Roman and medieval architecture
Despite the Habsburgs' passion for the Baroque style which undoubtedly transformed the city, Vienna still has beautiful monuments inherited from the Roman and medieval eras. A true symbol for the Austrian capital and a witness to a Roman past, the majestic St. Stephen's Cathedral is one of the most beautiful Viennese Gothic works. The credit for its age goes toSt. Rupert's Church, which was already considered the oldest church in the city in the 13th century, probably founded in 704! In addition, some Roman ruins are still visible on the beautiful Michaelerplatz, overlooking the Hofburg Palace. These are the remains of Vindobona, a Celtic city that became a Roman fort protecting the lime (the border of the Empire) from the Germans. The Judenplatz museum was built on the ruins of Vienna's first synagogue, dating from the Middle Ages.
Baroque Vienna
It is sometimes said that the Baroque is the expression of the Austrian genius as it has found a fertile ground in the country. It is after the departure of the Turkish troops following the second siege of Vienna (1683) that this trend begins to radiate in the capital. Baroque is the expression of Catholicism, which the Habsburgs are ardent defenders against Protestantism. Johann B. Fischer von Erlach (1656-1723), leader of the movement, developed a style specific to the country, based on elements of Italian inspiration. He allowed for an abundance of ornamentation, insisted on asymmetrical contours, used pastel colors on the exterior and bright colors on the interior, and multiplied gilding, cornices, balconies and statues..
As a court architect, he dedicated his talents to a number of buildings, from the Karlskirche to the Plague Column, from the Bohemian Chancellery to the Virgin's Wedding Fountain and the Augarten Palace, etc. The genius of the architect, one of the first theorists of the discipline, impregnates the imperial city with his style more than any other. He was succeeded by several great names of the time, including Lukas von Hildebrandt (1668-1745) and Jakob Prandtauer (1660-1726).
From the end of the 17th century to the beginning of the 18th century, the facades of many classical and Renaissance buildings were refurbished in the Baroque style, which was considered an external sign of wealth. The great families of the aristocracy had palaces built in the city, often surrounded by gardens or parks, displaying exuberant splendor: this is the case of the Liechtenstein and Schwartzenberg palaces. This architectural momentum was accompanied by a golden age of painting and decorative arts. The Baroque period placed great importance on interior decoration: ceilings and walls were decorated with frescoes and gilding, and the floors were made of sumptuous marquetry.
The most characteristic districts of the style are the narrow streets of the1st district, the northern Graben, the eastern Stephansdom and the Spittelberg district. The Hofburg Palace contains surely the most beautiful baroque spaces in the world, while the Belvedere palaces built for Eugene of Savoy (1663-1736) by Lukas von Hildebrandt around 1715 are masterpieces of the style. TheAugarten is the oldest baroque garden in Vienna, built under Ferdinand II (1578-1637). The National Library, the Ministry of Finance, the Trautson Palace, the Piarist Church, the fountains of the Neuer Markt and many others can also be seen!
From 1750 onwards, the Baroque evolved into the Rococo style, with its abundant use of trompe l'oeil, stucco and marble. The renovations of Schönbrunn Palace by Nicolò Pacassi (1716-1790) were commissioned by Maria Theresa of Austria and carried out in this style: the entire building was transformed.
In the vicinity of Vienna, lovers of baroque architecture should not miss the abbeys of Melk, Göttweig, Dürnstein, or Klosterneuburg.
The Biedermeier bourgeoisie
The short period from the Congress of Vienna in 1815 to the revolution of 1848, known as the Biedermeier Revolution, is notable for its conservative aspects and deprivations of liberty. The political repression and strict censorship of Klemens von Metternich (1773-1859) caused the Viennese to withdraw from public life into the private sphere or the more spiritual sphere of the arts. It was during this period that many theatres, concert halls and libraries were built.
