Vienna Archives - Explore Cornwall https://explorecornwall.org/tag/vienna/ & The Cornish Abroad Tue, 09 Feb 2021 15:41:55 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://explorecornwall.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/cropped-Explore-Cornwall-Colourless-32x32.png Vienna Archives - Explore Cornwall https://explorecornwall.org/tag/vienna/ 32 32 164779662 Vienna’s Art Museums https://explorecornwall.org/viennas-art-museums/ Wed, 09 Dec 2020 14:19:09 +0000 https://explorecornwall.org/?p=4093 Now, I totally understand that Vienna is a centre for art and creativity excellence, with a new ancient gallery on every street corner. Vienna is […]

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Now, I totally understand that Vienna is a centre for art and creativity excellence, with a new ancient gallery on every street corner. Vienna is one of Europe’s smallest capital cities, but its rich cultural history can be seen in every building, with a large number of the museum buildings being of historical significance in themselves.

However, my own and Scott’s interest in artwork is minimal, and unfortunately neither of us have a great appreciation for these masterpieces. But being in the city, we were not going to miss out and have a few techniques to help us enjoy ourselves. Our main strategy is one that we developed in the art museums of Berlin and involves competing to spot the most animals in pictures; one point for a dog, five for a cat and then it gets a bit out of hand as we lose count and start making up new rules.

The Upper and Lower Belvedere

Built in the early 18th century, these palaces were the sporadic home to the royal family. Following the end of WWII, was turned into the Austrian Gallery and overtime became two museums featuring both Upper and Lower sections of the palace. We really enjoyed our time in both museums, as not only are the palaces spectacular in themselves, but so are the extensive grounds. Inside the golden walls are a number of works of art even I in my ignorance has heard of, including van Gogh and Klimt, among others. The whole museum is incredibly tasteful, with the addition of artwork in no way taking away from the fabulous buildings making them a great explore.

Kunshistorisches

The building that houses this museum is definitely a masterpiece, being one of a matching set, the other being the Natural History Museum. However, this is where our animal spotting game came into play. While we both loved the Egyptian collection on the ground floor, the higher levels were made up of beautiful artwork that unfortunately Scott and I just aren’t cultured enough to truly appreciate, so on we went with our dog spotting. We actually did so much dog spotting that I set the proximity alarms off in one room because I got too close and then had to apologise to the staff.
Beautiful building, Scott liked the ceilings, great Egyptian stuff.

Natural History Museum

We love a Natural History Museum, not just because we love some dodgy taxidermy, but also because we’re science nuts. There’s a great dinosaur exhibit, a figuring of Venus believed to be created in 30,000 BC and a large meteorite collection. I know this isn’t an art museum, but I’ve added it to the list because this building is the sister of another just across the way and is a work of art itself.

Albertina

The Albertina is another outstanding building in the centre of Vienna. Once a former royal residence, part of the tour takes you through the old state rooms with their wonderful chandeliers, furniture and beautiful wall coverings. Dotted throughout these halls are some of the most famous works of art in the world, including my favourite the ‘Young Hare’, a 1502 watercolour by Albrecht Durer. After taking in the staterooms we headed upstairs to the main art rooms, where you can find masterpieces from Picasso, Monet and Klimt.

Austrian Museum of Applied and Contemporary Art (MAK)

Where many of the other museums primary focus is on older works of art, the MAK is all about contemporary and experimental art. Again, while I’m sure some people will love this museum, it went right over our heads, although the building like so many others, is beyond impressive.

Belvedere 21

This was one museum we really couldn’t get our heads around. The main exhibit is a metal box which I’m sure has some profound and meaningful story behind it that will mean something to someone, but apart from a few other bits and bobs that’s all there is here.

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]]> 4093 Belvedere https://explorecornwall.org/belvedere/ Sun, 18 Oct 2020 12:00:44 +0000 https://explorecornwall.org/?p=3942 In the centre of Vienna is the stunning Baroque palaces that make up the Upper and Lower Belvedere. A world away from the normal city […]

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In the centre of Vienna is the stunning Baroque palaces that make up the Upper and Lower Belvedere. A world away from the normal city streets surrounding it, the extensive gardens and buildings are a real treasure.

In 1712 Prince Eugene of Savoy commissioned the erection of a new set of palaces for himself. Work began first on the Lower Belvedere, with the Upper section being started in 1717. Just one year later the large Baroque garden was completed under the supervision of Dominique Girard, a French garden architect. Further work inside the palaces was completed by famous artists such as Gaetano Fanti and Carlo Carlone. The Upper Belvedere was finished in 1723.

Following the death of Prince Eugene, he did not leave a proper will and the palaces went to his niece Princess Victoria. It remained in her possession until 1752 when Maria Theresa acquired the estate. It was under Maria Theresa and her son Emperor Joseph II that the Belvedere was first transformed into a museum and gallery; the Imperial Picture Gallery was moved to the Upper palace in 1776 and by 1781 it was turned into one of the worlds first museums open to the public.

Up until 1891 it continued to function as a museum, at which point the imperial collections were moved to the Kunsthistorisches and the palace became a private residence again. The Upper Belvedere became the home of Franz Ferdinand, the future heir, in 1896.

