EASTERN EUROPE - JULY 1996 DANUBE RIVER CRUISE
AUSTRIA, HUNGARY, SLOVAKIA, & GERMANY
FEATURING
FRED & ANNETTE WULFF
DARVIN AND MARIE RADDATZ
OTTO AND MARIAN SCHENK
The narrative follows the Wulff videotape.
We departed Minneapolis International Airport on July 5th, with a stopover in Detroit for our flight to Frankfurt Germany. Video: Announcement board with Frankfurt information. Our DC 10. can be seen through the window just to the left of the board. The trip from Frankfurt to Vienna was on Austrian Air, an airline with excellent service, as Professor Schenk can testify. Our journey took us over the cloud covered Austrian Alps. As we approached the Vienna airport the beautiful, but not blue, Danube River came into view.
The only rain we ever had in Vienna was a very brief sprinkle that caught our shuttle van taking us on our tour of the city. The weather quickly cleared when we reached the city and allowed me to videotape an ornate statue of Beethoven at Schwarzenbergplatz. The monument was constructed in 1880 and shows the musician surrounded by figures alluding to the Ninth Symphony (Brook, Vienna, p. 181).
General information: For those of us who love history, we note the time when Vienna was threatened by Turks. In 1683 an army of 200,000, led by Turks, swept up the Danube Valley and laid siege to Vienna. Sultan Mohammed IV of the Ottoman Empire sent a challenge threatening fire and sword: ”We shall destroy you and wipe all traces of infidels off the face of the earth. With no regard for age, we shall put all through excruciating tortures before we put them to death”
In September Emperor Leopold I found a strong ally in the King of Poland and their combined armies attacked the Turks who fled in Panic.(Wm Backer, National Geographic, July, 1965) The passing of the Turkish threat produced a Viennese building boom, and the Baroque style was the architectural order of the day.
Sat., July 6:
Our tour guide drove us over to the Prater, once an imperial hunting grounds, but opened to the public by Joseph II in 1766. During the 19th century the western end of Prater became a massive fair with entertainment for the workers. The Ferris Wheel constructed here in 1896 by Walter Basset, with British engineers, became one of Vienna’s most famous landmarks (Brook,
Vienna, pp. 160-161). The huge wheel moves very slowly at a speed of 2 1/2 feet per second. Those in our party who rode the wheel had a spectacular view over the park and fair.
Our next major stop was the Upper Belvedere (built 1721-23), Prince Eugene of Savoy’s summer palace and gardens. Prince Eugene was the brilliant military commander whose strategies helped vanquish the Turks in 1683. His palace was designed by Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt who also designed the Schonbrunn Palace. Empress Maria Theresa rented Belvedere and in 1770 celebrated here the wedding of her 14-year old daughter, Marie Antoinette, to the Dauphin of France.
Because the main front ceremonial entrance was closed to Upper Belvedere was closed we entered by the side gate of the palace, from Prinz-Eugene-Strasse, and walked around to the formal baroque gardens. Guarding the gardens were these large statues of Sphinxes with their lion bodies and human heads. The imposing sphinx statues represent strength and intelligence.
The interior of the palace, the Sala Terrena, had elaborate statues of four Herculean figures by Lorenzo Mattielli. White stucco-work by Santino Bussi cover the walls and ceiling. We then went around to the main front entrance of Upper Belvedere with its lively facade that dominated the sweeping entrance.
The domed copper roofs of the end pavilions resemble the shape of Turkish tents — an allusion to Prince Eugene’s victories over the Turks. In front of the Upper Belvedere we looked out over the large pond and formal gardens to the main entrance. (Delia Meth-Cohn,
Vienna Art and History, Summerfield Press, 1993, pp. 84-87 and Brook,
Vienna, pp. 150-153.)
The next stop was the Schonbrunn Palace, the residence of rulers from Maria Theresa to Franz Josef, which captures the glories of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. For centuries the Habsburg rulers maintained a tradition of fostering arts. Royal encouragement was given the theater, pictorial arts, sculpture, and above all music, architecture, and landscaping. Fodor’s
Vienna and the Danube Valley, p. 41.
We walked across the front of the great palace so associated with Maria Theresa. After failing to get the Belvedere from Prince Eugene’s niece, Maria Theresa hired Nicholas Pacissi to rebuild Schonbrunn in a style fit for an empress. We went over to the right side of the palace to view the side gardens and fountains. A more comprehensive study of Schonbrunn will take place when we spend our last three days in Vienna.
Last three days in Vienna (after cruise):
Saturday, July 13: Back in Vienna we settled in at the Hotel Tyrol, built in the architectural style typical in Vienna at the end of the 19th century. The hotel was situated in the Mariahilfer Strabe. For three nights we were conveniently located near the Ringstrasse.
Ring Boulevard or Ringstrasse. Emperor Franz Josef had the old city walls torn down for a wide tree-lined boulevard upon which would stand an imposing collection of new buildings that would reflect Vienna’s special status as the political, cultural, economic heart of the Austro Hungarian Empire.
