SPANISH RIDING SCHOOL
A school with a café ideal for taking a break and enjoying coffee and other culinary specialties.
Founded in the mid-16th century, the famous Spanish Manege in Vienna stands as the oldest equestrian institution in the world, a Unesco World Heritage Site since 2015. From the Renaissance to the present day, it has preserved and developed, with great rigor, the classical equestrian art of the High Riding School. Housed in a beautiful baroque building, completed in 1735 for Emperor Charles VI, this school was for the nobility, over the centuries and generations of prestigious instructors, the place to learn the subtleties of riding. Surrounded by prestige, the Spanish School remained strictly faithful to its principles of requirement, whereas its "competitors" (French or English in particular) suffered from the Revolution and the Napoleonic wars. It almost disappeared, however, dragged down in 1918 by the fall of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, but owed its survival to the Austrian Republic. Today, the majestic performances with the famous white Lipizzaner horses attract a large audience, so much so that reservations are mandatory. If your budget is limited, you can also attend the already enchanting morning training sessions or why not take a guided tour of the stables and riding arenas.
From Tuesday to Sunday, from 9am to 5pm, the Spanish Riding School's café is open. Ideal to take a break and enjoy coffee and other culinary specialties.
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Further information
Opening time and information on SPANISH RIDING SCHOOL
Open to the public from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Guided tours, morning revivals and shows from €17 to €180.
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Members' reviews on SPANISH RIDING SCHOOL
The ratings and reviews below reflect the subjective opinions of members and not the opinion of The Little Witty.
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It's a shame
We were 7 (3 teenagers and 4 adults) waiting since some days to see a part of the show by training in the morning. We only saw horses wolking slowly around for 1 hour.
The building is nice but the morning practice show was boring: a pure waste of time and money. To be avoid.