Snapshot – Vienna

Vienna – Austria’s capital city and also it’s largest by population, is located in the eastern part of the country. It is without doubt an historic city and the architecture speaks to this lengthy and varied history. It is a city of large scale ornate buildings, statutes and sculptures, palaces and churches. I’ve been a couple of times, I confess I don’t remember much of it from my first trip but I returned in August 2016 so the memory is fresher now. It’s a really easy city to navigate, the underground metro can get you pretty much anywhere with ease but the network of trams and buses is a nice addition. It’s also easy to get around on foot as I discovered when my travel companions & I stayed out a little late one evening and found ourselves having to walk across the city to our hotel. Grabbing a late night kebab on the way, of course. I have to be fair though and say that I found Vienna a shock to the system. Prior to arriving I had spent a couple of days in the peaceful and picturesque old town of Cesky Krumlov … so I struggled to adjust to the hectic buzz of a big city again. So I will let Vienna speak for herself in the following photos:

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Built in the 14th Century, the Augustinerkirche (Augustinian Church) is located on the Josefplatz

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Augustinerkirche – beautiful Gothic interior
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1805 : Cenotaph for Archduchess Maria Christina
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Ornate sculptures on the National Library, located on the Josefplatz … which is a square near the Hofburg Palace
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Kaiser Franz I monument square
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The Hofburg: the former imperial palace built in the 13th century
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St Stephen’s Cathedral – a beautiful blend of Romanesque and Gothic architecture
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The magnificent gardens of Schonbrunn Palace (the palace was behind me)
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Schonbrunn Palace
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The Gloriette in the gardens of Schonbrunn (built 1775)
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Ornamental sculptures on the staircases to the gloriette
 

This post is part of my contribution to the April 2017 A-Z Challenge

For a list and links to my other challenge posts, click here

For those interested in revisiting my 2016 challenge post for V, here’s the link: Snapshot – Victoria Falls

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40 thoughts on “Snapshot – Vienna”

  1. Pingback: 2017 A-Z Challenge Posts – Ramblings of K

    1. Thank you, Karnika. You’ve summed it up perfectly – beautiful & cultural. I could’ve put dozens more photos up but I don’t want to take away the joy of discovery for others planning to visit Vienna one day 🙂

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    1. Thanks, Linda. I often struggle for inspiration when photographing cities, and trying to get the right composition. But in the end, I figured the buildings could just speak for themselves 🙂

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  9. Wonderful photos of one of my favourite cities. I particularly like that gorgeous shot of the cenotaph. I understand what you mean about the buzz, but for me, despite not being a fan of big cities, there’s something soothing about Vienna that differentiates it. I think it’s the restrained grandeur, maybe. Anyway, I would return there anytime and stay for as long as possible.

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    1. Thank you! I love that cenotaph photo too. What a beautiful piece of art that sculpture is. But that whole church was stunning, I loved the roof interior. Vienna certainly feels different to other big European cities. I think it was the shock to the senses after being lulled into such a peaceful state in Cesky Krumlov in the lead up that might have altered my perception of Vienna.

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  10. That first pic of chandeliers is truly grandiose! I have this feeling that Vienna is small (because Beijing broke all my notions of how big a city should be haha)… but it has a lot of splendid places and architecture waiting to be cherished. Great to see these pics, I felt like I traveled to Vienna.

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    1. Glad I help keep the dream of visiting Vienna alive! The architecture is wonderful and it’s everywhere. It’s not like some other cities where there are only pockets of beautiful buildings – they’re everywhere in Vienna.

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  13. Those chandeliers look amazing! Love the sculpture too. European architecture is so beautiful and the well manicured gardens make you feel as if you’re royalty yourself — even if it’s for a fleeting moment. 🙂

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    1. Schonbrunn was the only place I remembered from my first trip there! The rest of the city was a blank. So I’m glad I got to visit Vienna again. Those gardens though – so spectacular.

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  16. Pingback: A-Z Challenge Reflections (2017) – Ramblings of K

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