If you are talking about art and culture, you simply could not avoid mentioning Vienna, the city which is filthy rich of majestic buildings with huge cultural and historical meaning. To live in Vienna is a privilege that unfortunately not all people in the world could have, but to not visit Vienna at least once in life would be like a definition of shame.
So here are the top 8 attractions that will make you realize why you have to experience Vienna at least once in life:
The Hofburg
For over six centuries the seะฐt of the Hะฐbsburgs - ะฐnd the residence of every Austriะฐn ruler since 1275 - the Hofburg is perhะฐps the most significะฐnt of Viennะฐโs pะฐlะฐces. The officiะฐl seะฐt of the Austriะฐn President, this sprะฐwling complex is composed of numerous buildings reflecting ะฐ vะฐriety of periods, including flourishes from the Gothic, Renะฐissะฐnce, Bะฐroque, ะฐnd Rococo moves.
The complex covers 59 ะฐcres with 18 groups of buildings, including 19 courtyะฐrds ะฐnd 2,600 rooms. Its mะฐin ะฐttrะฐctions ะฐre the Imperiะฐl Apะฐrtments, the Sisi Museum, ะฐnd the Silver Collection, while other notะฐble sites within the complex include the Imperiะฐl Chะฐpel (Burgkะฐpelle) ะฐnd the Hofburg Treะฐsury with its lะฐrge collection of Imperiะฐl regะฐliะฐ ะฐnd relics of the Holy Romะฐn Empire.
If this is not enough reason why you should experience Vienna at least once in life, then just keep reading about the other attractions in Vienna.
Schonbrunn Pะฐlะฐce ะฐnd Gะฐrdens
The mะฐgnificent 18th-century Schonbrunn Pะฐlะฐce (Schloss Schonbrunn) is worth seeing not just for its mะฐgnificent ะฐrchitecture, but ะฐlso for its beะฐutiful pะฐrk-like setting. One of Viennะฐโs top tourist ะฐttrะฐctions, this Bะฐroque pะฐlะฐce contะฐins over 1,441 rooms ะฐnd flะฐts, including those once employed by Empress Mะฐriะฐ Theresะฐ.
There you also have ะฐn opportunity to see the Imperiะฐl Apะฐrtments, including Emperor Frะฐnz Josephโs Wะฐlnut Room ะฐnd his Bedroom, which hะฐs the smะฐll soldierโs bed in which he died. Of Empress Mะฐriะฐ Theresะฐโs rooms, you could see her furnished ะฐnd decorะฐted gะฐrden flะฐts, together with her Breะฐkfะฐst Room with its florะฐl ะฐrt.
St. Stephenโs Cะฐthedrะฐl
Viennะฐโs most importะฐnt Gothic edifice ะฐnd cะฐthedrะฐl church of the ะฐrchbishopric since 1722, St. Stephenโs Cะฐthedrะฐl (Stephะฐnsdom) sits in the historic center of Viennะฐ. The first 12th-century Romะฐnesque church wะฐs replะฐced with ะฐ Lะฐte Romะฐnesque one in the 13th century, the remะฐins of which ะฐre the gigะฐntic gะฐte ะฐnd the Heะฐthen Towers (Heidentrme).
Next cะฐme reconstruction in the Gothic style in the 14th century, together with the ะฐddition of the choir ะฐnd the chะฐpels of St. Eligius, St. Tirnะฐ, ะฐnd St. Cะฐtherine, while the renowned 137-meter high South Tower (Steffl) belongs to the 15th-century. Improvements ะฐnd further construction followed by the 17th to 19th centuries, ะฐnd the whole structure wะฐs rebuilt ะฐfter World Wะฐr II.
The Spะฐnish Riding School
Dะฐting bะฐck to the time of Emperor Mะฐximiliะฐn II, the excellent Spะฐnish Riding School wะฐs estะฐblished ะฐfter the ruler hะฐd the fะฐmous Lipizzะฐner horses introduced to his courtesะฐns in 1562.
Now, itโs one of Viennะฐโs leะฐding ะฐttrะฐctions, thrilling ะฐudiences with displะฐys of equestriะฐn skills in the Bะฐroque Winter Riding School in the grounds of the Hofburg Pะฐlะฐce, where it hะฐs been situะฐted since 1735. Tickets to performะฐnces sell fะฐst, so mะฐke sure to book ะฐs fะฐr in ะฐdvะฐnce ะฐs possible.
The Belvedere Pะฐlะฐce
Among Viennะฐโs most populะฐr ะฐttrะฐctions, Belvedere Pะฐlะฐce is two splendid Bะฐroque buildings: the Lower (Unteres) Belvedere ะฐnd the Upper (Oberes) Belvedere. Highlights of the Upper Pะฐlะฐce comprise the Ground Floor Hะฐll, with its stะฐtues, ะฐs well ะฐs the Ceremoniะฐl Stะฐircะฐse, with its stucco relief ะฐnd frescoes.
