Vienna: From Joseph II to the Third Man
Again we were greeted with a stiff cold wind as we disembarked the River Cloud for our first day in Vienna. It was a full day, starting with 2000 years of Viennese history in 10 minutes. This improbable feat was made possible by a well-designed wrap-around pictorial history in the Prater Amusement Park, our first stop. Afterwards we rode the Giant Ferris Wheel of Third Man fame and enjoyed clear views of the city and the Vienna Woods. Viennese humor is seen at the Prater Park cash machine installed in a giant pink pig, which says oink when money is taken, startling tourists from around the world.
The second longest ruler in Europe was the Habsburg Emperor Franz Joseph, a contemporary of Queen Victoria. He ruled for 68 years, only three years less than the Sun King Louis XIV of France. Franz Joseph left quite a legacy. The ancient city walls of Vienna were demolished in the 1860’s to create the Ring Boulevard with monumental buildings, such as the neo-Gothic Rathaus or City Hall and the classic Greek Parliament, establishing the Ring Boulevard architectural style. The famous composer Johann Strauss even wrote a Demolition Walz for the occasion.
Franz Joseph changed the course of the Danube to protect the city from flooding, thereby creating the Danube Canal in the center of the city, which sports a floating swimming pool and the Tel Aviv Beach. He bolstered his empire in the east by creating the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1867, and his wife Elisabeth, the famous Sisi who was enamored of Hungary, learned the language and had their children first educated there.
Another influential Habsburg leader was Maria Theresa who, as the only female Habsburg ruler, took numerous steps to unify and strengthen her empire in the 18th century, including mandatory schooling for girls and young women. Her son and successor Joseph II was a foe of ostentation and a friend of the Enlightenment, who first opened the parks of Vienna to the public. He also reformed the bureaucracy, eliminating all pomp and circumstance, and abolished serfdom and the death penalty throughout the realm before 1790.
As we walked past the famous Spanish Riding School, we saw the beautiful white Lipizzaner horses cross the street for training as we made our way to the winter palace of the Habsburgs called the Hofburg. After passing through the various eras of the Hofburg, we were greeted by a military parade and band. Later we reached the Augarten porcelain factory, the second oldest in Europe, before arriving at the Palais Augarten, where we heard the Mozart Choir, one of four choirs in the Vienna Boys’ Choir. Their concert with 27 boys included music from five centuries and had us on our feet at the end of the performance.
Lunch at the Griechenbeisl, Vienna’s oldest restaurant, was a culinary treat with the largest Wienerschnitzel ever, and a Sachertorte as well. Viewing the private Liechtenstein Museum with our outstanding guides Marietta and Elisabeth gave us wonderful insights into paintings by Rubens and the pietra dura stone inlays of delicate birds and flowers on the costly Badminton Cabinet.
The evening was filled with a feast of sumptuous roasted goose at the Twelve Apostles Restaurant or by a thrilling performance of Verdi’s Nabucco at the magnificent State Opera. Ah, the pleasures of Vienna!
