Sunday Flowers #4

A perfect arrangement: white hortensias and beautiful white baskets...

The Morning Line #2

"The Morning Line" pavilion attracts the attention of the passers-by and is a very popular subject for photos, but - of course - not everybody likes it (I heard an Italian tourist say to his son that he doesn´t even want to know what this thing is). I´m a big fan of art in public space and think it revitalizes the terrible concrete desert of Schwarzenbergplatz. Click here for a video of the pavilion.

The Morning Line #1

"The Morning Line", a public art structure (8m high, 20m long, built of 20 tons of coated aluminium and conceived by the British artist Matthew Ritchie), is a platform for contemporary music and composition and will reside on Schwarzenbergplatz for six months. The sonic pavilion has already been to Seville and Istanbul and has now been assembled in a completely new form developed especially for Vienna. It uses an interactive ambi-sonic sound system comprising 47 speakers to broadcast a series of stimulating new works by some of the world´s greatest sonic artists. In the background you can see the Heroes´ Monument of the Red Army which commemorates the 17.000 Soviet soldiers who died in the Battle for Vienna of World War II.

French Spirit

If you feel like having some french cake, "Süssi" in Margaretenstraße in the 4th district is the perfect place for you. It´s a small french tea room, opened in 2008, where you can drink Mariage Frères tea and choose between french cakes, "crèmes gourmandes" and more sweet treats in a wonderful kitschy atmosphere.

Augarten Manufactory

That´s where the Augarten porcelain is produced, the newly renovated former garden hall of Augarten Palace. Some months ago I participated in a very informative guided tour where I saw the complete process from the raw material to the finished, painted artefacts. Click here for more informations about the guided tours.

Augarten Porcelain

Augarten porcelain was founded in 1718, it is famous for its delicate and graceful shapes and it is still produced and painted by hand in the manufactory at Augarten castle in the 2nd district. One of the windows of the new flagship store is currently decorated with the "Melon" coffee service, designed by Austrian architect and designer of consumer goods Josef Hoffmann in 1929.

The Owl Is Watching You

This huge owl is looking down on the pedestrians from the main library building of the University of Technology. The building was completed in 1987, the owl sculptures (if you look closely you can see two smaller ones of a total of 16) were created by the Swiss architect Bruno Weber.

Sunday Flowers #3

I love orange trees and hibiscus!

Reading The Newspaper

When I saw this lady sitting on a (modern) bench and reading her newspaper I just had to take a photo because her pullover is perfectly matching the yellow flowers.

Side Table

When the weather is fine, people love to sit outside while having lunch or dinner. In addition to "normal" tables and chairs, this  French restaurant in the city center offers also some kind of side tables in front of its windows. I wouldn´t want to have a romantic dinner at one of these tables, but I think they are a good idea for a quick refreshment.

Opposites Attract

The modern "Haas Haus" forms quite a contrast to St. Stephen´s Cathedral!

The Plague Column

The Plague Column is located on Graben in the city center. During the terrible plague epidemic of 1679, which cost an estimated 100.000 lives, the desperate Emperor Leopold I prayed for help and vowed he would erect a memorial at the end of the epidemic. That same year a large cross was erected, in 1692 it was replaced with the current monument created by Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach, an important architect of the Baroque period.

Mozart Ducks

Thanks to Austroducks company, the first provider of rubber ducks with an Austria theme, music lovers can now take a bath with Mozart. If you click here, you can order one of these ducks online.

University of Music and Performing Arts

Since 1999 the main building of the University of Music and Performing Arts is located in the 3rd district. It was constructed between 1821 and 1823 and housed the University of Veterinary Medicine until 1996, which moved to a new campus on the outskirts of Vienna at that time. The University of Music and Performing Arts is one of the largest arts universities in the world. Its curricula range from instrumental studies, voice and voice performance, to acting, the film academy, music education and research areas. Herbert von Karajan and Zubin Mehta have graduated from this university. The sculpture "Música" in front of the building was created by Mexican artist Leonardo Nierman.

