You only see what you know (Goethe)
This equestrian statue was erected in 1860 to commemorate Archduke Charles of Austria, Duke of Teschen. The most intriguing fact about this statue is the horse’s pose. It stands with two legs only on the pedestal. The tail doesn’t support the construction.
The Swiss Gate (Schweizertor) leads to the oldest part of the Hofburg. Behind this gate, you find the entrance to the Imperial Treasury (Kaiserliche Schatzkammer). The treasury houses crowns and jewels full of history, e.g. the regalia of the Holy Roman Empire.
For several weeks, a small house on the facade of the MUMOK (Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien) attracted the visitors’ attention. The creator of this public art titled House Attack was the Styrian artist Erwin Wurm.
Main gate in front of the Upper Belvedere Palace (Oberes Belvedere). The lions are showing the crest of Prince Eugene of Savoy. He was the first owner of the palace. Today the Upper Belvedere houses a great collection of paintings.
While walking through the Volksgarten, a public park in Vienna, I took this photo of the Museum of Natural History (Naturhistorisches Museum). By the way, the park is famous for its roses. So don’t miss a visit through their blooming period.
The Bank Austria Kunstforum Wien forms an exhibition hall for art in the rooms of a former bank building. Even the erstwhile vault now works as a venue for presenting artworks. Today, the Kunstforum is known for performing yearly blockbuster exhibitions.
This pic displays the view from the Upper Belvedere Palace (Oberes Belvedere) down to the centre of Vienna. The designer of the Belvedere Gardens was French architect Dominique Girard, a pupil of landscape architect André Le Nôtre.
View of Schönbrunn Palace (Schloss Schönbrunn) taken from the Gloriette. Inside there are two different self guide-tours for getting in touch with the state apartments of the Imperial family. So you will see the office where Emperor Franz Joseph I. used to work. You will also discover how simple the bed of the emperor was.
In 2005, many events marked the 60th anniversary of the end of WW II. For example, the Heldenplatz – a central square in Vienna – was covered with vegetables and sunflowers. This reminded us that the citizens used every free space to produce food around 1945.
The Haus des Meeres, located inside a former World War II blockhouse tower, houses several aquariums and two tropic houses.
These two guys made my day. I saw them in the Kärntner Straße, one of the most visited Viennese shopping streets. Its name origins from Strata Carintianorum as it was an important trade route to the State of Carinthia.
After arriving at the railway station Südbahnhof, I went down to the centre of Vienna through Belvedere Gardens. Only a snow-covered Sphinx sculpture watched my steps to the Lower Belvedere, which one can see in the background.