Famous Landmarks In Vienna: A Traveler's Guide

Vienna, Austria is brimming with iconic landmarks and architectural masterpieces. The city's rich history and elegance are reflected in its breathtaking buildings and sites, making it a popular tourist destination. From magnificent palaces and cathedrals to museums and amusement parks, here is an introduction to some of Vienna's most famous landmarks.

Schönbrunn Palace

The history of the palace and its vast gardens spans over 300 years, reflecting the changing tastes and aspirations of successive Habsburg monarchs. In 1569, Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II purchased a large floodplain of the Wien river and ordered the area to be fenced and put game there, serving as a recreational hunting ground for the court. The Schönbrunn Palace in its present form was built and remodelled during the 1740–50s during the reign of Empress Maria Theresa, who received the estate as a wedding gift. Franz I commissioned the redecoration of the palace exterior in the neoclassical style as it appears today.

The palace has been a major tourist attraction since the mid-1950s and was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. Visitors can explore the private apartments of Franz Joseph and Elisabeth, the southern reception rooms, and the state apartments. The palace is also known for its beautiful gardens, which include a botanical garden, a palm house, and the Gloriette structure, a colonnaded building that crowns a 60-metre-high hill.

The Schönbrunn Palace Orchestra, founded in 1997, performs daily concerts at the palace's original location, offering a fine selection of music by Mozart and Strauss. The palace has also been featured in several films and television productions, including the Sissi trilogy in the 1950s and the Bond movie The Living Daylights.

St. Stephen's Cathedral

The current Romanesque and Gothic form of the cathedral, seen today in the Stephansplatz, was largely initiated by Duke Rudolf IV and stands on the ruins of two earlier churches, the first of which was consecrated in 1147. St. Stephen's Cathedral is Vienna's most important religious building and has, with its multi-coloured tile roof, become one of the city's most recognisable symbols.

The cathedral has borne witness to many important events in Habsburg and Austrian history. It is affectionately referred to by the city's inhabitants as "Steffl". Standing at 136 metres tall, the south tower is the cathedral's highest point and a dominant feature of the Vienna skyline. Its construction lasted 65 years, from 1368 to 1433.

The main entrance to the church is named the Giant's Door, or Riesentor, possibly referring to the thighbone of a mammoth that hung over it for decades after being unearthed in 1443. The glory of St. Stephen's Cathedral is its ornately patterned, richly coloured roof, covered by 230,000 glazed tiles.

The cathedral has 18 altars, with more in the various chapels. The High Altar and the Wiener Neustädter Altar are the most famous. The Wiener Neustädter Altar is composed of two triptychs, the upper being four times taller than the lower one. When the lower panels are opened, the Gothic grate of the former reliquary depot above the altar is revealed.

The stone pulpit is a masterwork of late Gothic sculpture. So that the local language sermon could be better heard by the worshippers in the days before microphones and loudspeakers, the pulpit stands against a pillar out in the nave, instead of in the chancel at the front of the church. The sides of the pulpit erupt like stylized petals from the stem supporting it. On those Gothic petals are relief portraits of the four original Doctors of the Church: St. Augustine of Hippo, St. Ambrose, St. Gregory the Great and St. Jerome.

Vienna State Opera

The Vienna State Opera is one of the world's leading opera houses, renowned for its exceptional acoustics and diverse program. The opera house, which opened in 1869, is a grand Renaissance Revival building with exquisite architecture. It is closely linked to the Vienna Philharmonic, as members of the Vienna Philharmonic are recruited from the Vienna State Opera's orchestra.

The Vienna State Opera is also home to the Vienna State Ballet and hosts the annual Vienna Opera Ball, a prestigious social event attracting elite guests from around the world. The opera house has a capacity of approximately 1,700 seats, with a mix of sitting and standing room tickets available. The best seats offer an unobstructed view of the stage, typically in the Parkett area.

The opera house has a rich history, having been built from 1861 to 1869 following plans by August Sicard von Sicardsburg and Eduard van der Nüll, and designs by Josef Hlávka. It was initially inaugurated as the "Vienna Court Opera" in the presence of Emperor Franz Joseph I and Empress Elisabeth of Austria. However, it adopted its current name after the establishment of the First Austrian Republic in 1921.

During World War II, the opera house suffered significant damage from an American bombardment, which destroyed the auditorium, stage, and a vast collection of décor and props. Lengthy discussions ensued regarding its restoration, and eventually, the decision was made to rebuild it to its original state. The restoration process was led by experts such as Ernst Kolb and Udo Illig, and the opera house officially reopened in 1955 with a performance of Beethoven's Fidelio.

