After lunch it was onto the magnificent
Schönbrunn Castle, which
takes its name from a beautiful spring that was found on the site. Schonbrunn was the summer
palace and the refuge of the Imperial Family. The palace is set in
glorious gardens created in the French style, with many famous fountains
and sculptures adorning the pathways and floral displays.
The fascination of the
palace lies not only in the political and historical events which took
place at Schonbrunn, but also in its family intimacy; Empress Maria
Theresia (1740 – 80), who loved Schönbrunn was instrumental in the restoration of the palace and
turning it into a summer residence. It was here that the little Mozart hopped onto her
lap after his recital.
It has a long and turbulent
history and the splendour of Imperial times gone by is represented by the
Wagenburg, a large collection of state and custom carriages that
demonstrate in particular the vehicles in use by the Viennese Court
between 1690 and 1918.
Walking through the rooms of
the castle, one experiences a sensation of being transported to a fairy
kingdom. Modern technology
intrudes, as there are earphones to charm you with the rich history of
Schönbrunn as you journey
through the amazing rooms.
There are 40 rooms open to
the public and in every corner a large ceramic stove, an early form of central
heating. The rooms are sumptuously
furnished
resplendent with magnificent murals. Prime examples of the
Schönbrunn rococo, the era of style deriving its name from
the rocaille (the typical shell-formed scroll) which – as the Schönbrunn
rococo – already tilts towards the classical and homely Biedermaier
style
A room that especially
intrigues was the Marie Antoinette Room.
Archduchess Maria Antonia, daughter of Maria Theresia and her
husband Franz 1 Stephan, was married to the dauphin of France, the later
king Louis XV1. From then she
bore the name Marie Antoinette. Her tragic destiny was
fulfilled on 16 October1793, when she was executed nine months after her
husband in the post revolutionary chaos in Paris.
The walls of the room show a
dull white wood panelling with rich gold leaf decoration. The furniture seemed to have a French feel and one of the
paintings is a grand rendering of ‘Archduchess Marie Antoinette ‘ by
Amerling. There are portraits
of other Royals of the period by the same artist.
High ceilings and elaborate cornices add to the presentation of a
fascinating room that echoes a desperately sad history.
Walk slowly through
graciously decorated rooms with Gobelin tapestries, and grandiose pictures
in elaborate frames. The furniture, all exquisitely crafted, created an
atmosphere of great luxury. In
the Gobelin Salon, Brussels Gobelin tapestries refer to the 12 months of
the year.
A beautiful structure, the
Gloriette, stands on the hill behind the palace, crowning the complex of
Schonbrunn. It was erected in
1775 and is adorned with sculptures. An irrigation problem of the gardens was solved by the creation of
two Gloriette ponds.
The gardens provide many
delights, including a zoological garden and a palm hothouse. Roman ruins and Neptune’s fountain are also treasures to be
explored in the magical gardens.
Until her death in 1780, the
building and shaping of Schönbrunn Palace had always been of great concern
to Marie Theresia. It is to
her credit that Schönbrunn became a testimonial to Austria’s great
imperial era.
Many great political and
historical events are associated with Schönbrunn .
Napoleon lived there for a brief time, and his son grew up there.
Sadly the young boy spent a short and lonely life there, dying of
consumption at barely 21 years old.
Emperor Franz Joseph 1 made
Schönbrunn a refuge and workplace. He
too became increasingly lonely and died in the middle of World War 1
in1916 after a reign of 68 years. His
successor Karl 1 abdicated in Schönbrunn in 1918 and took refuge on the
exquisite island of Madeira.
Then
it was onto Café Mozart for coffee and pastries which shapes the
particular glory of Austrian cooking. The Café Mozart is the
coffee and pastry house of the great Sachar Hotel.
The
atmosphere is warm and cosy and you are positively riveted by
the huge amounts of torte being consumed! The café
latte, creamy and foamy is a decadent delight. We shared what was
probably the finest Apfelstrudel we had ever eaten, filled to bursting with delicately spiced apples.
There is a sacred ritual
about making the dough for the Apfelstrudel.
It is said that you must be able to read your newspaper through the
strudel dough, which should be as thin as an onionskin. The process is
taken very very seriously and the result, perfection.
The Café Mozart opens onto
the street and in the summer it must be delightful to sit there and
observe the life of Vienna.
It
is difficult to resist a peep
into the Sacher Hotel. The
foyer is surprisingly simple, yet this is the hotel that has played host
to the rich and famous and is the source of the great Sacher
Torte. It is
debatable whether the Sacher Torte or the Apfelstrudel is more famous. This comparison usually elicits strong and emotive reactions and
the inevitable discussion can go on for hours!
The Viennese devotion to all
things sweet is unrivalled. Their
enjoyment of cakes and pastries evokes for them almost as much pleasure as
their love of music. Every Viennese has a konditorei without which life
would not be worth living! Every confectioner and baker still hopes to
become renowned for some confectionary he has himself divised.
The special glory of
Austrian cooking reveals itself in the sweets.
Of all these noble creations, the Sacher Torte are probably the
most talked about worldwide. This
torte was the cause of the sweet seven years war between Sachers and
Demels! Sachers won, but the controversy continues as to which is the most
delicious version! The Sacher torte is a rich round chocolate sponge cake that is filled or coated with
apricot jam. Some
Zucker-Bäckers do
both. This torte was created in 1832 by a baker named Franz
Sacher to please the sweet tooth of the renowned statesman Prince Klemens
von Metternich.
