Monat: Feber 2023

The centerpiece of the Parliament, which was completed in 1871 (and has now been completely renovated) is the main work of the outstanding architect Theophil Hansen, is the monumental portico. In the style of an ancient peristyle with a glass gabled roof, supported by 24 monolithic columns of Salzburg marble, this space was also intended to function as the social center of the building. A meeting place for exchanges between the different chambers of the Imperial Council of the time.

The renovated floor of Karst marble slabs covers 40×23 meters. In the course of WWII there was severe damages after which 2 columns were replaced. The frescoes, which were painted by the Austrian painter Eduard Lebiedzki in a historicist style, are only preserved in fragments.

You can also see the pediment groups „Vaterlandsliebe“ (Patriotism) by Hugo Haerdtl and „Einigkeit“ (Unity) by Karl Sterre and between the columns there are figures of Roman statesmen.

Attentive walkers along the Danube in Vienna know the boats with fishing nets mounted on cranes from spring/summer, the so-called Daubeln. This is a fishing method that dates back to a decree of Maria Theresia in the 18th century, in which approx. 5x5m nets are lowered to the bottom of the water with cranks or cranes.

After a few minutes, the net is pulled up, hoping to catch a fish that is swimming above the net. This allows for gentle fishing, where fish that are too small or species that are in closed season can be released back into the water unharmed.

Daubel huts are usually passed down from generation to generation, and places are scarce. Walleye, catfish, carp, pike, tolstolob and amur are fished. In addition to the Danube, this type of fishing is also common in Austria on the Thaya and March rivers.

The Carmelite monastery in Döbling in exposed brick construction with neo-Romanesque style forms with its neighboring Roman Catholic basilica from 1900 was designed by Viennese architect Richard Jordan, who was specialized in church buildings.

In addition to the rich picturesque decoration of the three-bayed nave and the pulpit with the Latin Fathers of the Church, the altar of grace with the oil painting „Mary with the Inclined Head“, which according to legend was discovered in 1609 near the first Carmelite monastery in a district of Rome in the rubble, is particularly noteworthy. Already since Emperor Ferdinand II. in the 17th century, the image was worshipped by the Habsburgs. During WWI it was carried in processions through Vienna to St. Stephen’s Cathedral to pray for peace.

Also worth mentioning are the Bourbons (including the French King Charles X) from the Kostanjevica Monastery, who were transferred to the Order’s crypt until 1932. In the middle of the Battle of the Isonzo in 1917, at the request of Empress Zita, wife of the last Emperor Charles I and related to the French royal family, the Bourbons were laboriously buried in the crypt.

As part of the current exhibition „The Fest“ at the Museum of Applied Arts (MAK), a form of courtly merrymaking and representation that has been popular since the Middle Ages is shown in the form of „schlittage“.

These were elaborately choreographed sleigh rides in groups, accompanied by music and the ringing of bells, in which horse-drawn sleighs, manned by a cavalier and a lady assigned to him, moved along predetermined serpentine lines and routes.

The sledges were elaborately designed and, if necessary, snow was brought from the surrounding countryside of the city. Events took place partly at night with torches, e.g. at the Hofburg, and partly during the day with a ride to Schönbrunn followed by a banquet or spectacle.

I am happy to offer a guided visit to the exhibition as part of a tour of the highlights of the MAK!

The red marble tomb of Emperor Frederick III in the apostle nave of the Cathedral Church of St. Stephen from 1517 is one of the greatest works of late Gothic sculpture. The top plate, weighing 8 tons and created by the Dutch sculptor Niclas Gerhaert van Leyden, shows the figure of the reclining Frederick; the sides and the surrounding balustrade of the sarcophagus are adorned with coats of arms, statues of princes and apostles, and reliefs of endowments of the first Habsburg to be crowned emperor.

That it is indeed a sarcophagus was clearly proven in an investigation presented in 2019. The ruler, known for his motto A.E.I.O.U., died in 1493 at the biblical age of almost 78 for those times and was reburied after completion.

The extensive figurine program of the sculpture, which can be visited during guided tours, shows among other things grimaces, mythical creatures, animals and skulls, which probably also symbolize the sinfulness in life. Monks and priests pray for his salvation, on the east side in the direction of view is emblazoned with an image of the Risen Christ.