1903 saw the Modern Galley open in the Lower palace, with the collection supplemented by other acquisitions by the Austrian Ministry of Culture, including Gustav Klimt’s ‘The Kiss’. By 1912 it was known as the Austrian State Gallery and was further expanded, including a section of Austria art from the Middle Ages. It wasn’t until 1918 that both the Upper and Lower palaces were both functioning as the Austrian Gallery, by which point other works of art, including Monet, van Gogh and more of Gustav Klimt’s portraits, were added to the collection, many of them permanent.

The palaces both suffered damage during WWII, with bombs hitting significant parts of each, destroying parts of the Marble Hall and Hall of Grotesques. Once the war ended work began to reconstruct the Belvedere buildings, completing in 1853 when it became the Austrian Gallery once again.

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]]> 3942 Schloss Schönbrunn https://explorecornwall.org/schloss-schonbrunn/ Fri, 26 Jun 2020 11:00:18 +0000 https://explorecornwall.org/?p=3415 Just outside the centre of Vienna is a work of art that showcases everything that the Habsburg dynasty stood for. With its vast yellow walls […]

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Just outside the centre of Vienna is a work of art that showcases everything that the Habsburg dynasty stood for. With its vast yellow walls and extensive gardens, Schloss Schönbrunn is a really beauty. 

If you have the time while in Vienna, setting aside a day to explore the Schönbrunn palace is not time wasted. We started off our tour using the incredible Vienna Pass to get a Grand Tour; this includes the full palace tour and access to the Gloriette, privy gardens, orangery and maze. We lined up at the tour start, handed over our bags and picked up audio guides. The tour then takes you through a great number of the 1,400 rooms. 
After the palace tour we began to meander around the extensive park, heading up each avenue to inspect the copious fountains and sculptures. We eventually wound our way up the slope towards the Gloriette, a prominent feature on the hill. Taking the steps, we used our passes again to access the roof and take in the views of Schönbrunn and the surrounding city. 

The history of Schönbrunn as we know it started in 1569 when the estate, originally named Katterburg, was acquired by the Habsburg family through Maximilian II. At this time it included a much smaller house, stables and a water mill as well as a garden and orchard. Legend says that during 1612 Emperor Matthias found a spring on the estate, giving it its name “Schoner Brunnen” meaning “fair spring”. The original chateau de plaisance was built in 1642 for Eleonora of Gonzoga. It was during this year that the name officially changed to Schönbrunn. In 1683 the house and park were overrun by Turkish troops during the seige of Vienna. 

The Privy Gardens. 

The house as it stands today was first commissioned in 1686 by Emperor Leopold I for his son Crown Prince Joseph. Baroque architect Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach was employed to design a new hunting lodge, although this wasn’t completed by his death in 1711. His wife continued to live in the house. 

Little of significance happened until 1728 when Emperor Charles VI gifted the estate to his daughter Maria Theresa who really took the reigns with its development. Under her care the palace became the centre for court and other political engagements, being transformed into a grand summer residence. Along with new quarters for her ever expanding imperial family, large sections of the west and west wings and the court chapel were altered. Extensive working quarters were added for the more than 1,000 staff. 

Dotted throughout the park are a number of fountains and ruins, including The Ruins of Carthage, the Neptune Fountain and the Obelisk. These were all built to symbolise the imperial power of the Habsburg family. 

In the 1750-60’s building work continued, with a new vaulted ceiling being added to the Great Gallery to match the Small Gallery, new frescoes by Gregorio Guglielmi and stucco decoration by Albert Bolla. Much of the garden side of the palace was decorated in the Rococo fashion. 

It was during the 1770’s major advancements were made to the park. This included the creation of the Gloriette, Roman Ruin, Obelisk Fountain and the Neptune Fountain. New avenues were put in with fountains and sculptures dotted throughout. This work was so extensive that it was not finished until after her death in 1780. Her son, Emperor Joseph II showed little interest in the palace, but on his mother’s request made sure it was maintained. However, by the early 19th century it was in desperate need for repairs. 

The small structure above is one of my favourite bits of the house, simply for its function. As Scott and I approached it I joked to him that the palace and grounds were so fancy that I thought it could be a posh pigeon house. You know what? I was right!
Built between 1750-76, this Columbary or dovecote was used to house different species of dove and pigeon. 

On the succession of the thrown to Emperor Franz Joseph, the house once again became the epicentre of the empire again. In his old age he made old age he made the palace his main residence, a place he stayed until he died. 
His successor Karl I formally abdicated from his position in 1918 and left Schönbrunn. Following this change the palace, like all the others, fell into state hands. 
The palace was then used to house a number of different groups following the disbandment of the imperial leadership, including many of its former employees. The Imperial Apartments were quickly turned into a museum, and despite some damage during WWII, remain so today.  

The view from the top of the Gloriette. 

The original hunting lodge would have been pained orange and brick red, with significant parts of the building then painted white. During Maria Theresa’s reign it was first painted a golden ochre colour, with white used later on to pick out the articulation. It wasn’t until the mid 19th century that the famous Schönbrunn yellow prevailed. 

The Gloriette, built to commemorate victorious armies of the Habsburg family. 

One other vital stop on your tour around the park is to visit the Cafe and watch the famous Apple Strudel show, where a strudel is made by one of their chefs in front of you. This comes complete with a coffee and a piece of strudel. 

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