Visit Vienna: home to composers, kings and psychoanalists
“Vienna?” Mother kept muttering, and shaking her head at my father. “What do you know about Vienna?” As it turns out Winslow Berry, the father in John Irving’s novel The Hotel New Hampshire, knows next to nothing about Vienna, though he is intent on moving there with his family. Perhaps Berry is drawn to the city, like generations of visitors before and after him, by a vague sense of the regal, urbane and at the same time romantically melancholy atmosphere in which it is steeped. You may not end up staying for seven years as the Berry family does—three days are probably more realistic—but if you are looking for a weekend destination of truly imperial dimensions, Vienna is the place for you. How should one set about exploring a city that was the capital of the Holy Roman Empire from 1558 until 1806, and subsequently of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until 1918—and the seat of Habsburg power, a dynasty that dominated central European politics for nearly 700 years? Well, by going straight to the heart of Habsburg power: the Imperial Palace (Hofburg). Although the main entrance is on Michaelerplatz, if one wants to get any idea of the history of this vast complex, it is advisable to begin by visiting the oldest tract, built around the Schweizerhof in 1275 by King Premysl Ottokar II of Bohemia (1233–1278). Though much rebuilt, it is still recognizably a fortress and the chapel, part of which actually dates from Ottokar’s reign, is now home to the famous boys’ choir, the “Wiener Sängerknaben,” who perform there every Sunday at 9:15 am. Directly adjacent to the chapel stands the impressive Renaissance Schweizertor, designed by Pietro Ferrabosco. Here one also finds Vienna’s greatest treasure—literally—the Secular and Ecclesiastical Treasuries (Schatzkammer), where one of the world’s finest collections of crown jewels is on display, including the imperial crown of the Holy Roman Empire, crafted in 962, and the crown of the Austrian Empire, dating from 1602. The next major addition to the Imperial Palace was built for Maximilian II (1527–1576). The Stallburg, which, translated, means the palace stables, was, in fact, erected from 1558 to 1565, before Maximilian became emperor. However, when his father Ferdinand I (1503–1564) died, Maximilian decided to move into the Schweizertor and left the new palace to his horses. Some 170 years later Emperor Charles VI introduced the “Rosseballette” (equestrian ballet) and the famous Lipizzaner horses were stabled there, as they are today. From the Stallburg one can visit, in descending order of age, the Amalienburg (completed 1575), the Leopoldinischer Trakt (begun 1660), the Reichskanzleitrakt (begun 1723) and the Michaelertrakt (completed 1893). Each part of the Imperial Palace has its own charm and deserves equal mention here; you as the visitor will certainly find your favorite. If, to paraphrase that old saying, “An army of tourists marches on its stomach,” your next stop should be for something to eat at the world-famous Café Demel, just along from the palace, at Kohlmarkt 14 (open daily 10 am–7 pm). Established in 1786 (the very first coffeehouse in the city was opened 99 years earlier), the patisserie is the perfect place to while away an hour sipping coffee and observing fellow guests. Try a slice of their Sachertorte, which has been rivaling the original version, served at the Hotel Sacher (Philharmonikerstrasse 4, open daily 6:30 am–11:30 pm), since the 1930s. If you can wrench yourself away from the seductive ambience of the place, the nearby Jewish Quarter reveals another aspect of Vienna’s history. The tiny streets and alleyways conjure up life in the Jewish community over the centuries and a visit to the Jewish Museum of the City of Vienna (Dorotheergasse 11, for opening times go to www.jmw.or) provides a moving documentation of the vicissitudes of Jewish life in the city. Vienna’s two most famous churches are a must, even for atheists and agnostics. The city’s oldest church, St. Rupert’s (Ruprechtsplatz), dates back to the eighth century and the view across the surrounding districts from the tower of this rather austere little church is truly breathtaking. Altogether grander, and rather inappropriately but fondly nicknamed “Steffl” (little Stephan) by locals, is St. Stephen’s Cathedral, Vienna’s most famous landmark and a masterpiece of Gothic architecture, described by Viennese architect Adolf Loos (1870–1933) as “the most sacred ecclesiastical place in the world.” You may choose to join one of the guided tours that are held daily at 3 pm or, alternatively, to sit in one of the pews and let your