Post No. 11,399
Date uploaded in London – 30 OCTOBER 2022
Contact – swami_48@yahoo.com
Pictures are taken from various sources for spreading knowledge.
this is a non- commercial blog. Thanks for your great pictures.
tamilandvedas.com, swamiindology.blogspot.com
https://www.pustaka.co.in/home/author/london-swaminathan
Xxx
In my part of India, that is Tamil Nadu, we used to call two cities as Temple Towns- Madurai and Kanchipuram. If I apply the same criteria to Vienna, what I would call Vienna?
Vienna, capital of Austria is a City of Museums. Not only that A City of Music and a City of Architecture. Over 100 museums are there in the city. Those museums are dealing with art, history , music or Psycho analysis! They cater to every taste of human beings. If you like architecture or music or Freudian psycho analysis or Danube river cruise or anything Royal, there is something for you.
Because we stayed there for only five days (actually 5-2= 3 full days; arrival and departure take lot of time when you go with your family), I had a limited plan. I wanted to see mighty River Danube, the Royal Palace, Music Museums and paintings of famous painters in Belvedere.
We went to
Royal Palace (Schonbrunn),Upper Belvedere, House of Music, some parks, City Centre, Hare Krishna Restaurant (Govinda), River Danube.
From Outside:- we saw City Hall, Parliament Building, Votive Church, St Francis Church, Museums Quartier, Shopping areas
We bought 72 hour tickets and travelled by Tram , Bus and Underground.
I would advise everyone to buy 24 or 48 or 72 hour tickets depending upon the length of your stay.
Upper Belvedere with famous Paintings
We wanted to see the most famous painting of Klimt “The Kiss” and so we went to Klint Museum in Upper Belvedere. There is a huge garden with lot of Sphinx Statues. Prince Eugene of Savoy, who commissioned the two Baroque palaces as his summer residence, grew up around the court of Louis XIV. While the impeccably sculpted grounds and over-the-top interiors are indeed reminiscent of the famous French chateau, the Upper Belvedere houses a proudly Austrian art collection that includes works by Schiele, Moser and Klimt, whose gilded tableau “The Kiss” mesmerizes visitors. One can explore the tiered gardens that lead to the Lower Belvedere, which hosts temporary exhibitions in opulent halls.
The upper Belvedere honours all the Austrian painters who made history, such as Gustav Klimt, in a fascinating permanent exhibition and the Lower Belvedere and Belvedere 21, are home to temporary exhibitions, both Baroque and contemporary. There are three sections in total.
Schönbrunn Palace is the most visited monument in Vienna (and in Austria!). Like any Royal Palace it has the magnificent collection of expensive clocks, decorated chairs, Dining tables, weapons, musical instruments, royal dress, and valuable paintings. Queen Sisi was very fond of her unusually long hair and she spent three hours everyday to maintain her beauty. She was considered one of the beautiful queens; but she had a tragic life; lost her only son who committed suicide along with his lady love. Queen Sisi herself was stabbed to death in a mistaken identity. But yet she was the most travelled queen about 150 years ago. When she lost her son, she lost interest in governing the country and started journeying to get mental peace. As soon as we enter the palace we see her statue, her long hair and her dressing room.
House of Music (Haus der Musik)
Though there are two museums dedicated to Mozart and Beethoven, House of Music has the history of all composers of the Western world. We went to the museum and enjoyed inter active features in the museum.
Across an exhibition space of 54,000 sq. ft., a range of hi-tech interactive and multimedia presentations introduce the world of music, from the earliest human use of instruments to the music of the present day. Holograms of six famous musicians and the Time lines of six famous musicians are displayed.
This interactive sound and music museum dives into the fascinating world of music and sounds on five floors. Visitors not only learn about the history and tradition of Viennese music, they can also experiment with sounds and instruments. Inter active instruments attract lot of youngsters.
With all its interactive displays a truly entertaining place for the whole family! Highlights include the historical archives of the Vienna Philharmonic where you can listen to their famous New Year’s Eve concert and the brand new Sonotopia Universe on the 2nd floor. It´s here where you can create your own sound creature in a VR Lab but also test interactive stations on the physics of sound. If Beethoven, Mozart or the Strauss family are of interest, then head up to the 3rd floor to learn about their lives in the city and the music they created. Grand finale is the virtual conductor exhibit on the 4th floor – test your conducting skills by waving a baton along to a video of Vienna Philharmonic playing. You will even get feedback after having a go! You might want to enrich your visit by downloading the free museum guide on your smartphone.
(Following is from Wikipedia)
“Although many of the most reputable names that Vienna is often associated with did not originate from Vienna, such as Mozart and Beethoven, the city did home-grow many significant composers, including Johann Strauss I and Franz Schubert.
Among the greats, Mozart was one of Vienna’s most influential residents during the classical era. Born in Salzburg in 1756, the prodigy spent a large proportion of his life in Vienna and composed many of his most coveted works in the city. His first visit was in 1762 when he was invited to play a concert at Schonbrunn Palace, for the Habsburg family. During his time in the city, Mozart resided at numerous locations, a few of which can be visited by the public today. He died and was buried in the city’s Cemetery of Karl Marx.
Aside from Mozart, the list of composers who contributed to Vienna gaining a strong reputation as a city of music is long and impressive; Strauss, Beethoven, Haydn and Berg all spent time in Austria’s capital).
Votive Church
Another land mark in Vienna is Votive Church
Votive Church is situated near Vienna University area. Its height is ninety-nine meters. Made in a Neo-Gothic style, the church was built over a long time in twenty-three years. With a structure of Gothic cathedral, the famous Votive church has a facade with twin towers.
The parliament building covers over 13,500 square meters, making it one of the largest structures on Ringstraße. It contains over one hundred rooms. City hall is another land mark. We saw most of the famous buildings from out side.
No tourist could cover all the museums and landmark buildings.
During our stay we went to hare Krishna Restaurant Govinda and enjoyed proper Vegetarian food. Vegan concept is not approved by the Hindu scriptures. All Hindu scriptures insist the use of dairy projects in all rituals. Moreover, the Vegan restaurants in Western Countries use Fish, Crabs and other sea creatures. So we went mostly to Italian restaurants and had veggy Pasta, Pizza, Noodles and Risotto.
–subham–
Tags- Museums, Royal Palace, Mozart, Beethovem Strass, Schubert, Klimpt,
Tamil and Vedas 