The Hofburg and Franzensplatz Vienna
Entering the Hofburg, one comes to the Franzensplatz, named after the Emperor Francis I of Austria, whose statue is here. He was the last Austrian emperor to enjoy the title of Holy Roman Emperor (as Francis II of the Holy Roman Empire). Francis, who reigned from 1792 to 1835, ruled in stormy times, having to contend with Napoleon's desire to redraw the map of Europe, often at Austria's expense. After three major victories, in 1805 Napoleon declared the Holy Roman Empire dissolved. Perhaps foreseeing this, Francis had in 1804 elevated Austria to the rank of empire and thus, even after his abdication as Holy Roman Emperor in 1806, he remained of equal rank with the newly created Emperor Napoleon.
If ever there was a Habsburg who kept his head when all those about him were losing theirs, it was Francis. His armies annihilated on the plains of Italy and hills of Moravia, his capital occupied by French troops, even his daughter, Marie Louise, married off to the Corsican ogre, Francis still kept cool and waited for his moment to help Europe be rid of the French emperor, which he did in 1813 at the battle of Leipzig. Something of a severe character, Francis none the less earned the soubriquet 'Biedermeier Kaiser' for his bourgeois predilection for a simple and homely suburban life.
Behind the statue of the emperor rises the Amalientrakt of the palace.
Built in the seventeenth century, the rooms here are furnished in the style of the Empress Maria Theresa, who made this part of the 'Burg' her home. Unfortunately, as this section of the palace houses the offices of the Austrian president, there is little or no chance of inspecting it. Opposite is the equally inaccessible Reichkanzleitrakt, designed by Fischer von Erlach for Karl VI in 1729, which contains former imperial apart¬ments and some offices leading to the Chancellery.
To the left is the red and black Schweizertor, which leads to the oldest part of the palace. This impressive gateway, named after the Swiss mercenaries who once guarded it, dates from 1552 and bears the arms of the original Habsburg archduchy. The courtyard beyond contains two unexpected delights. The first, up the stairs on the right, is the Burg¬kapelle, where on Sundays the Vienna Boys' Choir can be heard.The chancel is the only interesting feature in the chapel: it contains the oldest Gothic work in the entire Hofburg. This can be admired to a certain extent from outside, in the next courtyard, but for the moment one must avoid the temptation to go further into the Jos¬efsplatz and stay in the Hofburg, where one may examine, opposite the chapel, the second surprise, the imperial treasury. This includes the crown of the Holy Roman Emperors and nothing less spectacular than the imperial sword and orb of Charlemagne. At the time of writing, this is temporarily on loan to the Kunsthistorisches Museum, across the Ring.
The Heldenplatz and the Ringstrasse
Retracing one's steps out of the Schweizerhof, another arcade appears on the left. Through this lies the impressive 'range' (as these facades are called) of the Hofburg, the Heldenplatz and beyond it the Ringstrasse, with its imposing buildings. The sense of space is welcome if only because very few parts of Vienna offer the chance to see so much sky.
The curved Neo-Baroque part of the Hofburg, designed by the distin¬guished nineteenth century German architect Gottfried Semper, is on the left. Semper planned an identical range opposite, hoping to create a kind of imperial forum. Fortunately, his plans came to nothing, and so we can enjoy a fine view of the Burgtor, a Neo-Classical work, and beyond, Semper's domed museums, the Kunsthistorisches and Natur¬historisches. To the right of these, above the trees, race the Grecian chariots on the roof of Theophil von Hansen's NeoGrec Parliament, while beyond it, in yet another nineteenth-century style, rises the Neo¬-Gothic Town Hall, to complete this extravagant lesson in architectural styles.
The Semper range of the Hofburg contains a delightful museum of antique musical instruments and an impressive collection of armour, as well as the manuscript and reading rooms of the National Library. It also contains the Austrian Ethnographic Museum, which attempts, rather un¬successfully, to re-create long-forgotten cultures in a foreign land. How¬ever, the museum's impressive marbled vestibule is a spectacular example of Semper's ability to construct a grand but not overpowering interior.
Before embarking on more museum work, it may be a good idea to walk through the Volksgarten on the right, to admire the Neo-Classical temple at its centre and, at the other end, the imposing Burgtheater, also designed by Semper.
