Vienna Art

Vienna Art

Vienna Oh Vienna

When our Austrian Airlines flight touched down and taxied across the runway at Vienna airport, we were greeted by music: the famous Blue Danube waltz by Johann Strauss II was played through the aeroplane's cabin speakers. The music was apt, as Strauss lived and worked in Vienna, writing the Blue Danube about the city's great river and earning the nickname ‘The Waltz King' and set the tone for our weekend break to Vienna.

 

A little while later, making our way past the smoky coffee shops in the airport (you can still smoke in enclosed spaces in Austria), another sound is heard: on the radio Midge Ure and his 1980s pop group Ultravox are singing their number one hit, Vienna,  with its chorus refrain: ‘It means nothing to me – Oh Vienna!'. It seemed everywhere we went, we were reminded that we were on a short break in Vienna!

 

In fact, Vienna has a long musical heritage. Classical composers Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn and Schubert are among the city's esteemed former residents – and Strauss was a real rock star of his time, elevating the waltz from peasant music and reinventing it as an exciting new kind of dance music popular in the royal palaces of Vienna.

 

Then there is the Vienna Boys Choir – one of the most highly rated choirs in the world – and the glittering New Year's Day concert, with its audience of Europe's rich and powerful, broadcast on television to an estimated 44 million people. And finally, there is the Staatsoper – the Vienna State Opera – which once boasted composer Gustav Mahler as its director. The Opera would be the highlight of our romantic weekend getaway to the Austrian capital, but before our visit we also had time to take a tour of the city centre.

 

Looking in part like Paris, with its elegant boulevards, and in part like Prague with its old-world charm, it's an inspiring and really rather romantic confection. Vienna is a grand old city and has been called the ‘Gateway to the East'. Indeed, as you pass the road signs on the way from the airport you are reminded of this – Bratislava is just over the border in Slovakia and Budapest is not far away in Hungary.

 

The legacy of the Habsburgs – the dynasty of rulers who came to Vienna in the 13th century and built the Austrian and Austro-Hungarian empires – is everywhere and one of the most apparent things to see during a short break. The city's grand imperial palace complex, Hofburg, is the Habsburgs' ancestral seat and the largest family home in Europe. Hofburg, with its domes, statues, archways and parks, also houses that other great tourist attraction, the Spanish Riding School – with its amazing Lipizzaner stallions.

 

 

With a population of 2 million, Austria's capital is a fairly small city, and the centre is easy to roam around without the need for public transport – and means you can tick off a good number of the sights in a weekend.

 

Right in the middle of the city, at the top of a wide, pedestrianised shopping street, is Stephansplatz and the towering, gothic cathedral. Outside the cathedral, horse-drawn carriages line up, offering guided tours round Vienna's picturesque streets (at this point we realised that Vienna rivals Paris as a romantic weekend destination). Inside, the interior of the cathedral is stunning, with highly ornate carvings almost everywhere you look. The cathedral hosts classical music concerts and if you're lucky you can catch an ensemble rehearsing, hearing the music for free in a truly evocative setting.

 

Just north of Stephansplatz is the Hoher Markt with its famous clock, the Jugendstil Ankeruhr. On the hour, the mechanical contraption bursts into life with different historical figures appearing to mark the time.

 

Back past Stephansdom and only a few hundred metres from the Staatsoper are two huge museums housed in identical, imposing buildings: the Naturhistorisches Museum is one of the most celebrated natural history museums in the world and the Kunsthistorisches Museum (Museum of Fine Arts) has an enormous collection of art from the Habsburgs' seemingly infinite collection.

 

Even if you're not into art or natural history, the marbled interiors of the buildings are worth the price of admission alone and a short break really wouldn't feel complete without a visit to this museum.

 

The festive period is a fantastic time to plan your weekend to Vienna; cabins spring up along the roadsides, selling warming drinks of glühwein (mulled wine) and fruit punch, and the Christmas markets offer all kinds of souvenirs, making the streets a destination in themselves. One of the markets is held in the park of Maria-Theresien-Platz – located directly between the natural history and fine art museums.

 

The park is pretty in summer, too, and makes a good stop-off point before visiting the attractions of Vienna's Museum Quartier.

 

Our top eight things to see on a weekend break to Vienna

 

1.Stephansdom - Vienna's most famous landmark

2.Hofburg - the huge and historical royal palace complex

3.Coffee houses - order ‘eine melange'

4.A classical concert - at the cathedral, perhaps?

5.Naturhistorisches Museum - the amazing natural history museum

6.The Hoher Markt clock - incredible or kitsch? You decide

7.An American bar - treat yourself to a cocktail

8.Staatsoper -  a night at the opera? Why not dress up and give it a go!

 

Coffee, cake and cocktails

Like many European cities, Vienna does its own take on coffee. The Viennese picked up their fondness for coffee from the Turks. Coffee is more than just a drink, it's a way of life here – a must-try for any visitor on a weekend break. The many old and often decrepit-looking coffee houses, with their brass handles and dark wood interiors are fascinating places in which to relax and unwind.