During the 50 years of building, starting in 1858, many factors combined to produce the Ringstrasse as it now stands, but most important was liberalism after the failed Revolution of 1848 — the long standing tradition of absolute imperial power was giving way to constitutional monarchy.
The Ringstrasse celebrated “the triumph of constitutional right over imperial might, of secular culture over religious faith. Not palaces, garrisons, and churches, but centers of constitutional government and higher culture dominate the Ring.” Carl Schorske quoted in Fodor’s
Vienna and the Danube Valley, pp. 74-75. See also Eyewitness
Vienna, pp. 32-33.
Very close to the Hotel Tyrol was the Museum of Art History or Kunsthistorisches Museum (1872) which houses one of the finest art collections in Europe. The collection was assembled by the ruling Habsburgs over several hundred years.
Representative artists include Holbein (Portrait of Lady Jane Grey Queen of England), Titian (Portrait of Elector Johann Fredrick of Saxony), Bruegel (Peasant Dance), Caravaggio (Madonna of the Rosary), Rembrandt, Vermeer (Allegory of the Art of Painting), etc.
Fodor’s Vienna and the Danube Valley, p. 73; See also Eyewitness
Vienna, pp. 120-123. Painting on right Bruegel, Peasant Dance.
To reach the entrance of the museum we went around to Maria Theresa Platz (with statues and fountains).
We went by the Neo-Renaissance State Opera House or Staatsoper, the first of the grand Ringstrasse buildings to be completed. It opened on May 25, 1869, to the strains of Mozart’s Don Giovanni. In front of the State Opera House is a large statue of Franz Joseph I with an ornate base and a Neptune statue.
No other city has produced and performed more great music, and nowhere else keeps the memory of its glorious past more proudly in the present. The roll call of musicians who either were born in Vienna or came to live there include some of the greatest names of all times: Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms.... The apartment pictured on right is where the younger Strauss composed The Blue Danube waltz in 1867.
We then ventured out to the Hofburg Quarter (See Brook,
Vienna, pp. 89-91) where we went to the Augustinerkirche and then to Josephplatz with its equestrian statue of Joseph II by Franz Anton Zauner (1790). The white buildings (right) whose roofs are adorned with statues (like Atlas with a globe) is the National Library, built to house the growing Habsburg book collection.
From here we walked to Michaelerplatz which faces the grandiose entrance into the Hofburg, the Michaelertor (right).
Fountains and sculpture were everywhere. Directly opposite was Michaelerkirche. Its porch is topped with Baroque statues (1724-25) by Lorenzo Mattieli depicting the Fall of the Angels. Archangel Michael, is one of the oldest churches in Vienna, Austria, and also one of its few remaining Romanesque buildings.
Excavations in Michaelerplatz have uncovered Roman ruins. The ruins to the right are brothels from Roman times. Those to the left are of more recent times.
Beyond the ruins on the other side of Michaelplatz is the Loos House (1910) whose dramatic entrance was draped in Nazi colors following the Anschluss in 1938. Delia Meth-Cohn,
Vienna Art and History (Summerfield Press, 1993), pp. 13-29.
Moving on we came across the Neue Burg (1881-1913}), a vast semicircle on Heldenplatz (Heroes’ Square). This extension was completed only five years before the Habsburg empire ended. In 1938 Adolph Hitler stood on the terraced central bay to proclaim the Anschluss to tens of thousands of Viennese. Today it houses reading rooms and museums. In front of the Neue Burg is the Prince Eugene Statue.
The outer gate, or Burgtor, was built to a design by Peter Nobile in 1821-24, as a memorial to those who died fighting Napoleon at Leipzig. When we left we commented on how huge the complex was. It is hard to grasp the immense size of the Hofburg Imperial Palace, which comprises 18 sections, 54 stair- cases, and 19 courtyards, all covering an area of almost 2.6 million square feet. (Robert Gutman,
Europe, December/January, 1995-96); See also Eyewitness
Vienna, pp. 95-97.
On our way home we crossed through Maria Thereseplatz and took in another beautiful fountain with statues. To the right is an imposing statue of Maria.
Sunday. July 14:
Our goal for the morning was to hear organ music (Orgelmesse) at Augustinerkirche. The church was founded for the Augustinians by Frederick the Handsome in 1327, and became the official court church in 1634. Several of the Habsburg's political marriages were sealed here, most notably was that in 1810 between the Emperor’s daughter Marie Louise and Napoleon (who divorced Josephine so as to sire a royal heir).
Interior of Augustinerkirche where we attended an organ concert.
Next stop was to be St. Stephen’s Cathedral, the major landmark of Vienna. St. Stephen’s Cathedral, or Stephansdom (which was bombed during World War II) is a key symbol of Vienna. St. Stephen's is held to be one of the most outstanding works of Gothic architecture in all of Europe. (Robert Gutman,
Europe, December/January, 1995-96). The cathedral is at the heart of the inner city. Consecrated in 1147, St. Stephen’s is the hub of the city’s wheel. As architecture it is a mixture ranging from 13th century Romanesque to 15th century Gothic. (Fodor’s
Vienna and the Danube Valley, pp. 57-60). See also Eyewitness
Vienna, pp. 76-79.
