Central Europe Trip, Day Eight

Day eight was a day of palaces and performances...

The amazing Schloss Schönbrunn ("beautiful spring") is a former imperial summer residence of the House of Habsburg. When you think of what an authentic palace might look like, this has to be it.  Not a great deal of the inside is available for tour, but we did see some of the amazing apartments, including rooms where the royal family slept, dressed, dined and sat for hours reading or playing cards.

The gardens here are amazing. The sculpted garden space between the palace and the Sun Fountain is called the Great Parterre. The French garden, a big part of the area, was planned by Jean Trehet in 1695. It contains, among other things, a maze, the world's oldest existing zoo (founded in 1752), an orangerie, a palm house, an arboretum, and glass houses.

In the background you can see the Roman Ruins structure. It was constructed in 1778 as a garden feature. The fashion for picturesque ruins that became widespread with the rise of the Romantic movement soon after the middle of the 18th century symbolize both the decline of once great powers and the preservation of the remains of a heroic past.

 

 Following the palace tour, we headed back down to the old town square and St. Stephen's Cathedral. As the most important religious building in Austria's capital, the cathedral has borne witness to many important events in that nation's history and has, with its multi-colored tile roof, become one of the city's most recognizable symbols. Above the choir on the south side of the building the tiles form a mosaic of the double-headed eagle that is symbolic of the empire ruled from Vienna by the Habsburg dynasty. On the north side the coats of arms of the City of Vienna and of the Republic of Austria are depicted. In 1945, fire caused by World War II damage to nearby buildings leapt to the north tower of the cathedral and went on to destroy the wooden framework of the roof. Replicating the original bracing for so large a roof  would have required an entire square kilometre of forest, so over 600 metric tons of steel bracing were used instead.

I was surprised and amazed by the interior of the cathedral. The stained glass windows cast light upon the internal features, creating this heavenly glow throughout the structure. It is an inspiring sight to behold!

 

Paul read about a street in his guidebook called Grünangergasse that he wanted to see so during our free time we went to find it. It turned out to be a quiet, beautiful area with nice apartments and quiet city gardens. It also led us to Domgasse, the street where Mozart lived from the end of September 1784 until the end of April 1787. In these two and a half years he composed a number of major works including Le Nozze di Figaro, one of my favorites. It was interesting to see where he lived, he some sheet music, furnishings, clothing and listen to selections while we toured the apartment.

 

Finding the museum was serendipitous for us because while inside, a rain storm came through. After our tour, the beautiful streets were wet and glistening!

 

 

Vienna is an interesting mixture of old and new. These beautiful buildings surrounded by McDonalds, H&M and upscale shopping. It is a very touristy place but I suppose I'd rather shop in this setting than Bellevue Square!

After lunch and free time we toured the Sisi Museum located inside Habsburg Palace. Elisabeth of Austria (24 December 1837 – 10 September 1898) was Empress of Austria and Queen consort of Hungary as the spouse of Franz Joseph I. From an early age, she was called “Sisi” by family and friends.
While Elisabeth had limited influence on Austro-Hungarian politics, she has become a historical icon. Elisabeth is considered to have been a non-conformist who abhorred conventional court protocol and at the same time a tragic figure; she has inspired filmmakers and theatrical producers alike.
Married at sixteen years old, Elisabeth had difficulty adapting to the strict etiquette practiced at the Habsburg court. She bore the emperor three children in quick succession, but her firstborn's death would haunt Elisabeth for the rest of her life and cause a permanent rift between her and her husband. Elisabeth embarked on a life of travel, and saw little of her offspring. She visited such locations as Madeira, Hungary, England and Corfu.
She became known not only for her beauty. Newspapers published articles on her fashion sense, diet and exercise regimens, passion for riding sports, and a series of reputed lovers, although there is no verifiable evidence of her having an affair. She paid extreme attention to her appearance and spent much time preserving her beauty.

On 10 September 1898, in Geneva, Switzerland, Elisabeth, aged 60, was stabbed in the heart with a sharpened file by a young mentally ill anarchist named Luigi Lucheni. When attacked, she had been walking along the promenade of Lake Geneva about to board the steamship. She boarded the ship, unaware of the severity of her condition. Bleeding to death from a puncture wound to the heart, Elisabeth said, "What happened to me?" The strong pressure from her corset had contained the bleeding until the garment was removed. Reportedly, her assassin had hoped to kill a prince from the House of Orléans and, failing to find him, turned on Elisabeth instead. Lucheni afterwards said, "I wanted to kill a royal. It did not matter which one."

The empress was buried in the Imperial Crypt in Vienna's city centre. For centuries it has served as the Imperial burial place. After learning of his wife's death, the Emperor reportedly whispered to himself, "She will never know how much I loved her."

Heeresgeschichtliches Museum is a military history museum, the oldest and largest purpose-built military history museum in the world. Its collection includes one of the world's largest collections of bronze cannons and focuses on Austrian military history from the 16th century to 1945.

 

 

The concert was fun and entertaining and included famous Mozart and Strauss pieces. The opera singers were interactive with the audience and the ballet performers were delightful. The students had so much fun and told our tour guide how much they enjoyed it. She was impressed with their engagement and enjoyment of a classical concert.

Off to bed and our last full day of Vienna ahead!