DANUBE VALLEY – a full day visit to include a magnificent stretch of river scenery along the Danube valley between Krems and Melk. Visit the Gozzo Burg at Krems and the vast Benedictine Monastery at Melk, which is the one of the greatest creations of the Baroque era with a sequence of state apartments, including a terrace overlooking the beautiful Danube Valley. Also visit the enchanting town of Dürnstein, located on the banks of the Danube.
FURTHER AFIELD
Due to the geographical location of Vienna it can be combined with either Salzburg or Moravia to create a 2-centre tour. This would add at least one additional night to the duration of the tour.
See separate entries for Salzburg and Moravia.