The Maria-Theresien-Platz of Vienna is a large
square (Platz) adjoining the Ringstraße
(Vienna's central street). Facing each other from
the sides of the square are two identical
buildings, the Naturhistoriches Museum - Natural
History Museum, and the Kunsthistoriches Museum -
the Art History Museum. These two buildings are
identical, save for the statuary on their
façades.
The Museum of Natural History of Vienna pictured
here has collections which cover 8,700 square
metres. It is one of the important museums of the
world, and its earliest collections of artifacts
were began over 250 years ago.Over 20 million
objects are scientifically maintained in the
building.
The main building of the Museum is an elaborate
palace that has accommodated these constantly
growing collections since opening to the public
in 1889 as the Imperial Natural History Museum.
Some of the collections had been moved from even
older buildings, such as the Hofbibliothek which
contained the Zoology Cabinet collections.
Famous and irreplaceable exhibits, for instance
the 25,000-year-old Venus of Willendorf and a
skeleton of a Diplodocus dinosaur together with
extinct animal or plant specimens dating from 200
million years ago (such as the Steller sea-cow)
are displayed along 39 halls. Contemporary
presentation by means of modern exhibition
technology has been possible without compromising
the historical structures in the building.
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Maria Theresa , 1717-80, Austrian archduchess,
queen of Bohemia and Hungary (1740-80), consort
of Holy Roman Emperor Francis I and dowager
empress after the accession (1765) of her son,
Joseph II. When Maria Theresa acceded she was
immediately confronted with a European coalition
against her, and Frederick II of Prussia brazenly
seized Silesia . In the War of the Austrian
Succession (1740-48), Maria Theresa lost most of
Silesia to Prussia but secured (1745) in exchange
the imperial election for her husband. Her warm
personality and strength of will won her the
loyalty of her subjects and troops, to whom she
appealed directly in moments of crisis. Her
husband was given a share in governing her
hereditary lands, but the actual government was
in the hands of Maria Theresa, assisted by her
able chancellor, Kaunitz .
After the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748),
Kaunitz accomplished a diplomatic revolution in
concluding an alliance with France, the
traditional enemy. The Seven Years War (1756-63)
exhausted the strength of Austria. Partly under
the influence of her son, Joseph II (with whom
she jointly ruled her dominions after 1765),
Maria Theresa carried out a series of agrarian
reforms and centralized the administration of her
lands. Unlike her son she followed no particular
plan and was, on the whole, conservative.
A devout Roman Catholic, her court was the most
moral in Europe. During her reign Vienna
increased its reputation as a center of the arts
and of music. Among her 16 children were emperors
Joseph II and Leopold II, Marie Caroline of
Naples, and Marie Antoinette of France.
The monument to Empress Maria Theresa lies
between the Natural History Museum and the
Kunsthistorisches Museum. It was financed largely
by funds "that the grand bourgeoisie had raised
through its Ringstrasse transactions", as
historian and monument expert Gerhardt Kapner
puts it. Although the monument honours Maria
Theresa, the influence of the bourgeoisie can be
readily felt. The empress, who lived during the
era of Absolutism, is surrounded by government
officials, including her advisers Johann Christof
Freiherr von Bartenstein, Gerard van Swieten and
Joseph von Sonnenfels. She wears a diadem on her
head, a further clever move by the sculptor
Caspar von Zumbusch.
The omission of the crown of the Holy Roman
Empire was a reference to Hungary, which did not
recognise it. Indeed, many representatives of the
Hungarian estates came to Vienna for the official
unveiling on 13 May 1888 together with some 60
members of the Habsburg/Lorraine family. There
was also a grandstand large enough to accommodate
10,000 people, one of the largest ever to have
been seen in Vienna.
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The square is partitioned into four quadrants,
each of which has a fountain in the middle. One
is depicted on the left.
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A view of the the Rathaus (right) which serves as
the seat both of the mayor and city council of
the city of Vienna.
The Rathaus was designed by Friedrich von
Schmidt in the Gothic style, and built between
1872 and 1883. On the top of the tower is the
Rathausmann, one of the symbols of Vienna. The
Rathaus also accommodates the historic 'Wiener
Rathauskeller' restaurant. The traditional
restaurant consists of several baroque halls,
offering small traditional Viennese delicacies to
grand gala buffets.
Recently finished renovations (2000) include the
re-opening of the neo-baroque Salon Ziehrer and
the redesigned Lanner-Lehar Hall with wall and
ceiling murals by German Trompe-l'oeil artist
Rainer Maria Latzke.
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Hofburg Imperial Palace has housed some of the
most powerful people in Austrian history,
including the Hapsburg dynasty, rulers of the
Austro-Hungarian empire. It currently serves as
the official residence of the President of
Austria. It was the Habsburg's principal winter
residence, while Schönbrunn Palace was their
preferred summer residence. The most recent
addition to the Hofburg complex is the Neue
Hofburg, or New Château visible in the
background of the picture on the left.