 

Ask for ‘eine melange, bitte' (a melange, please) – for a Viennese version of a cappuccino. A Turkischer Kaffee is, yes, a Turkish-style coffee – rich, sweet and served with the coffee grounds in the cup (so don't drink to the bottom). An Einspanner is a black coffee served in a long glass with whipped cream, while a grosser brauner comes with a dash of milk.

 

While you're having your cuppa, ask for a piece of cake, too. Chocolate cake, or schokoladentorte, is regarded as a Viennese delicacy and the most popular choice among weekend travellers. The most famous of all is the sachertorte – chocolate cake with an apricot jam filling. The best place to try the cake is, as the name might suggest, the Sacher Hotel, right in the centre of the city. You can also buy the cake from confectioners across Vienna.

 

A pint of ‘bier vom fass' (draught beer) is a good way to wash down a meal of wiener schnitzel (a bread-crumbed veal cutlet and the city's most famous dish) or goulash – a dish of beef stew or soup, gently spiced with paprika, originating from Hungary.

 

The other country that seems to have left its mark on Viennese bars and restaurants is the United States. In Vienna, you might just find the best cocktail this side of New York City – and you can drink in style, too.

 

The American Bar at the five-star Hotel Bristol, right opposite the Vienna State Opera, has been a meeting point for the city's cultural and business high-flyers for more than 100 years. In the bar, signed photographs of world leaders and the greats of classical music tell their own story. The drinks prices rival top-notch London hotels, but the quiet, wood-panelled bar is such an elegant (‘swellegant', as the Cole Porter song has it) place to enjoy a dry martini or a classic champagne cocktail that you can be forgiven for affording a little moment of luxury during your romantic weekend break.

 

There are a number of self-styled American Bars in Vienna, all harking back to the days when Cary Grant or Grace Kelly were the very definition of suave, sophisticated glamour. The bar at The Bristol is the best of the lot – just remember to dress smartly if you don't want the barman tut-tutting and shaking his head.

 

We couldn't linger at the Bristol, however, as we needed to pick up our tickets for that evening's entertainment at the Staatsoper – a performance of Puccini's Madama Butterfly. Never having seen a full opera before, though familiar with the tune of an occasional aria, we were unsure of what to expect. Would it hold the attention for the near-on three hours over which the drama unfolds and ultimately be the highlight of our romantic weekend in Vienna? The straightforward answer is ‘yes'.

 

The occasion was a feast for the senses, with the magisterial beauty of the huge auditorium a match for the heartfelt singing on the stage and the impassioned playing in the orchestra pit. And watching a conductor perform is entertainment in itself.

 

Our cheap-seat tickets had us sat high up in the heavens. Peering over the edge of the balcony to see the drama unfold from this elevated tier felt rather unnerving at first, but we soon got used to it. As the action unfolded we weren't sure where to look: down at the stage and the orchestra, at the electronic translation of the words on the little screens in front of our seats, or at the multitude of balconies and private boxes across the theatre for a discreet spot of people watching.

 

As the curtain came down at the end of the opera, and with Madama Butterfly's tragic fate sealed, the cast appeared again to take their bows and receive standing ovation after standing ovation. Opera may not be everyone's cup of tea, but dressing up for a visit to the Staatsoper makes for a truly memorable occasion and one of the most highly recommended things to do whilst on a weekend break to Vienna.

 

Where to Stay?

The Austria Trend Hotel Savoyen in Vienna is the perfect place to stay during your vacation in Vienna. For more information or to book, please visit: http://www.ghotw.com/hotel/home/austria-trend-hotel.htm

About the Author

Kristel van Winkel Marketing Intern Great Hotels of the World Note to editors: Great Hotels of the World Great Hotels of the World (http://www.ghotw.com) provides global hotel reservation, sales and marketing services for an exclusive portfolio of primarily independent hotels and resorts worldwide. Great Hotels of the World provides a range of products, services and innovative technology solutions for over 250 hotels worldwide through trade shows, e-marketing, business travel sales, meeting and incentive sales, public relations, Meeting Forums and a private label GDS chain code (GW).

If you could go back in time to 1907 and meet Hitler (age 18) would you teach him to paint or be an architect?

"From 1905 on, Hitler lived a bohemian life in Vienna on an orphan's pension and support from his mother. He was rejected twice by the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna (1907–1908), citing "unfitness for painting," and was told his abilities lay instead in the field of architecture."

Neither.
I would make sure to refer him to the best local psychiatrist for counseling on whatever mental issues he had as an attempt to correct his prejudice and hatred. Once his core issues were resolved, he would be able to make the right decisions and choose for himself between painting and architecture instead of killing. But then again, if I could travel back in time, I would have chosen to reach him at an even earlier age----his early childhood years----and prevent the very first sign of racial prejudice from forming. That way, anything else he would have chosen to be would have been better off. He could have become an engineer, a musician, teacher, scientist, or even a *good* leader.

Vienna Art Orchestra feat. Matthieu Michel & Martin Koller