Austria

Schloss Schönbrunn , Imperial Summer Palace

Schloss Schönbrunn

The Schonbrunn Castle in Vienna is a vast, dramatic 1441 room Baroque Palace – former summer home of the Imperial Habsburgs. Construction began in 1695 and was completed in 1713 under Emperor Leopold I. Empress Maria Theresia had her architect decorate the Palace from 1744 to 1749. Before the estate became a Palace it was a fenced and filled with pheasants, ducks, deer and boar by order of Holy Roman Emperor Maxamillian 2, to serve as a recreational hunting ground for the Court.

The Schonbrunn Orangery was built in the mid 1700s and is the world’s largest orangery building. It served as a winter home for exotic winter plants and an important society meeting place. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Johann Strauss played here and their stage has been restored to its former glory and still features concerts of music by these genius musicians.

The Orangery features concerts today as it did when Strauss and Mozart performed for royalty.

Karlskirche 

This masterpiece of European Baroque architecture was founded by Holy Roman Emperor Karl VI in 1713.

The church is dedicated to Saint Charles Borromeo, revered as a healer for plague sufferers. It was built a year after the last great plague epidemic. The father and son team of architects (Johann and Joseph Fischer von Erlach) were leaders in iconographic and historical architecture. The center facade was built to resemble a Greek temple portico. The 2 columns are modeled on Rome’s Trajan column. The relief art on the entrance depicts the cardinal virtues and the entrance is flanked by angels from both the Old and New Testaments.

City Park, Vienna : Johann Strauss Statue

The City Park of Vienna (Stadtpark) is the largest park in the inner city and is laid out along the lines of an English garden. English gardens are characterized by geometric lines. If viewed from above walkways are centered, and circles and rectangular shapes combine to give the landscape a sense of order. Vienna’s City Park features many statues and busts of famous personalities.

The gilded bronze statue of composer Johann Strauss (1825-1899) is the most popular photographic subject in Vienna. When it was unveiled in 1921 the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra played “The Blue Danube” by Strauss.