On entering the Volksgarten, cast a glance at the buildings to the right. The two low ranges are a rare example of Viennese architectural understatement. This is ironic, for the Ballhausplatz, the minute square between the ranges, was a synonym for politics throughout the Habsburgs' reign, and indeed even later. From here Metternich entertained the Congress of Vienna in 1815. What the Wilhelmstrasse became for Prussia and Whitehall for England, the 'Ball platz' was for Austria.
Its name suggests the frivolous nature of politics in the late nineteenth century, and although the word alone was enough to cause a ripple of fear throughout the empire, in London it could provoke a wry smile in diplomatic circles, where the hidebound nature of Austrian methods were well known.
Emerging from the Volksgarten, the nearest Burgtheater wing contains early frescoes by Gustav Klimt. These can usually be inspected by applying to the theatre porter. On the other side of the theatre is the Cafe Landtmann, a suitable point at which to recover from the day's exertions, containing as it does most of the respectable English news¬papers and encouraging the comfortable indolence which is the true mark of the Viennese cafe. Be warned, however, that even in cold weather the cloakroom lady will insist on visitors leaving their coats with her.
Art and museums in Vienna
An hour spent in the Landtmann will prepare one for a visit to the museums on the other side of the Ring, including the important col¬lections of the Kunsthistorisches Museum. These should not be attempted without at least two hours in hand. But even a morning would be too short a time for those who take their Kunst seriously.
The Kunsthistorisches Museum is one of the richest (if least well known) European art collections. The paintings were once the property of the imperial family and were assembled by the Habsburgs over three hundred years. Occasionally, some of the greatest works were lost, as, for example, when the Swedes plundered Prague during the Thirty Years War. As Prague was then the seat of government, many irre¬placeable treasures were lost. Another hundred paintings had to be sent to the Dresden gallery in the eighteenth century as part of an indemnity to the King of Saxony because of a failed Austrian attempt to recover Silesia, the province that Frederick the Great of Prussia had wrenched from Maria Theresa. Other masterpieces were lost during the Napoleonic wars. But even after two world wars the gallery can boast the finest collection of Breughel the Elder in the world, a score of Rubens, Van Dycks, Velasquezes and Titians, some important Canaletto paintings and many significant works by North German masters relatively un¬known in England.
The entrance hall, with its grand vestibule, contains frescoes by Gustav Klimt and Franz Matsch which, though early, and therefore conven¬tional, are rather amusing. If time is pressing the first-floor Egyptian exhibits may be ignored. The rest of this floor, however, contains much to interest those who appreciate Renaissance bronze statues, medieval draughts sets or Bulgarian gold drinking vessels, to say nothing of the dazzling (and deservedly renowned) Cellini salt-cellar.
But it is the floor above which annually attracts the swarms of visitors who block the entrance to the small ticket desk. The stairs to this floor are long, but one is more than adequately rewarded for the climb by the paintings presented for inspection. The greatest treasures, such as the Breughels and Rubens, have enormous rooms to themselves, but many smaller treasures can be more enjoyably examined in the intimate series of rooms which break up the corridors around. Mantegna's exquisite Martyrdom of St Sebastian is displayed as if it were in a private study.
Bellini's Portrait of a Woman at her Toilet is equally accessible, while a small group of superb Holbeins fills another niche. These few paintings alone make the long walk upstairs seem worthwhile and that is even before the Titians, Velasquezes and other great works in the main rooms are seen.
The obvious resting place after a visit to the Kunsthistorisches is a Viennese cafe, but the nearest is across the Ring back in the Heldenplatz. The zoologically minded may prefer to linger in the building opposite the Kunsthistorisches, the Naturhistorisches Museum, which is identical in style to the art history museum and houses the natural history col¬lections. This building seems to have been left untouched by the trendy developments which mark the interiors of so many of London's mus¬eums. Look in vain for flashing lights, animated noises, and dark, sinister rooms. Instead, there is the more terrifying experience of being greeted at the top of the stairs by a soldier-crab (mercifully stuffed) whose legs seem almost twelve feet long.
Back to the Heldenplatz Vienna
Back to the Heldenplatz to look at two equestrian statues of that rare Austrian phenomenon, the successful general. We have already met Prince Eugen, who rides towards us from the Neue Hofburg, in the cathedral.
