What are the labels of Vienna? The music? The castle? The Habsburg dynasty or Princess Sissi? Vienna is of the splendid history and culture. The atmosphere of classical music and art is rich and Vienna is known as the “world music capital”, which let people enjoying themselves so much that one forgets to go home. Vienna is also known as the “Goddess of the Danube”, and the glory of the Roman Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire left Vienna with countless majestic buildings. As the “music capital”, it attracted many musicians such as Beethoven, Mozart and Mahler. They left their classical music works and cultural heritage in Vienna, which makes Vienna a well-known and popular tourist city. Here is the list of Top 10 in Vienna.
1. Schönbrunn Palace
Schönbrunn Palace is a Baroque art building in the southwest of Vienna. It was once the royal palace of the Holy Roman Empire, the Austrian Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Habsburg dynasty. It is now Vienna’s most prestigious tourist attraction. Schönbrunn Palace and its garden are listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The Schönbrunn Palace was built in 1694 by Queen Maria Teresia. This Rococo-style palace has 1,441 rooms totally. There are currently 45 rooms open to the public and tickets of different routes for visiting the palace. The Neptune Fountain is at the foot of the hillside. Neptune stands in the middle with a goddess on his left. The sea goddess Thetis is on his right and asks Poseidon to help her son to travel to Troy.
2. National Opera
The Vienna State Opera is one of the most famous opera houses in the world. It is the main symbol of Vienna that is the “city of music” and it’s known as the “World Opera Center”. The Opera House is located on the Ring Road of the Old Town of Vienna. It was opened in 1869. The first performance was Mozart’s opera “Don Juan”, which opened the curtain of the glory. The National Opera is a tall and square Roman-style building. It’s all made from light yellow marbles made in Italy and the building structure is magnificent. The front tall gatehouse has five arched doors and there are five arched windows on the upper floor. The bronze statues of five opera goddesses stand on the window representing respectively the heroism, drama, imagination, art and love in the opera. The entire theater is 9,000 square meters and there are 6 floors of auditorium. There are many oil paintings that describe the most outstanding operas hanging on the walls of the rest halls and corridors. Such as Weber’s “Magic Shooter”, Mozart’s “The Wedding of Figaro”, ” The Magic Flute” and “Don Juan”, Beethoven’s “Federico”, Rossini’s “Seville Barber” and so on.
3. Schönbrunn Palace Garden
The Schönbrunn Palace was originally a Baroque royal hunting palace of the Habsburg dynasty of the Holy Roman Empire. It was said that the emperor Matthias discovered the spring here and shouted “Ah! What a beautiful spring!” That’s why the name the palace comes. It was more beautiful when I converted to French garden when Maria Teresia reigned. The archway that we enter the garden is made up of wreaths of roses. There is the sculpture of the Neptune Fountain behind the garden and the Triumphal Arch on the hill. The whole garden is beautiful and natural. You can see the squirrels picking up the fruit on the ground to eat at any time. You can also climb up and walk to the highest point of the hill to overlook. Then you can see the great sights.
4. Stephen’s Cathedral
St. Stephen’s Cathedral is located in the center of Vienna’s city and is known as the “Heart of Vienna”. The church tower is 136.7m high and is the third tallest church in the world after Cologne Church and Ulm Church. It was built in the 12th century. The earliest architectural part is the current gate and the door walls on both sides, which is a Roman architectural style. After the Habsburg dynasty ruled Austria, the church was re-expanded and two towers were built. The south tower is the Gothic architectural style and the North Tower is the Renaissance style. There are carved marble columns inside. It’s a magnificent architecture with sleek glass, which makes people feel sacred. There is the huge pipe of the organ, large and gorgeous chandeliers on the upper floor of the church.
