After a fabulous morning tour in Passau, Germany, we head back to Wisconsin – OH WAIT – we’re not in Wisconsin, although the terrain felt very familiar – with wide expanses of wheat and cornfields. Some houses along our route were similar in style to midwest homes, although most had a more Bavarian vibe. The rolling hills offered a relaxing break as we continued towards our destination.
We soon said goodbye to those midwest daydreams, because where we were going looked nothing like home. We’re taking a bus ride through the Bavarian countryside and back into Austria, where we’ll see the small town of Schärding and enjoy an excursion on a small boat on the Inn River.
Schärding is a beautiful place with lots of color, flowers, curved gabled roofs and cobblestones (of course). A very neat and tidy place, with rows of differently-colored houses which used to reflect the types of businesses within.
A long time ago, the town council insisted that each local business be painted a specific color to ensure that even its citizens who could not read could find what they were looking for. For example, the bakers’ houses were blue, butchers’ were red and the facades of inns were yellow and green. Obviously times have changed and now it’s not mandatory, but it appears the folks of this small town still love their color and most are still the colors required back in the day.
You may notice the brightly-colored yarn that is wrapped around the railings in the photo above. One of the local schools started a program where disabled students could help to beautify the city – spreading acceptance from their neighbors and a sense of accomplishment for the children. What a wonderful sentiment, don’t you think?
We enjoyed a lovely stroll along the river with great views as we made our way to the final leg of this excursion.
Schlosspark provided some shade for a cool-down which was a welcome relief on this hot and steamy day. And the views from up high were pretty great as well.
Obviously I couldn’t get enough of the yarn wrappings, the cobblestones and the stone archways.
As you may remember, Passau is known as the City of Three Rivers – the Inn, the Danube and the Ilz (top to bottom in the photo below). The difference in the color of their waters is striking.
Photo: Luftbild von der Dreiflüssestadt Passau mit Inn- und Ilzmündung
The Danube, where we’ve spent our entire river cruise thus far, is far from blue as a certain song would lead you to believe. The Danube is a brownish color since it frequently floods, depositing organic materials and sediments from its banks. The Ilz is very dark brown (almost black) because it travels through the swampy countryside and is full of organic sediment.
Today we’re off to explore the Inn River, which is 322 miles long and runs through three countries – Switzerland, Austria and Germany. Its water has been described as emerald or milky with a greenish tint. Since the river’s origin is in the Alps, the Inn is primarily filled with the water from glaciers. It is most noticeable in the photo below with the swans.
The green sign below “Mariensteg” refers to the suspension bridge across the Inn, which allows pedestrians and bicyclists (radfahrer) to cross. It was pretty awesome and it took a while to cross the emerald green waters of the Inn because it was so beautiful. My photo doesn’t really do it justice, so click on the link for some better photos and other specs if they interest you.
In the photo on the right, the Landhotel zur Mariensaule stands close to the river’s edge and the Marian Column stands in the forefront, with the Wernstein Castle behind. That last link will show some gorgeous photos from all angles of this entire area.
If you continue straight after leaving the Mariensteg, you would end up in a nature preserve with a bike/pedestrian path that follows the banks of the Inn River for a while. Our boat was docked just to the left of the bridge and we could see folks on their afternoon jog as we meandered down the river.
The entire trip wasn’t really what we were expecting. Touted as a float through a nature preserve, our only wildlife viewings were several swan families. Not that I don’t love swans and their cygnets. Who knew that swan babies are grey like the photo below or were called cygnets! Maybe we’re getting spoiled. Just shut up and relax and enjoy the float.
And we did get to see another bloody church (ABC alert!) and more bavarian-style homes, which I always enjoy. I guess we had a wonderful, relaxing afternoon in Austria after all. I’ll more than likely never hear myself say that again!