eyes do the wandering. Here you can admire the slender Gothic columns in the nave and around the elaborate chancel, created by the master stonemason Anton Pilgram from Brno in 1514 and decorated with images of the four Church Fathers—master Pilgram himself looks out from below. The Baroque high altar is adorned with statues by Johann Jakob Pock and an altarpiece depicting the martyrdom of St. Stephen by Tobias Pock from 1640. From St. Stephen’s it is just a short walk across Stephansplatz to Vienna’s premier shopping street, Kärntner Strasse. Now a pedestrian zone and home to a wide selection of designer boutiques and other stores, the street has a long tradition of trading. It was the starting point of one of the earliest routes taken by merchants traveling south to Italy, and later, in the Middle Ages, was a favorite location of Vienna’s patrician families to build their town houses—a tradition that was to continue down the centuries. Unfortunately, little of the street’s former architectural glory remains, but anyone who prefers facades to frocks may like to search out the 18th-century exterior of house number 41, the Palais Esterházy, or have a look at the Palais Todesco, house number 51, built in 1864. Weighed down with shopping bags and impressions, you may wish to repair to Adolf Loos’ American Bar (Kärntner Strasse 10, open daily 12 pm–4 am), the perfect place for a pre-dinner drink. Loos, who designed this small bar in 1908, after a visit to the United States, achieved a cool minimalist chic by using mirrors, mahogany and onyx. Dinner later at the wine tavern Gstaltner (Stammersdorfer Strasse 21, open Tues.–Fri. from 3 pm, Sat and Sun. from 2 pm) will take you right back to the heart of the European culinary tradition with a good glass of wine and plenty of local food. Schönbrunn Palace lies a short distance from Vienna’s city center and has so much to offer that a visit is probably best undertaken in the morning. Take the underground train U4 and get off at “Hietzing,” where you will immediately be entranced by the white, green and gold station pavilion, designed by the Secession architect Otto Wagner (1841–1918) and decorated by his contemporary Joseph Maria Olbrich (1867–1908). The waiting room of the station, decked out in sumptuous silks, was only ever used once by the imperial family and has now been turned into a museum. The palace itself is built on the site of a former hunting lodge, bought by the Habsburg family in the 16th century, but subsequently destroyed during the Turkish siege of Vienna in 1683. Once the Turks had been repelled, Emperor Leopold I (1640–1705) launched into a building frenzy and commissioned Johann Fischer von Erlach to design a new palace at Schönbrunn. Unfortunately, the architect rather outdid himself and drew up a plan that would have put Versailles to shame. What the visitor sees today is a much abbreviated version with later additions, most notably those by Nikolaus Pacassi, the favorite architect of Empress Maria Theresa (1717–1780), who was the first of the Habsburgs to make Schönbrunn the center of court life. The best way to see the palace is, undoubtedly, by renting an audio guide, which will give you a well-narrated tour of the magnificent state rooms. Before heading back into town, visit the Gloriette pavilion, created by Johann Ferdinand Hetzendorf von Hohenberg in 1775, which affords the visitor a spectacular view of the palace and the chance to enjoy a little light sustenance in its café. In the late 19th century several groups of young artists in Germany and Austria broke away, or “seceded,” from the conservative, official art academies, which had dictated the direction of art and architecture in Europe for decades. In Vienna the old order was upset by a group of painters and architects known as the Vienna Secession. The fruits of their endeavors—generally lumped together today under the name Art Nouveau—can still be seen across the city, even if it may require a little effort to do so. The Secession Building (Friedrichstrasse 12, open Tues.