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Wine and waltzing
 MALCOLM
ROGERS heads to the centre of Europe to visit one of the
world’s great cities.
It
would, however, be fair to point out that Vienna remains one of the world’s
cream-cake superpowers, boasting some 200 coffee houses.
To sample the delights of these establishments is reason enough to visit
Vienna but even for the most committed calorie-seeker there is much more.
Rococo spires and gothic domes, horse-drawn traps and cobbled streets,
trams rattling along elegant boulevards you’ll be lucky not to wilt
under the sheer beauty of it all.
As well as boasting some of the greatest jack-the-lad architecture in
Europe the locals are friendly and courteous and the city is compact and
safe.
Baroque and roll
The Imperial Palace seat of the Habsburgs is a must-see likewise the
Staatsoper (State Opera House) built by Sicardsburg and Nüll in the
1860s. Despite being one of the world’s premier concert venues initial
reaction was so negative that Nüll took his own life and Sicardsburg
died shortly after. Operatic, when you think about it.
The in-your-face gothic edifice of St. Stephen’s Cathedral (Stephansplatz)
is Vienna’s number one landmark, and rightly so, for this is one
of Christendom’s finest buildings.
Face the music
An intensely musical city, Vienna was home to Mahler, Schubert, Strauss,
Haydn, and Beethoven while The Figarohaus (Domgasse 5), was the address
of arguably the most musical person ever to grace this planet, Wolfgang
Amadeus Mozart. Now the Mozart Museum, it’s a good place to prepare
yourself for a concert by the Vienna Mozart Orchestra, home ground the
Staatsoper, tel +43 (0) 5059720, www.wiener-staatsoper.at
The Hofburg Palace boasts an exhibition of 16th-century musical instruments,
where you can, quite literally, touch bass. This was originally the winter
palace of the Holy Roman emperor Franz Joseph, the man responsible for
Vienna giving it large to the rest of Europe. FJ turned the gem of the
Danube into a glittering focus for art and culture. If you can squeeze
a visit to the Hofburg Chapel on a Sunday morning, at the Burgkapelle
you’ll catch the Vienna Boys Choir (www.wsk.at).
The Art of the Matter
Vienna holds some of the greatest collections of world art.
In the vast Kunsthistorisches Museum (Museum of Fine Arts) the works of
Breugel, Rembrandt, Van Dyck, Rubens and Raphael compete for space. Meanwhile,
the efforts of local boys Gustav Klimt and Egon Shiele are scattered liberally
about Vienna, most notably in the Upper Belvedere. The building, a palace,
is itself an aesthetic marvel, the ultimate in, dare I say, up-yours architecture.
Heads and hooves
For almost half-a-century, from 1891 to 1938, Dr Sigmund Freud, the founder
of psychoanalysis, lived and worked at Bergasse 9, now the Sigmund Freud
Museum. This is where he came up with the idea that, if it’s not
one thing, it’s your mother.
From head-shrinks to horses and the world-famous Spanish Riding School
(Spanische Hofreitschule, Michaelerplatz 1.) Founded in the 16th century
in the grounds of the Imperial Palace, it continues to influence equestrianism
throughout the world. The name derives from the close connection between
the Habsburgs and the Spanish court. (www.spanische-reitschule.com).
Fun de Cycle
The Prater Park, playground of the Viennese for centuries, features bungee
jumping, ejection seats or turbo-boosts (don’t ask). More sedately,
you could opt for a circular sight-seeing trip on the 105-year-old Ferris
Wheel, one of Vienna’s biggest tourist attractions.
The park has a long history — the imperial hunting grounds opened
to the public in 1766 and it’s still idyllic for strolling along
linden-lined avenues, or hiring a bicycle rickshaw.
Coffee and conversation
From the 18th century onwards, intellectuals, musicians and politicians
would meet, write poetry or discourse in Vienna’s cafes. Leo Trotsky
regularly played chess under the vaulted ceiling of Café Central;
Sigmund Freud would partake of his Freudian sip at Café Landtmann.
Marlene Dietrich enjoyed a brew here, as did Hillary Clinton and Paul
McCartney (although not together).
Cafe Mozart, close to the State Opera, is one of Vienna’s revered
institutes. Like the Ferris Wheel at the Prater, it features in the film
classic The Third Man.
By the way, The Third Man tour takes place every Friday and Monday at
4pm from at Stadtpark U-bahn station. Just mind your back.
Gastronomy, gourmet and guzzling
Restaurants range from the solid and traditional like the Alten Fassl
(Ziegelofengasse 37) to lighter and more modern establishments such as
the Gastwirtschaft Stemen (Otto-Bauer-Gasse 7), while Fabio’s is
one of the trendiest (Tuchlauben 6). Meanwhile, the Albertina Museum (Augustinerstrasse)
serves first-rate cuisine, and for a post-prandial treat, wander through
the museum and have a look at one of the largest collections of graphic
arts in the world. |