It is ironic to learn that this military genius, who not only defeated the Turks but was also Marlborough's ally at Blenheim, Oudenarde and Malplaquet, suffered the indignity of having his military services being refused, first by Louis XIV and the French court. Ap¬parently Eugen's 'sickly appearance, poor carriage in the saddle and insignificant height' counted against him. The Austrians, far less con¬cerned then with external appearances than they are today, saw the Savoy prince at his true worth and never lived to regret employing him.
The Archduke Karl Vienna
Opposite is the more dramatic statue of the Archduke Karl. If less gifted than Prince Eugen, he at least won the distinction of being the first general to inflict a serious loss on Napoleon when in 1809 the Austrians pushed the French back from Aspern, the Marchfeld village seen earlier from the top of the cathedral. The statue captures the moment when, seeing his Hungarian grenadiers falter, the archduke seized their standard, urging them to 'put every Frenchman to the sword'. The inscriptions on the Archduke's statue 'dedicated to the fearless leader of Austria's army' on one side and 'who fought for Germany's honour' on the other could have served as Austria's epitaph in 1938, the year the Nazis invaded. This curious identification of Germany's designs with Austria's interests was never accepted by many Austrians when Hitler's Reich swallowed up this country in the year before the last war. But the inscription reflects the ambivalence the Austrian has to¬wards the German. On the one hand he is more charming, and quick to accuse his northern neighbours of Prussian aloofness. On the other hand, he admires the Germans' efficiency, which the Austrian can rarely equal.
The Viennese in particular have a long history of tragic mistakes in organization. But perhaps because every Austrian seems to be an amalgam of Slav and Latin as well as Teutonic blood, these people remain masters of improvisation. In any event Austrian history has for centuries been inextricably bound up with that of Germany, even though few Austrians would appreciate being referred to as Germans.
The Burgtor nearby, designed by Nobile in 1818, contains another example of Austria's close ties with Germany: inside lies the tomb of the unknown soldier. Constructed in 1935, the design for the white staircase could have been the work of Albert Speer. The reclining marble soldier is an excellent if somewhat disturbing example of thirties sculp¬ture. As one emerges onto the Ring there are other whispers of the aggressiveness of the thirties. Two particularly hawkish, single-headed eagles have survived on the wall between the Burgtor and the Hofburg,almost all that remains of the thousand-year German Reich in this part of Vienna.
If ever there was a Habsburg who kept his head when all those about him were losing theirs, it was Francis. His armies annihilated on the plains of Italy and hills of Moravia, his capital occupied by French troops, even his daughter, Marie Louise, married off to the Corsican ogre, Francis still kept cool and waited for his moment to help Europe be rid of the French emperor, which he did in 1813 at the battle of Leipzig. Something of a severe character, Francis none the less earned the soubriquet 'Biedermeier Kaiser' for his bourgeois predilection for a simple and homely suburban life.
Behind the statue of the emperor rises the Amalientrakt of the palace.
Built in the seventeenth century, the rooms here are furnished in the style of the Empress Maria Theresa, who made this part of the 'Burg' her home. Unfortunately, as this section of the palace houses the offices of the Austrian president, there is little or no chance of inspecting it. Opposite is the equally inaccessible Reichkanzleitrakt, designed by Fischer von Erlach for Karl VI in 1729, which contains former imperial apart¬ments and some offices leading to the Chancellery.
To the left is the red and black Schweizertor, which leads to the oldest part of the palace. This impressive gateway, named after the Swiss mercenaries who once guarded it, dates from 1552 and bears the arms of the original Habsburg archduchy. The courtyard beyond contains two unexpected delights. The first, up the stairs on the right, is the Burg¬kapelle, where on Sundays the Vienna Boys' Choir can be heard.The chancel is the only interesting feature in the chapel: it contains the oldest Gothic work in the entire Hofburg. This can be admired to a certain extent from outside, in the next courtyard, but for the moment one must avoid the temptation to go further into the Jos¬efsplatz and stay in the Hofburg, where one may examine, opposite the chapel, the second surprise, the imperial treasury. This includes the crown of the Holy Roman Emperors and nothing less spectacular than the imperial sword and orb of Charlemagne. At the time of writing, this is temporarily on loan to the Kunsthistorisches Museum, across the Ring.