Click on the first photo in each group and scroll to see the square photos at full size. To start at the beginning of this series, visit Grand European River Cruise
“Founded by the Celts more than 2,000 years ago, Passau is one of Bavaria’s oldest cities. Known as the “City of Three Rivers” (Dreiflüssestadt), it rests at the confluence of the Inn, Ilz and Danube Rivers. The city has long enjoyed its strategic position and grew to great economic and political power because of it. The legacy of its past prosperity lives on in graceful arcades, colorful houses with rococo facades and the glorious baroque St. Stephen’s Cathedral, home to one of Europe’s largest pipe organs. Passau is also where two nations meet; it is here that the German-Austrian border begins.” – Viking Cruise information
Passau Walking Tour
We docked in Passau around 9am and met our ride to our morning tours shortly thereafter. Little did we know that on our journey into town, we’d get a preview of what we’d be seeing up close later on that morning. Passing by the 15th-century pilgrimage church of St. Salvator, we see the Old Town Hall with its beautiful clock tower (right).
Below are the Baroque towers of St. Stephen’s Cathedral, and we begin our walking tour in Passau on another cobbled walkway.
Artists’ Alley (The Höllgasse) provides a great walk with colorful cobblestones that lead the way to art studios, shops and artists eager to share the inspiration behind their projects. The cobblestones are repainted every year, so your next visit may look a little different.
Since we try to bring home a little something locally-made from each trip, I wish we would have had more time to wander (and buy) something on this beautifully decorated alleyway. Instead I’ll just have to reminisce by rereading my blog from time to time.
The Oberhaus Museum is a dominating presence way up on the crest of St. Georgsberg mountain. A fortress founded in 1219, it is currently a museum, youth hostel, restaurant and has an open-air theatre dating to 1934. For an awesome photo of the museum with the St. Salvator church (above) in the foreground, click here.
Rebuilt in the 17th century after a fire, Old Town Hall (Altes Rathaus) has a large courtyard, shops and a beautiful clock tower. This courtyard is a great place to shop, grab a bite or a brew or just hang out and people-watch.
At the base of the tower are markings of flood levels over the years. As you’ll see – in 2013 the town had a devastating flood, but it’s only in second place for worst behind the one in 1501. “The City of Three Rivers” – while beautiful – has its disadvantages.
To the right of the flood stage markings is a small sign that lets you know what time to turn your attention to the tower. “In 1991, an automatic carillon with 23 bells was installed in the tower, which can also be played as a carillon since 2007.” In case you’re not sure what a carillon is, this will help: a set of bells in a tower, played using a keyboard or by an automatic mechanism similar to a piano roll.
Our walking tour continues past the ScharfrichterHaus (the executioner’s house). Using a sword… uh, I think you know what the executioner’s job is. Although the website is in German, the historic pictures are something. Built circa 1200 this national historical treasure is now a coffeehouse, a restaurant and a jazz and cabaret stage.
Massive doors and the ornamentation around them always fascinates me, and if you are looking to buy a house in Passau or the nearby area, there are some good ones available at Engel & Völkers.
St. Stephen’s Cathedral
St. Stephen’s Cathedral (The Stephansdom) is dedicated to Saint Stephen and is the main church and seat of the Catholic Bishop of Passau. This beautiful Baroque church, built between 1668 and 1693, is only one of many churches on this site since 730. It was tough to get good photos of the outside standing so close and we were never in front to get a good overall photo, so I borrowed the top photo below, with permission of course. By Aconcagua – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0.
The courtyard at the cathedral is pretty awesome with an interesting fountain, as well as some fabulous memorial plaques secured to its walls. Benches provide a nice spot to reminisce about the folks that have passed on, or maybe just a nice spot to sit after church. Sometimes I forget that this is not only a tourist attraction. Folks are actually members of this church and come here often – maybe every Sunday.
I can’t find much information on the courtyard or the name or significance of the fountain/statue and Jim and I can’t really remember much about the specifics. I think this is where one tour ended and another began and where that happens, there’s usually a little chaos.
Passau Organ Concert
The highlight of the day was getting inside to see the cathedral up close. One of my favorites of the entire trip, the interior was a magnificent work of art. All the things I may have said were over the top in other cathedrals on this trip, did not apply here (in my opinion), since it was so beautifully done.
Below is the high alter depicting the stoning of St. Stephen, and the pulpit covered in gilt, gleaming as the light shone upon it.
The frescos in the ceilings, the stucco decoration – even the cherubs were absolutely breathtaking.
