Staatsoper, Vienna, Austria 1
The Viennese hated the Staatsoper (“State Opera House”) when it was built. Designed in a Neo-Renaissance style by two architects – August Sicard von Sicardsburg and Eduard van der Nüll – the building was the first cornerstone on Vienna’s Ringstrasse. Begun in 1861, the Staatsoper was finished eight years later in
Staatsoper, Vienna, Austria 2
Franz Josef I was a vocal critic of the Staatsoper. Nevertheless, the Emperor was shocked when one of the architects, Eduard van der Nüll, hanged himself. Apparently, from that point onwards, Franz Josef always responded to questions about his opinion of artistic projects with the phrase, “It was very beautiful,
Staatsoper, Vienna, Austria 3
Regardless of its melancholic history, the Staatsoper is not nearly as beautiful as the Hungarian State Opera House in Budapest or as tasteful as the Opernhaus in Graz. But it’s hard to beat the music.
Klimt Window Display, Kärntner Strasse, Vienna, Austria
The Kärntner Strasse (“Carinthian Street”) runs from the Staatsoper to the Stephansdom. First mentioned in A.D. 1257, the Roman Strata Carintianorum was part of the trade route to the Carinthia in Southern Austria. Fancy shops, cafés and hotels gradually displaced the wagons and drays. Today, it resembles a badly dressed
Continue readingKlimt Window Display, Kärntner Strasse, Vienna, Austria