The Heldenplatz and the Ringstrasse
Retracing one's steps out of the Schweizerhof, another arcade appears on the left. Through this lies the impressive 'range' (as these facades are called) of the Hofburg, the Heldenplatz and beyond it the Ringstrasse, with its imposing buildings. The sense of space is welcome if only because very few parts of Vienna offer the chance to see so much sky.
The curved Neo-Baroque part of the Hofburg, designed by the distin¬guished nineteenth century German architect Gottfried Semper, is on the left. Semper planned an identical range opposite, hoping to create a kind of imperial forum. Fortunately, his plans came to nothing, and so we can enjoy a fine view of the Burgtor, a Neo-Classical work, and beyond, Semper's domed museums, the Kunsthistorisches and Natur¬historisches. To the right of these, above the trees, race the Grecian chariots on the roof of Theophil von Hansen's NeoGrec Parliament, while beyond it, in yet another nineteenth-century style, rises the Neo¬-Gothic Town Hall, to complete this extravagant lesson in architectural styles.
The Semper range of the Hofburg contains a delightful museum of antique musical instruments and an impressive collection of armour, as well as the manuscript and reading rooms of the National Library. It also contains the Austrian Ethnographic Museum, which attempts, rather un¬successfully, to re-create long-forgotten cultures in a foreign land. How¬ever, the museum's impressive marbled vestibule is a spectacular example of Semper's ability to construct a grand but not overpowering interior.
Before embarking on more museum work, it may be a good idea to walk through the Volksgarten on the right, to admire the Neo-Classical temple at its centre and, at the other end, the imposing Burgtheater, also designed by Semper.
On entering the Volksgarten, cast a glance at the buildings to the right. The two low ranges are a rare example of Viennese architectural understatement. This is ironic, for the Ballhausplatz, the minute square between the ranges, was a synonym for politics throughout the Habsburgs' reign, and indeed even later. From here Metternich entertained the Congress of Vienna in 1815. What the Wilhelmstrasse became for Prussia and Whitehall for England, the 'Ball platz' was for Austria.
Its name suggests the frivolous nature of politics in the late nineteenth century, and although the word alone was enough to cause a ripple of fear throughout the empire, in London it could provoke a wry smile in diplomatic circles, where the hidebound nature of Austrian methods were well known.
Emerging from the Volksgarten, the nearest Burgtheater wing contains early frescoes by Gustav Klimt. These can usually be inspected by applying to the theatre porter. On the other side of the theatre is the Cafe Landtmann, a suitable point at which to recover from the day's exertions, containing as it does most of the respectable English news¬papers and encouraging the comfortable indolence which is the true mark of the Viennese cafe. Be warned, however, that even in cold weather the cloakroom lady will insist on visitors leaving their coats with her.
Art and museums in Vienna
An hour spent in the Landtmann will prepare one for a visit to the museums on the other side of the Ring, including the important col¬lections of the Kunsthistorisches Museum. These should not be attempted without at least two hours in hand. But even a morning would be too short a time for those who take their Kunst seriously.
The Kunsthistorisches Museum is one of the richest (if least well known) European art collections. The paintings were once the property of the imperial family and were assembled by the Habsburgs over three hundred years. Occasionally, some of the greatest works were lost, as, for example, when the Swedes plundered Prague during the Thirty Years War. As Prague was then the seat of government, many irre¬placeable treasures were lost. Another hundred paintings had to be sent to the Dresden gallery in the eighteenth century as part of an indemnity to the King of Saxony because of a failed Austrian attempt to recover Silesia, the province that Frederick the Great of Prussia had wrenched from Maria Theresa. Other masterpieces were lost during the Napoleonic wars. But even after two world wars the gallery can boast the finest collection of Breughel the Elder in the world, a score of Rubens, Van Dycks, Velasquezes and Titians, some important Canaletto paintings and many significant works by North German masters relatively un¬known in England.
