An Introduction to Vienna

An introduction to Vienna

It was famed Austrian silent movie actor and filmmaker Erich von Stroheim (1885-1957) who said of Austria’s beautiful capital, “If I speak of Vienna it must be in the past tense, as a man speaks of a woman he has loved and who is dead.“ He was absolutely right about Vienna being a city of the past. And not just a city of one past, but of many pasts. Vienna is notable for its layers of history built one on top of the other, from ancient Roman ruins to the Hofburg – the Habsburg’s imperial palace – and beyond.

Michaelerplatz and the Hofburg

Our tour begins at Michaelerplatz, where the Hofburg – the Habsburg’s imperial palace and the seat of power since the 13th century – dominates the square.

Clockwise from the palace is the green and gray Loos House, designed by Austrian architect Adolf Loos (1870-1933). On the building’s grand unveiling in 1910, Emperor Franz Joseph I (1830-­1916) was so unimpressed at its unadorned, modernist style that he refused to use it! He even went as far as to demand that the drapes in all the windows in the Neue Burg wing of the palace be permanently drawn, so he could avoid glimpsing such “an eyesore” in the vicinity of his imperial abode!

In the center of the square is an excavation of 18th-century housing, medieval cellars, and Roman buildings; evidence of the city’s earliest history as a Roman legionary fort, when it was known as Vindobona.

Stephansdom and the Graben

Our tour continues down Kohlmarkt and the Graben – currently one of the city’s most fashionable shopping districts, and home to such varied sights as a plague column commemorating the 17th-century outbreak of bubonic plague, a Baroque church, grand buildings in many different architectural styles, and the national architectural icon of Austria: Stephansdom.

From here, you can see buildings in every direction designed by famed Austrian architects such as Otto Wagner (1841­-1918), whose Wiener Secessionist style (the city’s answer to Art Nouveau) stands in contrast to Loos’s restrained and unadorned creations.

Mozart and the Ambiance of Old Vienna

From Stephansdom, we explore the narrow streets behind the cathedral, where the ambiance of old Vienna can still be felt today. Here, we discover places connected with famous names like W.A. Mozart (1756-1791), who lived in this quarter during the last ten years of his life, or Prince Eugene of Savoy (1663-1736), who built his famous Winterpalace nearby.

The Ringstraße and Naschmarkt

We continue towards the State Opera House, touching Albertina Square – where we find remnants of the old city walls and a famous art collection. We then stroll along the Ringstraße, a grand boulevard built in the middle of the 19th century, where most of Vienna’s luxury hotels have been established within the walls of old palaces.

We continue our walk towards the Secession building and pass by the Viennese Naschmarkt, the colorful traditional food market where the Viennese meet to mingle and shop.

The Museums ­Quartier and Maria­-Theresien­-Platz

Finally, we weave through the Museumsquartier and Maria­-Theresien­-Platz, home to the city’s largest concentration of museums. Along the way, your expert guide shares insight into the present-day cultural, political, and economic orientations of Austria and its capital.