Austria: Vienna III - We Start from the Train Station

Many visitors to Vienna from our area will recognise the entrance to the city from the Wien Hauptbahnhof. It is therefore worthwhile to add a few tips for trips that start at this location.

It should be noted here that the railway companies also offer an advantageous extension of the ticket validity for Vienna public transport at an additional cost. For longer stays, the Vienna-Card is a bargain, which makes public transport free for up to three days and also provides discounts on admission to most monuments, museums and galleries (as well as some restaurants and cheaper parking).

Just a short walk from the next main station is Belvedere Castle with its summer palace (Oberes Belvedere) and a large French park with fountains, statues and a botanical garden. The castle itself, which once belonged to Prince Eugene of Savoy, now houses an art gallery with collections of mainly local masters (Gustav Klimt, Oskar Kokoschka). From the other end of the park, it's just a short hop to the Ringstrasse and the city centre.

One of Vienna's most visited modern sights is the Prater amusement park, which can also be reached by underground (its route after the Praterstern stop continues towards the Wiener Messe exhibition centre and stadium, where, in addition to sporting events, major music events often take place). Personally, however, I recommend the tram marked "0"; riding it not only gives you a personal contact with the inhabitants of this part of the city (according to the signs on the shops, Turks, Arabs, Asian or Balkan nationalities are also well represented here), but also an interesting view of the city's colourful architecture, which changes literally at every stop.

Architecture lovers in general will enjoy Vienna, whether in terms of historical architecture, especially the peak of the Baroque period, or developments in the 20th century. Vienna is often associated with the birth and flowering of the ornamental Art Nouveau style - the name Secession was chosen by a group of young avant-garde artists at the end of the 19th century as a break with the work of their predecessors. Other enthusiasts are attracted by the somewhat "flighty" work of the painter Friedensreich Hundertwasser (his own name was Friedrich Stowasser, but our hundred is German for hundert...), while our own people may be attracted by the work of Josef Hoffmann, a native of the Highlands. An example of the unique inventiveness of modern architecture is the Gasometer complex near Prater, where former gasworks were converted into residential buildings.

The Prater amusement park is free to enter, you only have to pay for specific attractions, of which there are reportedly two hundred. At the beginning of the park stands a statue of the court magician Basilio Calafati (1800 Trieste - 1878 Vienna), who was instrumental in the creation of the Viennese park. One of the most photographed attractions is the "Ferris" wheel (Riesenrad), about 65 metres high, slowly spinning above the city as if it doesn't even belong in the company of the crazy blaring and flashing hypermodern machines. If they give you a buzz, you can return to the edge of the park to a café or restaurant, or walk further into the depths of the island on which the park is situated, where greenery and nature already reign.

What Else Is Worth Seeing in Vienna?

The modern UNO-City district on the left bank of the river with the headquarters of several international organisations and a panoramic restaurant below the 252-metre-high Donauturm, the relaxing Donauinsel island between the Danube's branches- a place for walks, sports activities and cultural activities, the Museumsquartier museum district, the suburban Grinzing wine district with its wine bars (Heurige), the shopping area around Mariahilfer Strasse, the Christmas market .... In a city where there are 27 castles, more than 150 museums, but also 35 bridges over the Danube and its arms, where a fifth of the area is taken up by parks and other green spaces ... there is indeed always something to choose from.

GPS: 48°11'28.8"N 16°22'51.3"E

Text: Jiří Výborný

Photos: Pixabay.com