September - 2014
Vienna - Austria
Vienna (German: Wien), often called as the "City of Music", is the capital and largest city of Austria (German: Österreich), with around 2 million inhabitants. The city is located in the east of Austria and is close to the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. It is the 6th largest city by population in the European Union, being the country's cultural, economic and political centre.
Vienna is host to many major international organizations including the United Nations, OPEC and OSCE. In 2001, the city center was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but in 2017 it was moved to World Heritage in Danger. The city is home to many famous personalities like Beethoven, Mozart and Sigmund Freud.
For more than a decade, in the last years, the city has stood as one of the top quality of life cities around the world. The city is filled with all kinds of architectural styles like Baroque, Gothic, Art Nouveau and modern architecture. We'll go through some of the notable buildings around the town. The photos of Vienna will be split in two parts.
Starting with the city hall (Rathaus), in the center of Vienna, it is also possible to visit its interior. It is located in front of a square called Rathausplatz. In the other side of the main hall, crossing the street is located the Court Theatre (Burgtheater): the Austrian National Theatre and one of the most important German language theatres in the world.
Near the main hall is located the Austrian Parlament Building (Parlamentsgebäude), in the Innere Stadt. The construction uses a neo-Greek style and has the Athena Fountain (Pallas-Athenas-Brunnen), a wonderful sculpture.
Close to the parlament you also have the University of Vienna (Universität Wien). A little further in the same direction is located the Sigmund-Freud-Park, where is the Votive Church (Votivkirche), a neo-Gothic church.
At the edge of the first district, in downtown, is located the Concert House of Vienna (Wiener Konzerthaus). It was built between 1911 and 1913 and currently has four sound-proofed rooms. Next to it is located the fountain Hochstrahlbrunnen.
Two blocks away from the fountain Hochstrahlbrunnen is the St. Charles’s Church (Karlskirche). It is a baroque church and one of the city’s most famous buildings. It is possible to enter the church and visit its interior to appreciate the valuable art drawn in your walls and ceiling.