Kunsthistorisches Museum (Art History Museum)

The Kunsthistorisches Museum (Art History Museum) was built in 1891 near the Imperial Palace to house the extensive collections of the imperial family. With its vast array of eminent works and the largest Bruegel collection in the world, it is considered one of the most eminent museums in the world.

Numerous major art works of European art history, among them Raphael’s "Madonna in the Meadow," Vermeer’s "The Allegory of Painting," the Infanta paintings by Velazquez, masterworks by Rubens, Rembrandt, Dürer, Titian and Tintoretto are housed in the paintings gallery. The Egyptian and Near Eastern Collection contains fascinating treasures from mysterious cultures long past.

The Kunstkammer Vienna (Chamber of art and wonders) with rarities from the former treasure chambers and cabinets of curiosities of the Habsburgs opened again in March 2013. The collection is one of the most significant of its kind in the world and displays precious artworks from the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the Baroque era. The highlights are the collection of Emperor Kaiser Rudolf II, the exotica complex and the famous "Saliera".

The architectural mirror image of the Kunsthistorisches Museum is theMuseum of Natural History on the opposite side, which was also built according to designs by Gottfried Semper and Karl von Hasenauer.

SISI MUSEUM. KAISERAPPARTMENTS. HOFBURG

Beautiful and celebrated Empress Elisabeth has long since become a cult figure. The Sisi Museum in the Imperial Apartments of the Imperial Palace compares the myth and the facts. Among the highlights are numerous personal objects once owned by Elisabeth as well as the most famous portraits of the beautiful empress.

Elisabeth’s private life is at the center of the exhibition: her rebellion against court ceremony, her escape into a beauty cult, her obsession with being slim, athletic performance, and effusive poetry. From the carefree time as a young girl in Bavaria to the surprising engagement with the Austrian emperor to her 1898 assassination in Geneva, the museum shows the restless life of the legendary empress.

And does so using numerous objects: On view is one of the few remaining summer dresses, the reconstruction of the dress worn by the young bride on the evening before her wedding as well as the Hungarian coronation dress, famous portraits, a miniature secretaire with envelopes painted in Elisabeth's own hand, Sisi's watercolor painting box, a 63-piece first-aid kit and an accessible reconstruction of Sisi's luxurious imperial saloon car. Items on display from her childhood include her harp, which she brought with her from Bavaria, and a reconstruction of a child's dress.

Sisi's 6-piece mourning jewelry in onyz and jet, which she used to wear with her mourning dress following the death of her son Crown Prince Rudolph, is also on display here in its entirety. The black coat with egret feathers, which covered Sisi after her assassination on Lake Geneva and in which she was taken to the Hotel Beau Rivage, reminds one of the tragic incident as much as the death mask of the murdered empress.

In the Imperial Apartments and theSilver Collection you get a good impression of the daily life of the empire. And at the Hofburg Café you can pamper yourself with culinary delights.

Please note: The Sisi Museum, Imperial Apartments and Imperial Silver Collection can be visited with a single ticket!

THE SPANISH HORSE RIDING SCHOOL

THE SPANISH RIDING SCHOOL
Living tradition, the values of the past blending with the passion of the present

The Spanish Riding School in Vienna is the only institution in the world which has practiced for nearly 450 years and continues to cultivate classical equitation in the Renaissance tradition of the Haute Ecole.

Since 1920, the stud located in the West Styrian village of Piber has been home to the famous Lipizzaners. As the only stud in Austria, Piber's role is to breed Lipizzaner stallions which will later demonstrate their skills in the world-famous Spanish Riding School in Vienna.

The Heldenberg in Lower Austria is the third site of the Spanish Riding School. On the one hand the stallions are trained and continually exercised at this location. On the other hand they spend their well-earned summer holiday as well as two to three additional six weeks breaks there enjoying a horse-friendly life. Moreover, in Heldenberg third parties are given the opportunity to improve their horsemanship through various courses.

VIENNA: MUSIC ALL AROUND!!

St STEPHEN'S CATHEDRAL

THE MUSIC HAUS

HAUS DER MUSIK is an interactive discovery museum located in the heart of Vienna's first district nestled between St. Stephen's Cathedral and the Vienna State Opera. A host of interactive installations playfully communicate openness to new things, understanding and enthusiasm in approaching music HAUS DER MUSIK was awarded the Austrian Museum Prize for its innovative design and is located in the former Palais of Archduke Charles.  A total of 5,000 square meters has been set aside exclusively for areas dedicated to a wide array of approaches to music, and most of all, to the experience of music

HOFBURG VIENNA

Hofburg Vienna

In Sisi's footsteps, the Imperial home and household

For many centuries, the Vienna Hofburg was the centre of the Habsburg empire. Three museum attractions provide historically accurate insights into the tradition and daily life at court: the authentically-furnished Imperial Apartments, the tasteful Sisi Museum and the Silver Collection as a comprehensive collection of Imperial utilitarian objects.
The Imperial Apartments, Sisi Museum and the Silver Collection are amongst Vienna's top sights, attracting around 600,000 visitors each year.

25th Music Film Festival in front of the City Hall 2015

4 July - 6 September 2015

One of the hot spots of the city during summer: the square in front of the City Hall. Operas and classical music films on a giant screen, free of charge. International culinary specialties.

Shows begin every evening at twilight.

STREET LIFE IN VIENNA (II)