Hello dear Hivers!
This is my first post here after a long absence...There are many beautiful buildings that were erected a couple of centuries ago in Vienna and Lower Austria . Today, I am sharing a few of these architectural gems. These are just a few of the pics I have taken whenever I took a stroll. If you are a keen lover of architecture, you will surely be inspired by them since they have evolved with many great histories.
The first photo shows the Burg Kreuzenstein which is frequently visited by locals and tourists alike. Its location is not far from Vienna which can also be reached by public transport (train) in more or less than 15 minutes plus a bit of walking to reach its elevated location. I visited this castle many times bringing along families and friends visiting Vienna. One is not allowed to take photographs of the interior during the castle tour. According to the history of this castle which dates back in the medieval age around the 12th Century, the castle was originally built by the counts of Formbach of Bavaria which later came to the possession of the Habsburg in the 13th Century. Centuries passed, the burg fell into the hands of a Swedish Field Marshall during the 30 Years War and when he left in 1645, he blew parts of the castle leaving ruins thereafter.
In the 18th Century, the ruins came into the possession of Count Wilczek and his family. He was an affluent Silesian count who amassed his fortune from coal mining. Its architecture is a mix of various styles and when he reconstructed it, he solicited various materials, artifacts and the like from all over castles and places in Europe. The reconstruction took about 30 years and was inaugurated by Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1906.
An amazing church that was erected from a fund-raising campaign by the Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian for his brother Emperor Franz Joseph I, who survived the failed assassination by a Hungarian nationalist in 1853. The dome was constructed using various funds and church donations in a span of 20 years using a very hard sandstone from Wollersdorf, Austria. About 200 stone masons participated in its construction.
Source
The two towers have no roof visible from the outside, but form a somewhat transparent and wind-permeable framework of 8 struts along the edges of a slender 8-sided pyramid at the top, connected transversely by ornament only in the lower half of the height. The top tapers into a double cross at the top. Towards the top, the structure, made of stones, becomes more sensitive to disturbance by earthquakes, wind load or climbing. In order to strengthen the gravity-based structure, the top of the tower is pulled strongly downwards by 4 chains running just inside the stone struts. Iron levers more than 1 m long reinforce the weight of a sliding weight of about 50 kg to about 8 times this amount.
It´s a Viennese landmark and one of the most beautiful and important baroque sacred buildings in Europe. If you would like to read more and see the frescoes, I wrote a post of the Karlskirche here on Hive entitled The Baroque Architecture and the Amazing Dome Frescoes of Karlskirche in Vienna.
A Basilica type of a church located near the Danube which was constructed for the 50th Anniversary of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria. You can read more in my post here.
My stroll at the Votivkirche was great since it led me to a street where the new City Hall is located. The structure is so monumental and impressive with its neo-gothic style of architecture with a bit of Renaissance details. It has Risalit or a part that is projecting the height of the building with a large tower in the center and four smaller towers , open arcades and loggias located on the main floor. Many events in Vienna are held in its plaza from skating rink, open air concerts to Christkindl markets.
Inaugurated in Oct. 1888, this is Austrias federal theater said to be its National Theater... It is considered one of the most important theaters in Europe that holds the leading position of theaters catering to the German speaking communities in Europe. Its interior features lavish baroque furnishings including Gustav Klimt and his brother´s ceiling paintings that survived the bombing duting WW II.
The Empress Maria Theresia converted this Palace into a cozy summer residence for her family in late 18th Century. It is the largest palace and one of the most important cultural assets in Austria visited by about a million visitors yearly. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it has a huge park of 16 Hectares including a 16 hectar Zoological Garden Park called Tiergarten Schönbrunn.
According to its history, Napoleon Bonaparte married Marie Louise, daughter of the Emperor Franz II and lived here for a while. The marriage is said to be his territorial strategy to expand in Europe. They had a son named Napoleon II.
Columns are either cylindrical or polygonal and were used in the Baroque Architecture mostly for functional and decorative purposes which are mostly found in churches, mansions and public buildings. The origin dates back to the Roman and Greek era BC and AD. They were so popular during the 17th Century and mid 18th century.
Vienna also has many modern buildings, but the styles of newer architecture must adhere to the strict rules of urban planning as well as the restrictive policies of the government and must not interfere with the historical heritage of the city. Vienna can never be a "skyscraper city" because of its cultural heritage, according to DI Rudolf Schicker, City Councilor for urban development, traffic and transportation. Most skyscrapers are located in the outskirt districts of the city and are well planned, studied and discussed before they are built. All political parties are involved in this project and investors must also be taken into account, as they create jobs for the population.
The tallest building in Vienna and as a green building, their concept says it has energy-saving lightings, room cooling, heating technology and the best fire protection system and good indoor climate for one´s health. Source
That´s just about it...I hope this post gave you ideas on the architectural styles of the city in black and white. Thanks for reading and happy weekend everyone!
xoxo,
Mers
Vienna is full of architectural gems and I appreciate the history behind those buildings. Thank you for sharing.
I thank you for dropping by. Now you have a bit to ponder upon on these castles and palaces when you visit the country...hehehe
I already made a list😊.
These photos remind me when I lived in Vienna.
In the past I published many photos of this beautiful city.
Oh, that is nice to know! In which district did you live? We might have been neighbors!
I lived in Währing and Leopoldstadt.
Well, Leopoldstadt (2nd District) is not far away from me, I am in the 22nd District, just over the Reichsbrücke in Donausstadt. May I know where you are based now?
Is this the new part of Vienna, next to the UN complex? (I took many photos there).
I have had a nomadic live style. Currently I am in Chile.
Yes, that tall building was newly constructed some 4 years ago.
Oh that's nice to be in South America.. I have only been to Dominican Republic. We stayed about a week on our way to the US Virgin Island.
Excellent photography giving more detail using black and white not to distract. Enjoyed the history and detail, thanks!
@tipu curate
Upvoted 👌 (Mana: 44/64) Liquid rewards.
Thank you so much for the upvote!
Hello @joanstewart! Am glad you like the photos and the history of the structures. Thanks for leaving a lovely comment and for the tipu tip. Wish you a nice weekend!
just so wow! every photo you posted is wonderful even in black and white. I wonder how the engineers who helped erect those buildings felt after its completion.
The completion took long since the construction materials used came from various parts of Europe..Yes, the builders must be so joyful..thanks for visiting my blog.
Awesome post especially the black and white pictures. You are like a historian from Vienna, interesting knowledge to note of Vienna. Keep it coming.
Hahaha..natawa naman ako sa historian...thanks for dropping by..
My husband is an architect and would love these photos. It's funny because we just met a guy last night here in Panama who is from Austria. I imagine that he has seen many of these places in person.
That is a coincidence! At least you have seen the images and he could have been proud if he saw them last night...hahaha, late posting by 1 day. Thanks, I hope your husband will love the buildings. Have a beautiful weekend.
I am sure he will love the photos! Thanks for sharing them!
You are welcome... Have a nice Sunday!
Thank you so much @ackhoo and @qurator Team for your support. More power to you all!
The architecture on these buildings is really impressive and masive! these are really stunning !
They are, thanks that you liked them.
Oh beautiful architecture. My fave was the seventh image, the palace one. I wonder how does it feel to live there? It's so massive and I bet the ceilings perhaps were high too!
!PIZZA
Yeah, for sure that is often common in palaces, they have high ceilings and a well manicured garden.
$PIZZA slices delivered:
@chichi18(3/5) tipped @mers
Thanks for the pizza @chichi and @pizzabot!