Staatsoper (State Opera House) and other Vienna, Austria Things to Do Tips

The Vienna's Opera House was build between 1861 and 1869 by August von Sicardsburg and Eduard van der Null. The initial reception of their architectural concept was so negative that van der Null took his own life; Sicardsburg also died two months later. After its near-total destruction at the end of World War II in 1945, the State Opera House was rebuilt according to original plans and re-opened in 1955.

The Vienna State Opera, with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in the pit, is ranked as one of the leading houses of the world. A listing of some of its directors is dazzling: Gustav Mahler (1897-1907), Richard Strauss (1919-1924), Clemens Krauss (1929-1934), Karl Bohm (1954-1956), Herbert von Karajan (1956-1964), Lorin Maazel (1982-84) and Claudio Abbado (1986-1991).

Actually, the director of the Vienna State Opera is the Romanian Ioan Holender.

The regular opera season begins September 1 and runs through almost 300 performances virtually every night through June 30.

Tickets for opera performances should be ordered in advance as early as possible to assure seats on any given evening. The box office of the State Opera and other federal theaters (Bundestheaterkassen) is located in the next block (entrance from Albertinaplatz, Hanuschgasse 3).

On a certain Thursday night every February, the stage, the orchestra pit and the main-floor seating are transformed into a huge dance floor, flowers cascade from the boxes, more than 100 debutantes in long white gowns with their escorts, in white tie and tails, go through the well-rehearsed moves of the opening polonaise; the president of Austria inaugurates the event, and the first public dance is always a left-hand waltz: it is, of course, Vienna's Opera Ball (Opernball), the high point of Europe's ball season.

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Phone: +43(1) 514 44 22 50
Address: 1. Opernring 2, Vienna
Directions:

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Station : Karlsplatz / Oper
Metro : U1, U2, U4
Tramways : 1, 2, D, J, 62, 65

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Website: www.wiener-staatsoper.at

The Vienna's National Theater (Burgtheater) was built from 1874 to 1888, according to designs by Gottfried Semper and Karl von Hasenauer.

Ever since 1776, when Emperor Joseph II founded the Court and National Theater, the institution preceding the present-day Burgtheater, this theater, with its distinguished company, has held a leading position in the dramatic arts of the German-speaking countries.

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Phone: +43 (1) 514 44 41 40
Address: 1. Dr. Karl-Lueger-Ring 2, Vienna
Directions:

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Station : Burgtheater/Minoritenplatz
Metro: U3
Tramways : 1, 2, D

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Website: www.burgtheater.at

Friedrich Schmidt, who had been the architect of the Cathedral of Cologne (Koln), designed and built Vienna's City Hall, the most important secular building in the neo-Gothic style in the city, between 1872 and 1883. The tower measures 109m, not including the Iron Knight of City Hall (Eiserner Rathausmann) who measures almost 7m to the top of his pennant. This knight on top of the tower has become one of the symbols of Vienna.

The City Hall is the seat of the mayor and governor of Vienna (Vienna being both a city and a state since 1922, these functions are combined in one person), of the City Council and of the Assembly. It also houses the Municipal and State Libraries and Archives which hold many key documents of Vienna´s history and a large collection of local memorabilia.

The Park of City Hall (Rathauspark) is a very attractively laid-out garden with two fountains and several interesting monuments, among them the memorial to the painter F. G. Waldmuller and the statues of two great composers of waltzes, Johann Strauss the Father and Joseph Lanner. Facing the Burgtheater across the Ring are monuments to President Theodor Korner (1873-1957) and Mayor Karl Seitz (1869-1950).

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Address: 1. Friedrich-Schmidt-Platz , Vienna
Directions:

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Station : Rathausplatz/Burgtheater
Metro : U2
Tramways : D, 1, 2

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Theophil Hansen created the parliament building, constructed from 1873 to 1883 in the style of the Greek Revival. He also created the Pallas Athena Fountain in front of it; this 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).

In modern Austria, this is the seat of both the National Council, the lower house of Austria's bicameral parliament whose representatives are elected by popular vote, and the Federal Council, whose members are chosen by the various states to serve in the upper house. To the left of Parliament is the Monument of the Republic, with statues of the prominent Social Democrats Jakob Reumann (mayor of Vienna from 1919 to 1923), Viktor Adler (one of the ideological fathers of the Austrian republic and its foreign minister in 1918) and Ferdinand Hanusch (minister of social affairs from 1918 to 1920).

To the right of Parliament is the Renner Memorial, dedicated to Dr. Karl Renner, Austria's chancellor at the establishment of the republic in 1918 and at its re-establishment in 1945 and president from 1945 to 1950.