The nobility and the bourgeois attached great importance to their interiors: from the walls to the furniture, down to the smallest detail. The ensemble remains sober, but is opulent and warm. Biedermeier furniture, typical of Vienna, is characterized by a deliberately functional decorative appearance, prefiguring modern design. TheHofmobiliendepot, the Furniture Museum, houses the largest collection of this style. The Biedermeier is also a simple and functional clothing fashion. Also worth seeing are the Mercure Grand Hotel Biedermeier in Sünnhof (3rd district), Villa Geymüller (18th district) and the Spittelberg district.Historicism
The advent of Franz Joseph (1830-1916) coincided with the transformation of the Empire into a modern state with a flourishing economy. In 1857, the emperor decided to demolish the medieval fortifications of Vienna, which were replaced by the Ring, a wide boulevard symbolizing the Danube monarchy. Everything had to be aligned and visible - these developments radically transformed the physiognomy and general urbanism of the capital. The buildings on either side of the boulevard became symbols, and there were many monumental buildings, such as theCity Hall
(Friedrich von Schmidt, 1825-1891). Historicist thought triumphed at this time, with the belief in the finality of history: its study allows us to learn from the past in order to orient ourselves towards a better future. In architecture, this trend is reflected in a historical approach to style. Thus, the Parliament, designed by Theophil Hansen (1813-1891), recalls in its forms that democracy comes to us from ancient Greece. Thevotive church is in pure Gothic style, theopera house designed by Eduard von der Nüll (1812-1868) in French Renaissance style, and the Burgtheater, by Gottfried Semper (1803-1879), inspired by the late Renaissance. Theuniversity, in Italian Renaissance style, symbolizes the resurrection of knowledge. It is therefore a conglomeration and a synthesis of the great architectural styles. These buildings are often criticized for their lack of originality.Secession, Viennese Workshop and Jugendstil
At the end of the 19th century, Austria refused to admit the weakening of its power. However, a talented generation was to perceive this social and political reality. Thus, in 1897, the "Vienna Secession" was born from the meeting of artists from various backgrounds such as Josef Hoffmann (architect and designer, 1870-1956), Marx Kurzweil (1867-1916), Carl Moll (painter, 1861-1945) and Koloman Moser (designer and painter 1868-1918). A disparate group of artists, these visual artists and architects wanted to promote a Viennese Art Nouveau, less floral and more refined and functional than its French, Belgian and Italian counterparts.
As much an architect as a decorator, designer of furniture and objects, Josef Hoffmann received the Prix de Rome in 1895. In 1903, he founded the Wiener Werkstätte
with Koloman Moser, the famous "Viennese Workshop" specializing in the decorative arts. Originally, the objects produced were to be accessible to all, but handcrafted by genius artisans and with rare materials. They were eventually reserved for the elite. The sum of Hoffmann's achievements is considerable, but we can mention the Stoclet Palace in Brussels, as well as the Purkersdorf sanatorium, near Vienna, for which he designed the decoration and seating. Art Nouveau, or Jugendstil, continued until 1910. While Joseph Maria Olbrich designed the Secession Palace, the leader of the movement was Otto Wagner (1841-1918), who distinguished himself with the subway lines (especially U4) and the adjoining facilities, including the remarkable pavilions at Karlsplatz, but he also designed the Postal Savings Bank, the Majolica House and the Medallion House, the Wagner Villa, and theChurch of St. Leopold am Steinhof. His pupils, like Adolf Loos (1870-1933), continued and renewed this style. Loos wrote The Potemkin City in the Secession magazine Ver Sacrum, a violent indictment of the historicism of the Ringstrasse. Imbued with the work of Palladio (1508-1580, Italian architect with the eponymous style), he spoke out against the tyranny and ridiculousness of ornament. In 1899, he designed the Café Museum in Vienna. He became famous with the realization, in 1910, of the Michaelerplatz house (today's Looshaus): its construction caused a resounding scandal! His refusal to use ornamentation, which broke with the Vienna of the time, earned the house the nickname "house without eyebrows".The current face of Vienna
In Vienna, as in any large metropolis, styles overlap and the city's appearance changes with the times. Today's trends are imbuing the city with a modernism that has become attentive to people - on their scale. Typical achievements of the last ten years include the Donau City and the UN buildings, Jean Nouvel's Gasometer A, the Leopold Museum or the Mumok Museum of Contemporary Art, or the Sargfabrik
.Hundertwasser (1928-2000) is the best known 20th century architect in Vienna. He saw the minimalism and functionalism of the Bauhaus as mere concrete shells without a soul. For him, workers' huts, the Barcelona of Gaudi (1852-1926) and the Jugendstil are more the true expression of life, individual freedom and healthy architecture. An avowed ecologist, Hundertwasser conceived his buildings as an interpenetration of man and nature: the model of his ideal city (in the Kunsthaus) shows a city rising from the ground, where cows can graze on the roofs of houses that follow the slope of the ground, and where the forest serves as a natural roof. In Vienna, he built social housing, the Hundertwasser Haus, with its surprisingly modern organic forms, and the Spittelau thermal power plant, used to heat part of the city. The place is worth a visit as well as his house, his museum
and his boat! In recent decades, the city has experienced a new development that fills the lack of building space on the ground: the redevelopment of rooftops and the vertical extension of historic buildings. The project that paved the way for this new dimension is the Rooftop remodelling Falkestraße, completed in 1988 by the Viennese architectural firm Coop Himmelblau. The redesign of the corner roof looks like a strange, deconstructivist skeleton on top of the original building. Wolf D. Prix, one of the co-founders of the firm, likes to tell the story of the presentation of the project to the mayor of Vienna, who found it more like art than architecture - the law forbade architects from touching the structure of the building - and so, by changing the official nature of the project, it was built.