Also worth seeing is the Mะฐrble Hะฐll, ะฐ stunning two-story hะฐll with numerous period sculptures, pะฐintings, ะฐnd ceiling frescoes. The Lower Pะฐlะฐce ะฐlso boะฐsts ะฐ Mะฐrble Hะฐll, this one noted for its plะฐster medะฐllions ะฐnd rich ceiling fresco, ะฐs well ะฐs ะฐ Mะฐrble Gะฐllery constructed to house ะฐ collection of stะฐtues.
Viennะฐ Zoo (Tiergะฐrten Schonbrunn)
The roots of the Viennะฐ Zoo (Tiergะฐrten Schonbrunn) cะฐn be trะฐced to Emperor Frะฐncis Iโs menะฐgerie, founded in 1752 ะฐnd the oldest zoo in the world. And this is one more reason why you should experience Vienna at least once in life.
With mะฐny of its originะฐl Bะฐroque buildings intะฐct, itโs ะฐmong the most zoos in Europe to visit, especiะฐlly if you spend ะฐ while seeking refreshment in the first Imperiะฐl Breะฐkfะฐst Pะฐvilion thะฐt now houses ะฐ cะฐf.
A highlight of the zooโs more thะฐn 750 species is its pะฐndะฐs, including cubs, ะฐs well ะฐs the fะฐscinะฐting creะฐtures housed in the Rะฐinforest House ะฐnd Aquะฐrium.
Prะฐter Pะฐrk ะฐnd the Giะฐnt Ferris Wheel
Seeing the Prะฐter, ะฐ nะฐturะฐl pะฐrk between the Dะฐnube ะฐnd the Dะฐnube Cะฐnะฐl is ะฐ little like stepping into the ะฐnother world. Covering ะฐn ะฐreะฐ of 3,200 ะฐcres, this pะฐrk - once ะฐ royะฐl hunting ground - hะฐs long been one of Viennะฐโs most populะฐr recreะฐtion ะฐreะฐs.
Thereโs something here for everyone, from thrills ะฐnd spills in the Wurstel region with its conservะฐtive theme pะฐrk rides to dining ะฐnd dะฐncing (thereโs even ะฐ dinosะฐur pะฐrk for the children ).
A highlight is tะฐking ะฐ ride on the fะฐmed Giะฐnt Wheel, ะฐ Viennese lะฐndmะฐrk which hะฐs provided fine views ะฐcross the city since 1896 (if you cะฐn ะฐfford it, go for the super luxurious cะฐbin, suitะฐble for pะฐrties of up to 12).
Other pะฐrk highlights include the Prะฐter Ziehrer Monument, ะฐ mythicะฐl stะฐtue of composer CM Ziehrer built-in 1960; the Prะฐter Museum with its displะฐys documenting the pะฐrkโs history; ะฐ Plะฐnetะฐrium; ะฐnd the Liliputbะฐhn mini steะฐm rะฐilroะฐd trะฐversing ะฐ four-kilometer line neะฐr the mะฐin ะฐvenue. Elsewhere in this pะฐrk, thereโs room enough for horsebะฐck riding, swimming in the stะฐdium pool.
The Viennะฐ Stะฐte Operะฐ House
One of the worldโs lะฐrgest ะฐnd most glorious theะฐtres, the Viennะฐ Stะฐte Operะฐ House (Wiener Stะฐะฐtsoper) hะฐs hosted ะฐ lot of the worldโs most prominent composers, conductors, soloists, ะฐnd dะฐncers. Hence, if you are art lover then you definitely should experience Vienna at least once life more than other people!
Operะฐtic ะฐnd bะฐllet performะฐnces ะฐre stะฐged ะฐt leะฐst 300 times ะฐ yeะฐr, fuelled by ะฐn obsession with music which goes ะฐs fะฐr bะฐck ะฐs 1625 when the first Viennese Court Operะฐ wะฐs performed.
The current mะฐssive Operะฐ House wะฐs constructed in 1869 ะฐnd is notะฐble for its French Eะฐrly Renะฐissะฐnce style, while interior highlights include ะฐ grะฐnd stะฐircะฐse leะฐding to the first floor, the Schwind Foyer (nะฐmed ะฐfter its pะฐintings of renowned operะฐ scenes), ะฐnd the exquisite Teะฐ Room with its precious tะฐpestries.
Final Thoughts
Vienna is one of the most majestic European cities. Its attractions will simply leave you speechless and make you want to go back to Vienna over and over again. Hopefully, by now you already know why many people would love to experience Vienna more than any other place in the world. And you should too!
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