Sunday Flowers #2

Water lilies always make me think of Monet, one of my favourite painters.

Shady Terrace

The shady terrace of the restaurant "Atelier Augarten" at the Ambrosi Museum in Augarten looks very inviting and is surely the perfect place on a hot summer day.

Stop

This sign remembers the visitors of MuseumsQuartier to stop garbage and noise in the evening and at night (as there are not only cultural instutions and restaurants but also apartments). Two years ago there have been some problems with undisciplined people partying far into the night.

Sunny Morning at MuseumsQuartier

The courtyard of MuseumsQuartier is a very popular place for relaxing in the sun. The colourful pieces of furniture are the so-called "Enzos" (more about them here), the building on the left side houses the Kunsthalle wien, the modern grey one the Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien.

June Theme Day: Under Construction

The modern Vienna DC (Donau City) aerea in the 22nd district will be completed by the DC Towers. Designed by French architect Dominique Perrault, they will leave a distinctive mark on Vienna´s skyline. Standing 220m tall, DC Tower 1 will be Austria´s highest building; DC Tower 2 will have a height of "only" 168m. They will house offices, exclusive apartments, a 15floor 4-star-plus hotel and a restaurant. On DC Tower 1 there will also be an observation deck. Click here for more information on this project.
Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Garden Furniture

If I had a garden or a balcony I would buy this kind of furniture - even though I guess these chairs are not particularly comfortable...

Public Art on Graben

The organization "Public Art Vienna" wants to revitalize and enhance urban space by installing temporary and permanent art projects. On Graben it is currently presenting four larger-than-life bronze figures by German artist Thomas Schütte. When I saw them for the first time, I found them a bit scary...

Sunday Flowers #1

"Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful: they are sunshine, food and medicine to the soul." - Luther Burbank

Theme Week: Blue #6

This very blue house is located in the 19th district. It´s quite a splash of colour!

Theme Week: Blue #5

This is one of six blue amphoras located in Stadtpark. They are true to original copies of the amphoras designed by Austrian architect Friedrich Ohmann in 1899. Five of the amphoras have been destroyed in World War II, the sixth one served as model for the copies erected only two years ago.

Theme Week: Blue #4

This bookshop in the city center tries to attract the attention of the passers-by with its blue portal.

Theme Week: Blue #3

As some of you may already know, I love blue doors - especially the ones in Paris... In Vienna it´s not so easy to find blue doors, most doors are brown. This building on Franziskanerplatz in the city center stands out with its blue door and matching window frames.

Theme Week: Blue #2

I discovered this Viennese washerwoman in the 19th district, on a building which housed the laundry and cleaning company "Wirl" from 1958 until 1992.

Theme Week: Blue #7

Blue is not my favourite colour, but lately I´ve noticed again a lot of blue "things" in Vienna. Let´s start with these chairs and the portal of a restaurant in the 9th district. Please click here for the first theme week on the colour blue.

Garden Decoration

Some people obviously don´t content themselves with flowers and plants in their garden...

Hiding...

This house in the 19th district is hiding behind a lot of ivy!

Demel Shop #2

A visit to the famous K. u. K. Court Confectionary Bakery Demel in the city center is a must for every tourist. There´s also a beautiful shop where you will surely find some sweet (and expensive) souvenirs for your friends and family.

He Loves Pink

... and has a passion for art. I saw this guy last week at the opening of the art fair VIENNAFAIR and liked how he dressed in pink literally from tip to toe. His favourite colour is rather unusual for a male. At art events you often see people dressed in an interesting way - that´s one reason why I like them ;-)

Contemporary Art Gallery

What to do with a cinema in the city center that can´t compete with the big cineplexxes any longer? You transform it into a contemporary art gallery! That´s what happened recently to the former "Atelier" cinema in Wollzeile.

Façade detail #6

If you look attentively at the facades, you will notice that a lot of eyes are following you. This girl is observing everybody who is stepping in and out of an apartment building in Dapontegasse in the third district.