The entrance hall, with its grand vestibule, contains frescoes by Gustav Klimt and Franz Matsch which, though early, and therefore conven¬tional, are rather amusing. If time is pressing the first-floor Egyptian exhibits may be ignored. The rest of this floor, however, contains much to interest those who appreciate Renaissance bronze statues, medieval draughts sets or Bulgarian gold drinking vessels, to say nothing of the dazzling (and deservedly renowned) Cellini salt-cellar.
But it is the floor above which annually attracts the swarms of visitors who block the entrance to the small ticket desk. The stairs to this floor are long, but one is more than adequately rewarded for the climb by the paintings presented for inspection. The greatest treasures, such as the Breughels and Rubens, have enormous rooms to themselves, but many smaller treasures can be more enjoyably examined in the intimate series of rooms which break up the corridors around. Mantegna's exquisite Martyrdom of St Sebastian is displayed as if it were in a private study.
Bellini's Portrait of a Woman at her Toilet is equally accessible, while a small group of superb Holbeins fills another niche. These few paintings alone make the long walk upstairs seem worthwhile and that is even before the Titians, Velasquezes and other great works in the main rooms are seen.
The obvious resting place after a visit to the Kunsthistorisches is a Viennese cafe, but the nearest is across the Ring back in the Heldenplatz. The zoologically minded may prefer to linger in the building opposite the Kunsthistorisches, the Naturhistorisches Museum, which is identical in style to the art history museum and houses the natural history col¬lections. This building seems to have been left untouched by the trendy developments which mark the interiors of so many of London's mus¬eums. Look in vain for flashing lights, animated noises, and dark, sinister rooms. Instead, there is the more terrifying experience of being greeted at the top of the stairs by a soldier-crab (mercifully stuffed) whose legs seem almost twelve feet long.
Back to the Heldenplatz Vienna
Back to the Heldenplatz to look at two equestrian statues of that rare Austrian phenomenon, the successful general. We have already met Prince Eugen, who rides towards us from the Neue Hofburg, in the cathedral.
It is ironic to learn that this military genius, who not only defeated the Turks but was also Marlborough's ally at Blenheim, Oudenarde and Malplaquet, suffered the indignity of having his military services being refused, first by Louis XIV and the French court. Ap¬parently Eugen's 'sickly appearance, poor carriage in the saddle and insignificant height' counted against him. The Austrians, far less con¬cerned then with external appearances than they are today, saw the Savoy prince at his true worth and never lived to regret employing him.
The Archduke Karl Vienna
Opposite is the more dramatic statue of the Archduke Karl. If less gifted than Prince Eugen, he at least won the distinction of being the first general to inflict a serious loss on Napoleon when in 1809 the Austrians pushed the French back from Aspern, the Marchfeld village seen earlier from the top of the cathedral. The statue captures the moment when, seeing his Hungarian grenadiers falter, the archduke seized their standard, urging them to 'put every Frenchman to the sword'. The inscriptions on the Archduke's statue 'dedicated to the fearless leader of Austria's army' on one side and 'who fought for Germany's honour' on the other could have served as Austria's epitaph in 1938, the year the Nazis invaded. This curious identification of Germany's designs with Austria's interests was never accepted by many Austrians when Hitler's Reich swallowed up this country in the year before the last war. But the inscription reflects the ambivalence the Austrian has to¬wards the German. On the one hand he is more charming, and quick to accuse his northern neighbours of Prussian aloofness. On the other hand, he admires the Germans' efficiency, which the Austrian can rarely equal.
The Viennese in particular have a long history of tragic mistakes in organization. But perhaps because every Austrian seems to be an amalgam of Slav and Latin as well as Teutonic blood, these people remain masters of improvisation. In any event Austrian history has for centuries been inextricably bound up with that of Germany, even though few Austrians would appreciate being referred to as Germans.
The Burgtor nearby, designed by Nobile in 1818, contains another example of Austria's close ties with Germany: inside lies the tomb of the unknown soldier. Constructed in 1935, the design for the white staircase could have been the work of Albert Speer. The reclining marble soldier is an excellent if somewhat disturbing example of thirties sculp¬ture. As one emerges onto the Ring there are other whispers of the aggressiveness of the thirties. Two particularly hawkish, single-headed eagles have survived on the wall between the Burgtor and the Hofburg,almost all that remains of the thousand-year German Reich in this part of Vienna.
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