Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Vienna, Austria

January 6, 2016

Vienna is the capital and largest city of Austria with nearly one-third of Austria’s population. The city’s origins are with the Celtic and Roman people but it reached its highest significance in history as the capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Vienna was a center for music and architecture. Owen’s favorite part about Vienna was the heated floor in the bathroom of our hotel.  He would go in there and lay down on the floor and then wouldn’t leave.  I enjoyed seeing the Ringstraße road that surrounds the Vienna city center.  It was built in the late 19th century to replace the 13th century city walls.  This road was intended as a grand boulevard that is lined with grand buildings, monuments and parks. Along this Ringstraße is the Vienna State Opera which was built in 1869. Next we visited the Schönbrunn Palace. It is a 1,441 room Baroque palace that covers 300 years of history.  It was originally built as a summer residence most notably of the Hapsburg monarchs and is now a UNESCO Heritage Site. Lastly we visited the St. Stephens Cathedral in the city’s downtown.  St. Stephens Cathedral is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vienna and the seat of the Archbishop of Vienna. It is a Romanesque and Gothic architectural style with a stunning multi-colored tile roof.  














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