The son of Franz Sacher
founded the Hotel Sacher in 1876. It
became famous for the romantic liaisons of the rich and noble and is still
a discreetly sumptuous hotel.
The Café Mozart is usually full of tourists, thanks to this eponymous chocolate cake.
Even the best efforts of the
friendly and helpful concierge could not procure tickets for the opera, so
we settled for a guided tour of the Opera House.
Much of the original Opera
House was bombed in World War 2, a fact that was often repeated by the
docent. The main staircase is
original, as is the Schwind foyer and the Tea House of Franz Josef 1. This is a charming room outside his private box where he
entertained his friends and the many dignitaries he had invited to join
him. One can visualises
scenes of men in full evening dress, sometimes uniforms, and ladies in
marvellous evening regalia.
Gustav Mahler was the
director of the Vienna Opera for 10 years. The Vienna Opera House is one
of the greatest in the world. The acoustics are excellent and the world
famous conductor Arturo Toscanini advised on the rebuilding of the
theatre.
Seat prices range from 4 –
145 Euros and are sold one week in advance. Standing room tickets are on
sale one hour before the performance starts.
Ticket touts have no success here, though it is not for lack of
trying. Tickets have to be
bought at the Opera House or authorised agents. Touts, dressed in
eye-catching black coats, sell tickets outside the Opera House.
Unfortunate buyers of these tickets find them to be invalid and are
refused entry.
The Great Hall where the
operas are staged is very grand with private boxes around the
circumference.
Die Fledermaus is always
performed at New Year, with famous guest artistes making surprise
appearances. Ballets are also
staged, and the night after we left, they were performing Giselle. How we
would have loved to watch a ballet in that wonderful atmosphere.
Onwards. After a quick lunch
at the Konigsbacher, which is so conveniently situated near the Opera
House, take a taxi to the Sigmund Freud Museum.
It is a fascinating
experience wandering through the Freud family’s living space and seeing
his offices and the tools of his trade.
There is an iron couch where his patients lay and unfolded their
dreams to him. It looked very
uncomfortable and one imagines the dreams were very tormented.
Freud established his
medical practice at Berggasse 19 and worked there until he was driven into
exile in England. The adaptation of Freud’s house and office as we see
it today was carried out in several steps.
At its opening in 1971, the museum was initially limited to the few
rooms of the former office. Freud
never owned the house and always rented it.
In the 80’s, the Sigmund Freud society was given charge of the
entire apartment that Freud had rented until 1938. Decoration and
remodelling was undertaken. The
Sigmund Freud Society’s scientific library derives from an initiative
taken by his daughter Anna Freud, who carried on his work.
It
is not possible to dally as long
as we would have wished. Onto the magnificent
Belvedere Palace. Our taxi driver would have made an excellent guide.
Johan Lukas von Hildebrandt,
who also designed the Schonbrunn Palace, built the Belvedere Palace as the
summer residence of Prince Eugene of Savoy. The Belvedere consists of two
palaces linked by a formal garden laid out in the French style by
Dominique Girard.
The gardens are
breathtakingly beautiful and the art superb. The exhibition of Gustav Klimt,
one of Austria's most illustrious artists, had just finished, but the museum
has three permanent examples.
LEFT:
Gustav Klimt, Bauerngarten mit Sonnenblumen, um 1907:
RIGHT:
Gustav Klimt, Der kuss (Ausschnitt), 1907/08
Arguably his most famous painting, the Kiss, is on permanent show. It is a joy to behold. An art teacher was lecturing her class
on the intriguing and incredibly fine decorative aspects of this work and I watched the young faces glow with
wonderment.
We wandered through rooms
depicting works by Andy Warhol, Claus Oldenburg, Jim Dine and many many
more. Some wonderful examples of
Dutch works with vibrant Van Goghs; Belgian work by Fernand Khnopff and
German Impressionists represented by Louis Corinth and Max Lieberman were
on display. We saw exquisite examples of the work of Monet, Manet,
Camille Pissarro and Auguste Renoir, what a feast!
There were two pieces or
perhaps one might say arrangements that intrigued me.
One was a white chess set crafted by Yoko Ono, set on a white chair
and table on a raised white platform.
The other a wonderful work
by Jackson Pollock. All these
treasures are in the Upper Belvedere Palace.
A beautiful baroque gate fronts the Palace with an S for Savoy
integrated into the Cross of Savoy. The façade of the pavilions resemble
the shape of Turkish tents – an allusion to Prince Eugene’s victories
over the Turks.
The Museum of Austrian
Baroque is housed in the elegant rooms of the Lower Belvedere. There is the astonishing Hall of Mirrors. This gets its name
from the display of huge gilt mirrors that cover the walls.
The Hall of Grotesques displays paintings of Grotesques inspired by
ancient Roman frescoes.
Music,
a last divine dinner at the Restaurant Korso, a glass of champagne in the Bristol Bar and
a toast to a wonderful interlude in Vienna.
The Vienna
Woods, the lilting Danube, so many more palaces and museums, beautiful
churches, architecture and coffee houses remained as promises for a
next visit.