Where Have All The Flowers Gone?

The really big garden centers are located at the periphery of Vienna, but recently I was glad to discover this small one in the 19th district.

Kaasgrabenkirche

In Austria, May is a very popular month for weddings, and in Vienna a lot of couples tie the knot at Kaasgrabenkirche, a Roman Catholic parish and pilgrimage church in the 19th district. It was constructed from 1909 to 1910 in the neo-baroque style, the double staircases in front of the church are shaped like a horseshoe and decorated with stone reliefs depicting the stations of the cross.

Sunset At MuseumsQuartier

When I took this photo, the weather wasn´t very nice, therefore only a few people were populating the courtyard of MuseumsQuartier.

Trying To Not Get Lost

The day before yesterday I was at the opening of VIENNAFAIR, an international trade fair for contemporary art focusing on Central and Eastern Europe. These two ladies, seemingly twins, tried to find their way between the stands of more than 120 galleries (Believe me, it was easy to get lost). I liked how they were focused on planning their route.

Theseus Temple #1

The Theseus Temple, located in Volksgarten and created by Peter von Nobile from 1819 to 1823, is a smaller copy of the Temple of Hepheastus in Athens, Greece. Until 1890 the temple housed a sculpture of Theseus by Antonio Canova that can now be found at the Kunsthistorisches Museum (Museum of Fine Arts). After some years of renovation the temple is now gleaming in new splendor.

Lazy Afternoon

In case you are wondering how I spent yesterday afternoon: I cycled to Augarten and then enjoyed my reading material and the sun... Not bad at all!

Tables And Chairs

Browsing my recent photographs, I found several pictures of tables and chairs waiting for guests. Whatever that may mean, in this case I like the eye-catching cushions.

Modern Balconies

This house in the 19th district caught my eyes because of its balconies. As the house is located on a hillside, the view from the balconies must be awesome. If my apartment had a balcony I would practically live only out there during the summer season. Click here for some more balconies in Vienna.

Flower Basket

In Austria, today we are celebrating Mother´s Day. I guess that the flower shops will sell very well, as every year... I hope you will all have a great day - whether you´re a mum or not ;-)

Coffee Break

The "Kleines Café" in the city center, designed in the mid-1970s, is Vienna´s smallest coffee house. When the weather is fine, it´s nice to sit in front of the café on the idyllic Franziskanerplatz.

Balcony #5

This balcony belongs to a mansion in a very calm and elegant quarter of the 18th district. I love how the balcony is greened up.

Inflatable Sculpture

As I told you the day before yesterday, there are currently some first events in occasion of MuseumsQuartier Wien´s 10th anniversary going on. One of them is the presentation of inflatable sculptures made of plastic, designed by Austrian artists. Amongst others you can find this boxing glove by Karl-Heinz Ströhle and Martin Strauss, entitled "We got the power", in front of the MuseumsQuartier.

Big Girls

These two graffiti girls can be found on the outside of 3Raum Theater, opened in 2006 in the former anatomy building of the University of Veterinary Medicine (which houses now the University of Music and Performing Arts). The theater is predominantly a home for young arists and actors groups.

Happy Anniversary!

The cultural complex MuseumsQuartier Wien is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. At the moment you can find this poster all over Vienna, it promotes the first major kick-off events which start today.

Goethe (And My Bicylce)

Usually I cycle only on Donauinsel (Danube Island) because it´s near my place and there´s no traffic (aside from other cyclists, joggers, skaters, walkers), but some days ago I gave the cycle lanes on Ringstrasse a try and thus circled the whole city center. I took some photographic proofs of this "adventure", this one shows the monument to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe near Burggarten which was created by Eduard Hellmer in 1895 and erected in 1900.

May Theme Day: Mailbox

... or "lack of inspiration"... Here´s just an ordinary mailbox of the Austrian Post and a beautiful blooming magnolia.
Click here to view thumbnails for all participants