Festive Trees

Festively lit trees on Ringstraße...

Academy of Fine Arts

The Academy of Fine Arts Vienna was founded in 1692 as a private academy by the court-painter Peter Strudel. With his death in 1714, the academy temporarily closed. In 1726 the academy was reestablished as Imperial and Royal Court Academy of painters, sculptors and architecture, a public Institution. In 1772 the organisational structure was reformed and all existing art schools were integrated into the Imperial and Royal Unified Academy of Fine Arts. In 1872 Emperor Franz Joseph I approved a statute making the academy the supreme government authority for the arts. A new building, designed by Theophil Hansen, was constructed in the course of the layout of the Ringstraße boulevard. On 3 April 1877, the present-day building on Schillerplatz in the city center was inaugurated.

Christmas Illuminations #2

Christmas lights on Ringstrasse, next to Vienna's biggest christmas market in front of the city hall.

2nd Sunday of Advent

 

"Christmas is not just a day, an event to be observed and speedily forgotten. It is a spirit which should permeate every part of our lives." - William Parks

OFID Conference Room

The OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID), founded in 1975, is an intergovernmental development finance institution, which works with other less-privileged developing countries to promote their social and economic advancement. The headquarter is located in the impressive Deutschmeister Palais that I visited on the "Day of the Open Memorials". Look at this gorgeous conference room!

Burgtheater

That's the place the students at the Max Reinhardt Seminar dream of: The Burgtheater is the Austrian National Theatre in Vienna and one of the most important German language theatres in the world. The theatre was created by Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, it opened on 14 March 1741. In 1888 the theatre was moved to a new building (in this photo) designed by Gottfried Semper and Karl Freiherr von Hasenauer.

Façade Detail #31

I just can't get enough of  atlantes ;-) Here we have two impressive exemplars on the façade of Palais Sturany in Ringstrasse.

University of Vienna

The University of Vienna, a public university, was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world and the third oldest university in Central Europe. Currently about 92.000 students are enrolled at the University of Vienna, they can select from 187 degree programmes. The University of Vienna does not have one joint campus, the academic facilities occupy more than sixty locations throughout the city. The main building (in this photo) in Ringstrasse constitutes the university's centre. It was designed by Austrian architect Heinrich von Ferstel and opened in 1884.

Deutschmeister Palais

The Deutschmeister Palais or Palais Erzherzog Wilhelm was designed in the years 1864-1868 by the Danish-Austrian architect Theophil von Hansen as a residence for Archduke Wilhelm Franz of Austria, who at that time was Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights (Deutschmeister). From 1938 to 1945 it was the seat of the Viennese SS headquarters, from 1945 to 1974 it served as the Federal Police Department in Vienna, today it holds the offices of the OPEC Fund for International Development.

"Sparkling" Trees

When I took this photo of the trees at Ringstraße two weeks ago, I just wanted to document the atumnal trees and sun, but my camera added a "sparkling effect". No perfect photo, but I like it.

Snowy Trees

Snowy trees on Ringstrasse last Saturday.

Pallas Athena

The Goddess of Wisdom, Athena, dominates the fountain in front of the Parliament. The fountain was erected between 1893 and 1902 by Carl Kundmann, Josef Tautenhayn and Hugo Härdtl, based on the plans by Baron von Hansen.

Café Landtmann

The Café Landtmann, located on Ringstraße, was founded in October 1873 and since that time has been one of Vienna´s most popular cafés with regulars such as Sigmund Freud, Gustav Mahler, Max Reinhardt, Romy Schneider.