The Vienna State Opera has a diverse repertoire, producing 50 to 60 operas and ten ballet productions annually, amounting to over 350 performances per year. It is common to find a different opera being produced each day of the week. The opera house is also known for its children's productions, with special matinee performances held twice every season.

The Vienna State Opera is a must-visit destination for anyone interested in the arts and culture. Its architectural grandeur and rich history make it a significant landmark in Vienna, embodying the city's enduring artistic spirit.

Belvedere Palace

The Belvedere Palace is a historic building complex in Vienna, Austria, consisting of two Baroque palaces—the Upper and Lower Belvedere—along with the Orangery and the Palace Stables. The complex was built as a summer residence for Prince Eugene of Savoy and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The two palaces were built in the early 18th century by the famous Baroque architect Johann Lucas von Hildebrandt. The Upper and Lower Belvedere are set in a Baroque park landscape, with decorative tiered fountains and cascades, Baroque sculptures, and majestic wrought iron gates. The gardens were designed in the formal French style, with clipped hedges, gravelled walks, and water features.

The Belvedere houses a significant collection of Austrian art, dating from the Middle Ages to the present day. The collection includes works by Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele, Oskar Kokoschka, Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh, and Max Beckmann. The Upper Belvedere is home to the world's largest collection of Gustav Klimt's paintings, including the famous golden Art Nouveau icons, 'The Kiss' and 'Judith'.

Hofburg Palace

The Hofburg Palace is one of the biggest palace complexes in the world and is located in the centre of Vienna. It was built in the 13th century by Ottokar II of Bohemia and was the former principal imperial palace of the Habsburg dynasty in Austria. It served as the winter residence of the Habsburgs, while Schönbrunn Palace was their summer residence. Today, it is the official residence and workplace of the President of Austria.

The Hofburg has been expanded over the centuries to include various residences, the imperial chapel, the imperial library, the treasury, the Burgtheater, the Spanish Riding School, and the imperial mews. The palace complex is under the administration of the governor, or Burghauptmann, who is part of the Burghauptmannschaft, an office that has existed since the Middle Ages.

The oldest parts of the palace date back to the 13th century and were constructed by the last of the Babenbergers, or by Ottakar II of Bohemia. The castle originally had a square outline, with four turrets, and was surrounded by a moat with a drawbridge at the entrance. These oldest sections of the castle today form the Swiss Court, where there is a gothic chapel dating from the 15th century, and the treasury, affiliated with the Kunsthistorisches Museum.

The Swiss Court dates from the Renaissance, during the reign of Emperor Ferdinand I, and the Swiss Gate entrance displays the many titles of Ferdinand I and the insignia of the Order of the Golden Fleece. An adjoining section of the Swiss Wing houses the Radetzky Apartments, where Field Marshal Radetzky lived in recognition of his services during the Italian campaign in 1848.

The connection between the Amalienburg and the Swiss Court is the Leopoldine Wing, which was first built in the 1660s under Emperor Leopold I. The architect was Filiberto Lucchese, but after the 1683 siege by the Turks, the wing was rebuilt by Giovanni Pietro Tencala with an additional floor installed. The offices of the Federal President are located in this wing.

The Imperial Chancellery Wing was a father-son collaborative project that also resulted in the Winter Riding School and the Imperial Chancellery Wing. The latter was originally planned by Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt and accommodated the offices of the Imperial Vice-Chancellor. After the end of the Holy Roman Empire, this wing housed the apartments of Napoleon, The Duke of Reichstadt, and later those of Emperor Francis Joseph I.

The chancellery, Swiss court, Amalienburg, and Leopoldine Wing form the Inner Castle Court. In the middle is a bronze statue of Francis I dressed as a Roman emperor, by Pompeo Marchesi.

The Court Library was originally a free-standing structure, and its construction was begun by Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach and finished by his son Joseph Emanuel in 1735. The large Prunksaal hall contains the book collection of Prince Eugene of Savoy, a ceiling fresco by Daniel Gran, and statues of emperors by Paul Strudel. The exterior decoration with attic-style figures was executed by Lorenzo Mattielli in 1726.

The Hofburg has been a hotspot for museums, politics, and events. It is also the permanent home of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and houses the Vienna Office of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA). Parts of the Hofburg have been open to the public as a convention centre since 1958, hosting about 300–350 events annually, with around 300,000–320,000 guests.

Frequently asked questions