2025 – Austria- Vienna #2 – Lots of Art, Architecture, Music, History & Horses.

Day 2 Schonbrunn Palace

It’s hard to reconcile the magnificence and opulence of the Habsburg Dynasty with the abject poverty of their subjects during their reign, but today all of that opulence is now owned by the Austrian State. In fact having initiated WW1 , the family that had ruled the Holy Roman Empire for 700 years , had seen their nation defeated and were summarily dispatched from the country, not to return for 50 years. All their wealth and lands fell into the hands of the First Austrian Republic. Intriguingly some 20 years later another Austrian started WW2.

Now we humble tourists get to visit these palaces, galleries and marvel at the lifestyle of those rich and infamous. Our 2 hour Schonbrunn Tour was brilliant, led by our GYG Guide, who was a fountain of knowledge, including that on average 21,000 visitors “do Schonbrunn “ every day. Only 22 rooms are available to be viewed, with much of the upper floors of the Palace now citizens apartments, the gardens are also splendid, not up to French Chateau style, but nonetheless welcome shade.

Imagine – “Your carriage has drawn up at the front of the Palace, you ascend the staircase directly in front of you and you enter the State Room, with all the other members of the nobility, each vying for political advantage.

The host, Empress Marie Therese is skillfully keeping these potential warring political nobility guests focussed on peace, which means agriculture, trade, commerce, prosperity – as are all pictured in the ceiling above them.” Such was the commission for the ceiling, to sell the message of peace- would that could work in today’s world?

”Maria Theresa (Maria Theresia Walburga Amalia Christina; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was the ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position in her own right. She was the sovereign of Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia, Transylvania, Slavonia, Mantua, Milan, Moravia, Galicia and Lodomeria, Dalmatia, Austrian Netherlands, Carinthia, Carniola, Gorizia and Gradisca, Austrian Silesia, Tyrol, Styria and Parma. By marriage, she was Duchess of Lorraine, Grand Duchess of Tuscany, and Holy Roman Empress.

Through her aunt, Charlotte Christine Sophie, she was cousins with Peter II of Russia, and through her other aunt Antoinette, Duchess of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, she was cousins with Elisabeth Christine, Queen of Prussia.” – Thank you Wikipedia!

i think the above demonstrates how the world of 18th century Europe worked, power and control were all about the relatives, and getting on with them, or not!!

Marie Therese was a formidable woman, and this is not a “history blog”, but i read that she introduced “inoculation against smallpox” into Austria, having the process successfully tested with 36 children. Subsequently she and her family were inoculated. A woman ahead of her times, perhaps.

The effect on us Of this amazing art work, architecture and history on visiting Schonbrunn today, is to be “gob smacked”!! Our Austrian lady tour guide is also very firm on the role of Austria and its Empire aspirations in WW1, and that the ramifications of that subsequent defeat sowed the seeds for the next Austrian in starting WW2, and that should not be forgotten. In the late 1930’s, 10% of Viennas population was Jewish , today its 1% as Austrian Jews were dispatched to the horrors of the concentration camps.

Moving on from the State Room complex other rooms available to view are equally impressive but in a more intimate sense as they are smaller and purpose driven. But the gold is real, not gold leaf, we are informed!!

The Gardens

When we visited Schonbrunn the mercury was up at 35c, so we did visit the Gardens at the end of our Tour but kept well in the shade. We quickly realised that these Gardens and those at the Upper Belvedere, we will visit later cannot be compared to the stunning French Chateau ones Climate conditions are a little relevant of course, harsher winters in Vienna than on the Loire? But these Gardens were designed for entertainment as these photos of paintings with carriages on parade at a wedding show. Nevertheless the Gardens do have lovely shady avenue walks and some amazing views of the Palm House. There is free entry to much of the Schonbrunn Gardens, so they are now an important outside space for tourists to and residents of Vienna to enjoy.

Day 3- The Spanish Riding School

One of our pre-selected “Vienna to see items”, was the Spanish Riding School and whilst we could only go to a “Training Session”, one got a great sense of the buildings there plus the amazing horses and riders. The Spanish Riding School is set right in the centre of some of the most stunning beautiful of Vienna’s Inner Stadt buildings. Not only are they beautifully maintained the workmanship on show is extraordinary.

At this time of the year, many of the principle horses are away “mating”, but we saw horses of a range of ages, shown by their coat colours, as these horses age, they get whiter , just like us humans!! The training display was amazing, only slightly disturbed by two French ladies next to us chatting away quite loudly oblivious to the skill and grandeur of the event, until remonstrated with by myself, politely and in their own language!!

Next stop morning tea……….