Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 20.djvu/164

* VIENNA. 126 VIENNA. Passing from the Hofgarten northward farther into the former inner city, the Augustiner Kirche is noted, in the vicinity of various Government palaces and offices. It is a medin-val Gothic building and contains Canova's famous monument to the Archduchess Maria Christina. Near by, on the Augustiner Bastei. one of the few remnants of the old bastions, stands the palace of the Arch- duke Friedrich (formerly the property of the Archduke Albert), containing the Albertina Li- brary with its famous collections of drawings and "engravings. Of the latter there are more than 200.000. The Imperial Opera, in the style of the Renais- sance, situated on the Opern-Eing, is one of the superb modern art temples of Europe. It was completed in 1869. The luxurious interior is adorned with frescoes, statues, busts, etc., of great excellence. The vicinity is the fashionable centre of the capital, and hence the spacious Karntnerstrasse, now (1903) being widened, one of the busiest thoroughfares of the city, leads northeast past the Verier Marht, to the cathe- dral. The spacious yener Markt contains a fine fountain, by Raphael Donner. In the Capuchin Church here is the Imperial vault. In this sec- tion palaces and governmental establishments abound. A little distance to the north, near the centre of the inner city, towers the Cathedral of Saint Stephen. It is the most famous structure in Austria. The present edifice dates mainly from the fourteenth century. Its shape is that of a Latin cross. It is 3.5.5 feet long, and has been ])artially restored in recent times. From its im- pressive'^ steeple, whose cross is about 470 feet high, a magnificent view of the city and the sur- rounding country may be had. Between the cathedral and the Burg extends the wide mod- ernized Graben northwest and southeast, a fash- ionable business street. In the northeast section of the inner city is found the baroque university church, with the Academy of Sciences (1846) near by in the old university. In the extreme northeast corner of the old city are the post- office and the Imperial Ministry of Commerce. The Greek Cliurch is seen to the west, and to the south are the Horticultural Society building, and the splendid Renaissance Palace of Archduke Eugene. Entering the northwest section of the inner city from the fJraben, the Austrian Kunstverein is noticed. It holds a permanent exhibition. To the northeast is the square called Hoher Markt, said to be the site of the forum of the ancient Vindobona. This is the most ancient part of the town. In the centre of the square rises a votive monument by Fischer von Erlach. West is the spacious square Am Hof, wlK're dwelt the an- cient rulers of the Babenborg family. Farther northwest, on the Freiung, is the Harracli Palace containing a fine picture collection of some 400 canvases. Near by is the far less valuable Schon- born collection. In the vicinity are the Schotten- hof and the Mijlkerhof — immense structures owned by religious bodies and holding many hundreds of inmates. Some of these establish- Mients — a characteristic feature of Vienna — con- 1:iin over 200 ililTcrcnt dwellings. Soiithward in the general direction of the Volksgarton are the fine Hofburg theatre; the imposing l>anilhaus of the Lower Austrian Diet (containing the Mu- seum of the Impafial Agricultural Society) ; the ^linorite Church, dating from the fourteenth cen- tury, with Raffaeli's splendid mosaic of Da Vinci's "Last Supper" done at the command of Napoleon I. ; and the notable Liechtenstein pal- ace. The Renaissance Hofburg Theatre, which was practically completed in 1889, can seat 2000 persons. The interior is richly embellished and contains a valuable collection of actors' por- traits. Near the northwestern corner of the in- ner city is the splendid modern Renaissance stock exchange. It holds the valuable Museum of Trade, collections of industrial products, etc. Beginning here at the northwestern end of the Ringstrasse, by the river, there may be men- tioned conveniently in succession the objects of interest lining the street. The Stiftungshaus, a benevolent establishment, has an expiatory chapel built by Francis Joseph on the spot where the Ring Theatre was destroyed by fire in 1881 with great loss of life. To the west is the striking Gothic Votivkirche, one of the chief modern orna- ments of the city, completed in 1870 with a beau- tiful facade, towers, and a resplendent interior. It commemorates the Emperor's escape from an assassin in 1853. In this region is the excellent Liechtenstein ])icture-gallers', with over 800 good canvases. Rubens's "History of Decius" and "Tvvo Sous" and Van Dyck's famous portrait of Maria Louisa ''.e Tassis are here. A park and a fine new palace of Prince Liechtenstein are near b_y. On the soutli of the Votivkirche extends the wide Universitatsstrasse, entering the Ring- strasse, and having the imiversity on the south. This is the most superb part of the Ringstrasse. The immense quadrangular university building, exhibiting the Tuscan Renaissance, was com- pleted in 1884, and contains the famous college collections, library, etc. See Vienna, Unh-eb- SITT OF. South of the university extends the Rathaus Park, opposite the Hofburg Theatre, and with the sumptuous Rathaus on the west. This un- surpassed Gothic town hall was completed in 1883, at a cost of $6,000,000. It abounds in statuary and frescoes. Its majestic tower rises 320 feet. It holds the valuable historical mu- seum of Vienna, the municipal library (over 50,000 volumes), and the municipal collections of weapons. The first is rich in antiquities, cos- tumes, and objects of personal interest. On the south of the Rathaus Park and opposite the Volksgarten rise the imjiosing Houses of Par- liament, designed in the Greek style, by Hansen. They are approached by a columned portico. About a hundred yards farther south is the fine Palace of Justice, in (icrman Renaissance, fin- ished in 1881. South of it stands the attractive Deutsches Volkstheater, in Italian Renaissance. To the east are the celebrated natural history and art history nuise n3 in two new spacious and imposing edifices flanking the Maria-The- resiaplatz opposite the Burgtbor. Here is to be seen the colossal bronze Maria Theresa Monu- ment, erected in 1888. The museum buildings are twin, domed edifices in the Italian Hcnaissance. and were completed in 1889. They are abundantly decorated with symbolic and portrait slaluary, and in the in- terior with new frescoes and marbles by great artists. The natural history collections, among the most famous in the world, date from 1748.