Augarten

The Augarten is a public park in the 2nd district with a size of 52,2 hectares, it has the oldest baroque garden in Vienna with an elaborate flower landscape and vast, shady avenues lined with chestnut trees, elms, lime trees, ash trees and maple trees. The Augarten is also home to a wide range of facilites as the Vienna´s Boys Choir in Augarten Palace, the Augarten Porcelain manufactory, the Augarten Contemporary, the Film Archive Austria and it still houses a flak tower (Combat Tower) - pictured in this photo - and a Lead Tower constructed during World War II to protect the city from Allied air raids.

Augarten Palace

Last sunday, September 26th, was Europan Heritage Day, a joint action of the Council of Europe and the European Commission involving all 49 signatory states of the European Cultural Convention under the motto "Europe, a common heritage". The annual programme offers opportunities to visit buildings, monuments and sites, many of which are not normally accessible to the public.
In Austria, the theme for this year referred to the "Places of pleasure". One of the buildings that was open to the public on this occasion was Augarten Palace. It was originally built in 1692 as pleasure palace for Zacharias Leeb, a merchant and city councillor. Since 1948 it houses the famous "Wiener Sängerknaben" (Vienna Boys' Choir).