Construction was started in 1881 and continued
through 1913. The palace was the residence of
Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the nephew and heir
apparent of Franz Joseph, whose assassination at
Sarajevo by Serbian nationalists set off the
chain of events that led to World War I.
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The Heldenplatz ("Heroes' Square") is a
historical plaza opposite the Neue Burg. Many
important actions took place here, most
notoriously Adolf Hitler's announcement of the
Anschluss of Austria to the German Reich in 1938.
The square contains the equestrian statue of
François-Eugène, Prince of
Savoy-Carignan (18 October 1663 to 21 April
1736),who was one of the most prominent and
successful military commanders in European
history. Born in Paris to aristocratic Savoyard
parents, Eugene grew up around the French court
of King Louis XIV. He was initially prepared for
a career in the church, but by the age of 19 he
had determined on a military career. Rejected by
Louis XIV for service in the French army, Eugene
moved to Austria, and transferred his loyalty to
the Habsburg Monarchy.
Spanning six decades, Eugene served three
Habsburg emperors; Leopold I, Joseph I, and
Charles VI. Eugene first saw action against the
Ottoman Turks at the Siege of Vienna in 1683 and
the subsequent War of the Holy League, before
serving in the Nine Years' War alongside his
cousin, the Duke of Savoy. However, the Prince's
fame was secured with his crushing victory
against the Ottomans at the Battle of Zenta in
1697. Eugene enhanced his standing during the War
of the Spanish Succession where his partnership
with the Duke of Marlborough secured victories
against the French on the fields of Blenheim,
Oudenarde and Malplaquet; he gained further
success as Imperial commander in northern Italy,
most notably at Turin in 1706. Renewed
hostilities against the Ottomans in the
Austro-Turkish War of (1716 to 18) consolidated
his reputation with victories at the battles of
Petrovaradin, and Belgrade.
Although opinions differ as to his character,
there is no dispute over his great achievements:
Eugene helped to save the Hapsburg Empire from
French conquest; he broke the westward thrust of
the Ottomans, liberating central Europe after a
century and a half of Turkish occupation; and he
was one of the greatest patrons of the arts,
whose building legacy can still be seen in Vienna
today. Eugene died in his sleep at his home on 21
April 1736 aged 72.
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The 16th century gateway (above) that leads from
the large courtyard of the Hofburg Palace to the
oldest area of Austria's Imperial Palace called
the Schweizertor ('Swiss Gate'). It is here that
the Vienna Boys Choir sings each Sunday.
One of the 'sentinels' guarding the gateway
(left).
The State Apartments, visible in the background
of the picture above, are open to the public in
the Hofburg and comprise the Franz Joseph
Apartments in the Reichskanzleitrakt together
with Elisabeth and Alexander's apartments in the
Amalienburg. It is not possible for visitors to
see the living quarters and ceremonial apartments
of Empress Maria Theresa and of her son Emperor
Joseph II (the Leopoldinischertrakt) because they
comprise the official residence of the Austrian
President. To the right of the pictute is the
Chancellery and Franz Joseph Apartments. The
memorial in the foreground commemorates Francis
1.
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Francis I Emperor of Austria 1768-1835 : Despite
copping a hiding at the hands of the French,
Austria refused to accept the fact its armies
could not compete on the field of battle with
that of the upstart revolutionaries.
As the most conservative empire in Europe, with
its hegemony over a large number of different
ethnic nations, Austria was most endangered by
the ideals of the French Revolution and Napoleon
Bonaparte.
Despite fielding large armies against Bonaparte,
Austria lost prestige and huge territories in the
years of war that followed the French Revolution
and the rise of Bonaparte.
In 1810, Francis agreed to his daughter,
Marie-Louise, marrying the French emperor and
that began a three-year peace. In 1813, however,
his nation joined the Sixth Coalition and played
a huge part in defeating his son-in-law.
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Sculpture representing the arms of Emperor
Charles VI on the attic of the Imperial
Chancellery Wing (right).
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The Michael Wing was planned by Joseph Emanuel
Fischer von Erlach, and it serves as the
connection between the Winter Riding School and
the Imperial Chancellory Wing. However, because
the old Imperial Theatre (Burgtheater) stood in
the way, these plans remained unrealized until
Ferdinand Kirschner built the wing from 1889 to
1893, utilizing a slightly altered plan. The
sculptures on the portals are by Lorenzo
Mattielli and represent the Labours of Hercules
(Heracles). A roadway passes through one of the
portals to the Michaelplatz (below).
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Road Rage (Ancient Greek Style).
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