As we approached, our attention was drawn to the beautiful colored tiled roof. Almost a quarter of a million glazed tiles cover the roof. They were meticulously restored after the damage caused in the last days of World War II. The tall bell tower (Stephensturm), and the entrance also stand out. . The two spiky octagonal towers on either side of the colorful roof are known as the Heathen Towers, having been built with stones from the Roman ruins.
A church service was being conducted so a music background was provided for tapeing the altar, columns, and the Pilgrim Pulpit. One of the main chapels was the Chapel of the Holy Cross (St. Croix) which had Prince Eugene of Savoy entombed beneath the floor (marked slab). At the opposite end of the cathedral — right up in front — was an above ground 15th century tomb of Emperor Frederick III.
After leaving Stephensdom we sought out the Figarohaus of Mozart. We found it at 5 Domgasse and walked up the stairs to the information center. Mozart had once lived in this house with his wife Constance from 1784-1787 and he is said to have written many of his masterworks here, including The Marriage of Figaro. The video has captured both the inside and outside of the building. Mozart’s financial troubles forced him to leave this apartment in search for cheaper rent.
The Schenks toured the Schatzkammere (treasure chamber) in the Hofberg, while the Raddatzes and Wulffs headed over to the Stadtpark on the Ringstrasse for a leisurely Sunday walk through the English landscape style gardens. Musicians have been immortalized here with monuments. The Franz Schubert monument was by Karl Kundmann.
More impressive was the monument to Johann Strauss II, a gilded statue depicting the artist playing a violin (right). He is surrounded by romantic figures.
Part of the Wien River touches the park and it is set off with the Jugendstill Portal (1903).
We stayed in the park for the evening Strauss concert and listened to the musicians from the Kursalon. The musicians performed in a vine-covered bandstand.
Karlskirche, designed by Fischer von Erlach, was a must for our agenda. During Vienna’s plague epidemic in 1713, Emperor Karl VI vowed that as soon as the city was delivered from its plight he would build a church. The competition to design the church was won by Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach.
The result was a richly eclectic Baroque masterpiece in which he borrowed from Rome and Greece (dome and portico) and the Orient (gatehouses and minaret-like columns). Brook,
Vienna, pp. 146-7.
The church is massive and very symmetrical. The front pediment, porch-like feature, is crowned with the patron saint of the plague, St. Charles Borromeo. The pediment reliefs show the suffering of the people during the 1713 plague. The statues on the sides of the stairs are angels. The one on the left represents the Old Testament and the one on the right the New Testament. The two columns were inspired by Trajan’s Column in Rome, decorated with spiraling scenes from the life of the patron saint Borromeo.
On the walk back to the Hotel Tyrol we passed many lovely fountains. Almost home we passed the Theatre An Der Wien (1797-1801) where Beethoven had briefly lived in 1803 and 1804. Over the entrance to the theater were lighthearted musical figures. We came across a very plain plastic marker with an inscription for remembrance (written in German) that drew our attention to the pockmarked walls of the building. The last German troops left Vienna on April 14, 1945, eight days after the Russian Red Army’s first offensive.
The city was in ruins — all the bridges had been destroyed, over 20% of the buildings were seriously damaged. This wall we saw gave evidence of the fighting. Delia Meth-Cohn,
Vienna Art and History, Summerfield Press, 1993, pp. 81-82).
Monday, July 15:
Our last day in Vienna began with a subway ride (the first non-walking transportation in Vienna for us) to Schonbrunn, exiting from Otto Wagner’s designed station. Schonbrunn Palace, summer residence of Empress Maria Theresa and the Habsburgs. Schonbrunn means “beautiful fountain” after the pure water spring discovered on the property by Emperor Matthew in 1614. Franz Josef was born in this palace in 1830 and died there in 1916.
The predominately white and gold interiors of the palace are considered masterpieces of Rococo design. Of the 1,400 rooms, 39 are open to the public. The gorgeous Hall of Mirrors is where the six year old Mozart performed for the Empress Maria Theresa.
One of the rooms is named after a daughter of Maria Theresa who later became known as the infamous Marie Antoinette after she married the man who became Louis XVI of France. Robert Gutman,
Europe, December/January, 1995-96). See also Eyewitness
Vienna, pp. 170-3
This time we approached the palace from the main gate and had a good view of the front, with large fountains centered on the lawn. I was not allowed to video-tape on the Imperial Tour within the palace, so I had to settle with taping one of the post cards that showed the Great Gallery where Meternich and the key diplomats of Europe met for the Congress of Vienna. Ballet dancers were practicing outside for an evening concert here at Schonbrunn so I taped them.
After our palace tour we went around to walk the Neoclassical formal gardens.
GO ON TO DANUBE RIVER CRUISE PART II
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