Schlagwort: 1010wien

The roof of St. Stephen’s Cathedral is characterized by glazed roof tiles – so-called plain tiles – manufactured in Poštorná near Břeclav in the Czech Republic. The 230.000 tiles with a laid length of 51 km cover 10,000 m2 of roof in 10 colors and are fastened with two copper nails each.

The roof structure with a 600 ton steel framework is 110m long, has 35m span and is 38m high. The 60°-80° inclination ensures effective self-cleaning, even though additional manual cleaning is always required, e.g. to remove plant seeds from between the tiles.

The oriental pattern in zigzag was fashionable in the Gothic period, the Saracen carpet in which the most important donor of the cathedral, Rudolf IV, was buried had a similar pattern.

The interior of the St. Stephen Cathedral in Vienna does not follow the classical style of a Gothic cathedral, the 3-nave hall gets by without a transept and is oriented towards the choir room. Duke Rudolf IV initiated the hall choir (with the laying of the foundation stone in 1359), whereby the previously existing Albertine choir was rebuilt in the form of a shell and thus church services could continue to be held during the almost 100 years of construction work.

Each of the naves is iconographically related to a theme, documented by the columned saints: the central nave with altar refers to Jesus Christ and St. Stephen, the southern aisle (pictured right) to the apostles, and the northern aisle to the Mother of God. The background of the slight bend in the central choir to the north, possibly caused by the easting, is unclear.

The construction of the lavishly designed Art Nouveau toilet on Graben in the 1st district of 1905 was preceded by controversial discussions about the location, but finally the public toilet was approved at the Josefsbrunnen, which was also renovated at the same time.

The underground structure, which is a listed building, is characterized by its high-quality choice of materials (teak and oak wood, brass fittings, marble, cut glass, etc.) and was built by the contractor Wilhelm Beetz, who specialized in such facilities. To date, there are more than 30 toilet blocks and urinals in the city from his production.

Currently, there are about 175 public toilets in Vienna (managed by MA 48) and about 40 more in and at stations of the Wiener Linien. The Viennese, by the way, often refer to the toilet as „Heisl“ or „Häusl“, derived from the wooden hut that used to be common in the countryside.

As early as 1823, Joseph Lobmeyr founded a glass manufacturing company and settled in Kärntner Straße in the 1st district. From the 1860s, the manufacturer of cut and engraved glass was then also allowed to bear the seal of quality „k.u.k. Hofglaser und Hofglashändler“ and the family devoted itself to supporting avant-garde artists, who are still omnipresent in the showroom and glass museum of the store.

Participation in world exhibitions, various arts and crafts and museum exhibitions (including the MAK) and also the establishment of a workshop for the production of contemporary lighting fixtures, also brought international attention. The chandeliers in the Metropolitan Opera in New York for example come from the traditional Viennese company, which also operates glass studios in Stoob (Bgld) and Baden (NÖ).

On request, members of the sixth generation of the family also give guided tours of the extensive and exclusive Wiener Werkstätte collection and teach glassmaking techniques, followed by tastings from Lobmayr glasses.

Vivid statue of Maria Theresa in the Great Festival Hall of the University of Vienna by Josef Pechan (1886). Maria Theresa was an important reformer of the University of Vienna and initiator of the former assembly hall building at Ignaz-Seipel-Platz (from 1857 Academy of Sciences).

At the turn of the year, the traditional New Year’s Concert of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in the Großer Musikvereinssaal.

The Stallburg in Vienna was built in the 16th century by order of Emperor Maximilian II by the Italian architect Pietro Ferraboscu in the Renaissance style as part of the Hofburg. The stables, built on the ground floor of the residence according to the Spanish model for the emperor’s personal horses, are still used today by the Spanish Riding School. In winter, the Lipizzaner horses – in addition to daily training and performances in the Winter Riding School opposite – also warm up in the unheated stables, alternately under heat lamps.

The flying Lipizzaner of the artists of Artforart consists mainly of styrofoam and comes to a weight of about 500kg, for the festive sparkle provides a coating with crystals.

On 10.10.1433, Hans von Prachatitz, Bohemian-Austrian architect and master builder of St. Stephen’s Cathedral, placed the two-armed cross on the top of the Gothic south tower. At that time, St. Stephen’s Tower was the second largest church tower in Europe after Strasbourg. The square base of the tower gradually tapers to an octagon at the top through ever-widening slopes. From the small pedestal grows a four-part finial and the double-headed eagle with the inscription „Viribus Unitis“ – the motto of Emperor Franz Josef I.

Karl Renner stood as State Chancellor at the cradle of the First and Second Republics, and from 1945-1950 he then was also the first Federal President of the Second Republic. The portrait head of Alfred Hrdlicka in the City Hall Park in Vienna stands in the center of a stone podium made of green labrador surrounded by a six-meter-high steel frame construction. For this reason, the monument earned derision from the Viennese, who said that the „chancellor was trapped in a birdcage.“

On closer inspection, it is noticeable that the bust is not in the center, but is slightly shifted toward Parliament and the Ring. Renner’s recommendation in March 1938 to vote for the annexation of Hitler’s Germany allegedly prompted Hridlicka to create this asymmetrical design.