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Address: 1. Dr.-Karl-Renner-Ring 3, Vienna

In front of the Austrian Parliament building stands a monumental fountain with a marble statue of the goddess Pallas Athena (over 5 m) and six allegorical figures: sitting on the left: Execution of Laws and on the right: Legislation, lying: in front the rivers Inn and Danube, towards the ramp, the rivers Elbe and Moldau (Vltava) (the above rivers were the main waterways of the Kingdoms and Provinces Represented in the Reichsrat). The statues consist of marble from Laas, the superstructure and the basin are made of granite.
The fountain is flanked by two flagstaffs of steel (approx. 30 m). When the National Council, the Federal Council or the Federal Assembly are sitting the red-white-red colours are hoisted on the flagstaffs.

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This church was built from 1855 to 1879 based on plans by H. v. Ferstel at the suggestion of Cardinal J. O. v. Rauscher and with the help of the heir apparent to the throne, Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian (later Emperor Maximilian of Mexico), to commemorate the failure of Libenyi's attempt on the life of Emperor Franz Joseph I in 1853. The neo-Gothic building marked the beginning of urban expansion and was later integrated into the series of Ringstrasse buildings. The original idea was to build an imperial church and hall of fame, but these plans were not realised and in 1862 the Emperor dedicated the Votivkirche as a garrison church; in 1878 it was raised to the rank of a provostry and contacts with the university were initiated. Numerous renowned artists of the day contributed to its interior and decorations (e.g. V. Tilgner, J. Gasser, J. Benk, J. Fuhrich, J. M. Trenkwald).

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Schonbrunn Palace - click to see my travelogue

The Schonbrunn Palace was the summer residence of the Habsburgs. Emperor Francis Joseph (ruled 1848-1916), who was born here in 1830, and liked to live the same Spartan life he imposed on the soldiers of his army, spent the last years of his life entirely in Schonbrunn. In 1918, the palace became the property of the new republic. Owing to its historical importance, its beautiful location, its magnificent architecure and the splendid layout of its gardens, this palace is among the very top sights in Vienna.

The rooms, shown to the public on guided tours, are mostly decorated in Rococo style. Most of the walls and ceilings are covered with white-lacquered surfaces with ornamentation covered with gold leaf. Bohemian crystal chandeliers and white porcelain tile stoves are also part of the harmonious design. The living quarters and offices used by Emperor Francis Joseph are simple and very unpretentious; by contrast, the state rooms and guestrooms are much more lavish. In 1772, six-year-old child prodigy Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart gave a concert in the Hall of Mirrors.

In the Round Chinese Room, Maria Theresa held secret conferences with her Chancellor, Prince Kaunitz. Napoleon met with his generals in the Vieux Laque Room. In the Blue Chinese Salon, Emperor Charles I signed his abdication of the crown in 1918, marking the end of 640 years of Habsburg dominion in Austria and the demise of the monarchy. The Room of Millions, paneled with rosewood and decorated from floor to ceiling with priceless Indian and Persian miniatures, is probably the most magnificent Rococo room anywhere in the world. The Congress of Vienna danced in the Grand Gallery in 1814-15; today, the Austrian government gives state receptions there when important heads of state come to Austria for official visits.

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Phone: +43 1 81 11 30
Address: 13 Schonbrunner Schloss-Strasse, Vienna
Directions:

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Station : Schonbrunn
Underground : U4
Tramways : 10, 58
Bus : 10A

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Website: www.schoenbrunn.at

The Schonbrunn Park was opened to the public around 1779 and in 1996 it was placed together with the palace on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.

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Phone: +43 1 877 50 87
Website: www.schoenbrunn.at

The Privy Garden (Kronprinz Rudolf Garten) is a part of the Meidling Kammergarten which lie in front of the east facade of the Schonbrunn Palace and received its name around 1870, after apartments had been furnished for Crown Prince Rudolf on the ground floor of this wing.

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Website: www.schoenbrunn.at

The initial animal collection at Schonbrunn was formed by the stock of animals from the former palace of Neugebaude and the menagerie belonging to the Belvedere.

The opening of the gardens to the general public in 1779 also included free admission to the menagerie. During the course of the 19th century new animals were added to the collection, existing enclosures being adapted as well as new enclosures built. The attractions included elephants, camels, kangaroos and other exotic fauna. At the end of the 19th century the appearance and objectives of the menagerie at Schonbrunn were to change and in time a modern zoological garden evolved out of the Baroque menagerie. The walls between the enclosures were knocked down in 1880 and replaced by bars, so that "the specimens may be viewed more conveniently".

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Website: www.zoovienna.at
Other Contact: office@zoovienna.at