The Albertina museum uses the external staircase to promote its exhibitions by covering it with artworks. Currently water lilies by Claude Monet call the attention of the passers-by to the permanent collection "Monet to Picasso". The stairway is a very popular photo subject and for tourists also a welcome place to take a short rest.
An atlas at the entrance of the baroque Caprara-Geymüller Palace in the city center. Please click here for his "colleague" on the other side of the doorway.
Some flowers in the Heiligenkeuzerhof, a courtyhard in the city center.
When I was a kid, I often watched the clouds with my mother and tried to see animals or other characters. Some things never change, I still love to watch the clouds...
The Ringturm houses the headquarters of an insurance company and for the ninth time in 2016 it is wrapped with an over-sized artwork during the summer months. The monumental art installation "Unburdened" by Czech painter Ivan Exner shows a boy standing on a hill flying kites.
Hello! I'm back! Last week's break wasn't planned... I was on vacation (in Paris) and intended to publish as usual, but then I didn't find the time. Now I'm (nearly) back to normal...
Some weeks ago I had the opportunity to take part in a private guided tour through the firefighters museum in the city center. The tour started with a ride on a ladder of a fire truck. The view from 30m above the ground was awesome.
"Many people have never learned to see the beauty of flowers,
especially those that grow unnoticed."- Erika Just
Reflections of the sky on the façade of an office building in the new "Sonnwendviertel" in the 10th district.
In 2010 the Vienna South Station was demolished and replaced by the new Central Station, opened in 2014. The area of the former station has been converted into a new urban district, the so called "Sonnwendviertel", with office and apartment buildings.
Most of the group of sufers I was watching, were complete beginners so their "ride" didn't last very long. This guy was the best of them, I think he has already had some lessons...
Surfing in the very city center? Yes, that's possible! In Schwarzenbergplatz an artificial water wave has been erected. The citywave machine creates a consistent water pressure and a constant 1,4m high wave that can be surfed using regular surfboards. Anyone can learn to surf the waves in this area spanning 1.000 m2. An hour of surfing costs € 39,-, including surfboard and helmet. Admission into the grounds is free – those who don't want to surf can watch the surfers and enjoy the sun deck, with sun lounges, music, and culinary delights in the food area, or can shop for surfing accessories and streetwear.
The Giant Ferris Wheel (Wiener Riesenrad), one of Vienna's landmarks, is located at the entrance of the Prater amusement park in the 2nd district. It was constructed in 1897 to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Emperor Franz Joseph I and was one of the earliest Ferris wheels ever built. In 1916 a demolition permit was issued, but the Ferris Wheel was saved from destruction due to a lack of money. During World War II it was completely burned down, in 1945 it was rebuilt and two years later taken back into operation.
"Flowers seem intended for the solace of ordinary humanity." - John Ruskin
This gallery in the city center doesn't limit exhibitions to the inside space, but often lets the artists also design the outside. Borjana Ventzislavova used mirror glass film and razor wire for her artwork "Hey you! It’s us!” that takes the Berlin Wall as a reference and reflects on the current phenomenon of enclosing Europe by building new walls and borders. She addresses our fear and puts a mirror in front of it – an uneven surface that reflects light and shadows, our own broken silhouettes.
When I was a child, I loved my soft toys very much and often took one of them with me to the park, playground or supermarket, but I would never have left it on a bicycle while visiting a museum - as someone did with this blue soft toy (Is it a polar bear?)...
Visiting a museum can be exhausting, especially for children. These two were recovering last Sunday on a bench in front of the Lower Belvedere - under an umbrella with Klimt's "The Kiss" that they used as parasol.
I should have started the week with this photo, because if you take the main entrance to the Upper Belvedere (as I did on Sunday) you have to pass through this majestic wrought iron gate.
If I remember correctly, this snowman sculpture by Austrian artist Manfred Erjautz in front of the Upper Belvedere should have been removed at the end of March. Well, on Sunday it was still there and a very popular photo subject for the tourists. Please click here for a photo taken in January.
The Österreichische Galerie Belvedere is currently preparing an exhibition of Chinese artist Ai Weiwei at the Upper Belvedere. The exhibition will stretch out into the baroque gardens, where the "Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads" - an ensemble of bronze heads from the Chinese zodiac - has already been set up.
"There is simply the rose; it is perfect in every moment of its existence." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
I love to sneak into courtyards... This one is located in the very city center. I love the arrangement of the flower pots and how the Virginia Creeper entwines around the two doors.
The beautiful mosaique floor in a small room of the Künstlerhaus. I better should have worn my golden sandals...
Click here to view thumbnails of all participants in the theme day.