–Sun. 10 am–6 pm, Thurs. and public holidays 10 am–8 pm) should nonetheless be on everyone’s list of essential sights—recalcitrant teenagers and partners can be deposited opposite at the Naschmarkt, a fantastically diverse open-air food market, which features farm produce every Saturday morning and a flea market for the whole of that day. To the modern eye the Secession Building, designed by Joseph Olbrich and built in 1898, seems pretty—quaint even. At the time of its construction, however, it was the object of considerable scorn in Vienna’s conservative society, compared variously with a crematorium, a greenhouse and a blast furnace, and even called “a temple for bullfrogs.” Having survived such derision and not inconsiderable damage in World War II, it is now home to constantly changing exhibitions of contemporary art and, more importantly, houses Gustav Klimt’s (1862–1918) fabulous 34-m-long and 2.20-m-high Beethoven Frieze painted in 1902. Other Secession-related buildings include apartments along the road Linke Wienzeile, and the subway pavilions at Karlsplatz. Though Loos, whose American Bar we visited earlier, was not strictly speaking part of the Secession Movement, his building at Michaelerplatz 3, known today simply as the Loos-Haus, is definitely worth looking at because its stark exterior is considered by many historians to mark the birth of modern architecture in Europe and is true to Loos’ famous edict that “ornamentation is criminal”—“a house without eyebrows” is how another resident of Michaelerplatz, Emperor Franz Joseph I (1830–1916), is said to have described it. A great location to mull over all these impressions is the Café Central (Herrengasse 14, open Mon.–Sat. 8 am–10 pm, Sun. 10 am–6 pm and public holidays 10 am–10 pm) a few minutes’ walk away in the Palais Ferstel. For a few years around the turn of the fin de siècle this café was the meeting place of Vienna’s literati and intellectual elite: Karl Kraus, Arthur Schnitzler, even Leon Trotsky once sipped coffee at this legendary Viennese establishment. Sunday morning is celebrity time and Vienna is bursting with places—now mostly turned into museums—where famous people once resided. Here is a short selection from which to choose. The home of Sigmund Freud (Berggasse 19, open daily 9 am–5 pm) may not contain the famous couch, which he took with him to his exile in London, but it is still possible to get an impression of his life in the Austrian capital. Freud (1856–1939), the father of modern psychology, lived in this house for more than 45 years and many of his most famous works, such as The Interpretation of Dreams, were written here. A whole cast of composers lived in Vienna: Franz Schubert (1797–1828) was born at Nussdorfer Strasse 54 (open Tues.–Sun. 10 am–6 pm) and the house now contains much memorabilia from his life and times. Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) is remembered at a number of different locations around Vienna—he lived in the city from 1792 until his death. Visitors can, for example, view the Eroica Haus (outside the city, at Döblinger Hauptstrasse 92, for opening times go to www.museum.vienna.at), where Beethoven composed the symphony of the same name. Restless and often hounded by creditors, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) also resided at many different addresses during his years in Vienna. The so-called Figarohaus (Domgasse 5, open Tues.–Sun. 9 am–6 pm) was his home for almost three years, from 1784 to 1787, and this is where he composed the famous eponymous opera and received such illustrious guests as Haydn and the young Beethoven. And finally, the incurably romantic will not want to miss seeing the home of Johann Strauss the Younger (Praterstrasse 54, open Tues.–Sun. 9 am–12:15 pm and 1 pm–4:30 pm), composer of the waltz On the Beautiful Blue Danube. If Strauss’ frothy composition has put you in a frivolous mood, there can be no better place to visit next—weather permitting—than the Prater fairground, a few steps away. The 65-m-high Ferris wheel may not be the biggest in the world, however it does retain a good deal of its Old-World charm. The wheel was built by the English naval officer Walter Basset in 1897 to celebrate the 50th jubilee of Emperor Franz Joseph the following year and is surrounded by plenty of modern funfair rides and stalls for the young and hard-to-impress. Die-hard culture vultures or anyone seeking refuge from bad weather still has a vast panoply of interesting locations to seek out. The Albertina (Albertinaplatz 1, open daily 10 am–6 pm, Wed. until 9 pm) has one of the greatest collections of prints and drawings in the world, including works by Dürer, Michelangelo, Tiepolo, Canaletto, Watteau, Matisse and Cézanne, to name just a few. And a list of exhibits on display at the recently renovated Kunsthistorisches Museum (Burgring 3, open Tues.–Sun. 10 am–6 pm) reads like a “Greatest Hits” of European art: Pieter Brueghel the Elder’s Return of the Herd, Giuseppe Arcimboldo’s Summer and Peter Paul Ruben’s Venus and Adonis are all at home in this vast and impressive museum. Well, our three days are up. Time, perhaps, for one last aromatic cup of “Melange,” a local beverage consisting of half milk and half coffee, in a quiet corner of a coffeehouse where you can plan your next visit.