5. Hofburg Palace
The Hofburg Imperial Palace has been an important residence for the royal family of Habsburg from the beginning of the 13th century until the fall of the monarchy in 1918. Within the vast palace complex of 2,500 rooms, there are more than 20 world-class collection halls. What’s more, its collection of royal culture is the best in Europe. The silverware pavilion mainly displays the luxury dining culture of the Empire, such as expensive tableware, exquisite porcelain and various banquet decorations. The six exhibition halls of the Princess Sissi Museum displays a large number of authentic objects of Queen’s sleeping palace and some replicas of her costumes, which can be used to explore the imprint of the life of the Princess Sissi.
6. Belvedere Palace
The Belvedere Palace known as the National Art Museum consists of two buildings: the Lower Belvedere built in 1714 was as the Summer Palace of Prince Eugen; the other is the Upper Beauty Palace built in 1721 is the place where various grand festival events is held for the royal family. To host a variety of venues for grand festivals. The palace is one of the most beautiful Baroque palaces in the world. The collection of works includes masterpieces from the Middle Ages until the 21st century, particularly the masterpieces of Austrian painters at the end of the 19th century and during the New Art Movement. The most famous work on display was “Kiss” of Klimt who created the separation style. The collections of the Lower Palace are mainly placed in the medieval Baroque style halls, the most notable of which are the works of the romantic and post-Gothic style masters Michelle Paher, Luland Frye and Conrad Leb.
7. Art History Museum
The Vienna Museum of Art History is one of the largest and most important museums in the world. The main building is located in the Maria Teresia Square in the center of the Ring Road. It is opposite the Hofburg Imperial Palace and was built by the Habsburg family that ruled Europe for nearly seven centuries. It is a great place for the rich collection of the Habsburg dynasty. The history of its collection spans five thousand years from the ancient Egyptian era through the ancient Greek era until the end of the eighteenth century. The focus of the collection is on the art of the Renaissance and Baroque era. There are several buildings for different collections, including the Oil Painting Gallery, the Kunstkammer, the Classical Art Collection, the Egyptian and Oriental Art Collection, and the Coin Collection. Visiting the splendid and luxurious museum building itself is an extraordinary artistic experience. A large number of neo-Baroque decorations created one of Vienna’s most solemn and most magnificent internal decorations of the late 19th century, which is perhaps beyond other European museums.
8. The Museum of Sissi
The Sissi Museum has made many fans of Sissi closer to the life of the pretty and elegant queen. The museum shows mainly Elizabeth’s personal life, especially her resistance to court etiquette, her mad pursuit of beauty and slimming, her passion for sports and her obsession with poetry.
Sissi was an ordinary Bavarian girl and became the spouse of the Austrian emperor. She was unfortunately assassinated in Geneva in 1898. The exhibition shows the legendary queen’s excellent esprit and enthusiasm for the life, including a preserved summer costume, a replica of her wedding eve party dress, famous portraits, 23 travel make-up kits, a little desk made by, her paint box and so on.
9. Triumphal Arch at Schönbrunn Palace
The highest point of the Triumphal Arch is the viewing pavilion in the garden of Schönbrunn Palace. The building was designed by the Austrian Royal Architect Johann Ferdinand Hetzendorf von Hohenberg and was originally used as a restaurant and breakfast room for Emperor Joseph I. There is currently a coffee shop in the Triumphal Arch. Visitors can also climb the Triumphal Arch to see the panoramic view of Vienna and enjoy a cup of coffee.
10. Heroes Square
Located in the heart of Vienna, Heroes Square is one of the main attractions in the city of Vienna. Around the square, there are attractions such as the Hofburg Palace, the Presidential Palace, the Prime Minister’s Office, the Vienna City Council, the Parliament Building, the Natural History Museum, and the Museum of Art History. The Square is named after two Austrian heroes who defeated the Turkish army and the Napoleonic army. The statue on the west side of the square was Duchy of Teschen who was the first to defeat Napoleon. The statue on the east side was Prince Eugen who defeated the army three times during the Great Turkish War. It is said that Hitler announced the merger of Germany and Austria in 1938. Go out from the south side of Heroes Square and walk 300 meters along the street, you will see the Mozart memorial image.