The largest pipe organ in all of Europe, it inspired the 19th-century Hungarian composer – Franz Liszt – to write his “Hungarian Coronation Mass.” While the link will take you to a gorgeous rendition of the piece by the Liatoshinsky Chamber Choir & Orchestra, unfortunately it was not performed at Stephansdom.
They were on a strict schedule for the organ concert. We were to be seated at 11am sharp! With more than 17,000 pipes, they warned us that it would get loud and at times the song they played would become totally unrecognizable, but it was the setting more than the music that made this place so special, so wondrous, so moving.
After a short stroll thru town, we headed back to our ship for a short break before our next outing.
After our scenic cruise thru the Wachau Valley relatively early this morning, we had several hours in Melk before we left Austria and made our way to Germany. As you can see by the photo above, Melk is located where the Danube and Melk Rivers converge. The highlight of the day is visiting the renowned 900-year-old Melk Abbey – a masterpiece in Baroque brilliance!
Luckily a Viking bus was waiting to take us up the hill, and was back after our tour for those who wanted or needed a ride back. We decided to take a stairway down to the town to explore for a while before returning to the ship. You know us – we’ve got to see as much as we can!
“Melk Abbey is one of the biggest and most beautiful European Baroque ensembles. Its splendid architecture is famous worldwide and part of UNESCO’s world cultural heritage. The Baroque building situated on a rock overlooking the Danube, in the Wachau region, ranks as one of Austria’s most visited art-historical sites. Since 1089, Benedictine monks have continually been living and working in Melk Abbey. Following the rules laid down by St. Benedict, they try to translate into action the words ORA et LABORA et LEGE (pray and work and learn) by working in pastoral care and education (Melk Abbey Secondary School) as well as organizing cultural events.” – READ MORE
Although no photos were allowed inside the abbey, this website is a wonderful source if you’d like to see some gorgeous ones and read about how a young Benedict left Rome because he was “repulsed by the immorality of the city”. Over many years and through many steps (including listening with his heart) he found his way to God and helped many others to see his path. Until his death in the mid sixth century, he would write his monastic rules – which would become THE rules of the early Middle ages.
Also on that website are some great photos of the museum, the Marble Hall, the library and the abbey church. In the order of importance of the rooms, the library comes second only to the church.
Along with being absolutely beautifully decorated – “The library of the Melk abbey consists of a total of twelve rooms containing about 1,888 manuscripts, 750 incunabula (printed works before 1500), 1700 works from the 16th, 4500 from the 17th, and 18,000 from the 18th century; together with the newer books, approximately 100,000 volumes in total.”
So if the library is second only to the church, you can only imagine – or look on the website – to see how gorgeous the church is. It is simply amazing!
From the terrace there are wonderful views of the Melk River and the city of Melk.
After the tour of the abbey, we had some free time to walk the cobblestones to explore this quaint little town and enjoy a cold one at a pub with an outside table.
As we made our way back to our ship, we noticed a sandwich board for a concert (below). It’s not often that we see Mozart and Tschaikowski on the menu! Then we enjoyed a little bit of nature as we walked right along the edge of a park. After studying the map on the sign where Jim is standing below, we thought about taking a shortcut thru that nature and saving some steps, but thought against it. As it turned out the path would have come out right by our ship. I suppose the steps did us good, even though we have been getting PLENTY of them lately!
Well, another glorious port-of-call is behind us. We set sail shortly for Passau and will arrive around 9am. Here are a couple of parting shots.
After our Panoramic Vienna tour this morning, we went back to the ship for some lunch and a short break. It wasn’t long before it was time to load up and head back into the action.
Every time we made our way into Vienna, we were greeted by the fabulous St. Francis of Assisi Church. Also known as the Emperor’s Jubilee Church and the Mexico Church, this Basilica-style Catholic church was built between 1898 and 1910. Every time I tried to get a decent photo, it was dark, the windows were dirty, we hit bumps, the sun was blasting in the bus window or people were in the way. This is one of the better ones, but if you want some fabulous ones of the exterior, the cityscape surrounding it and the interior, click on the link. There is also some history of the church on that website.
Schönbrunn Palace
“During the reign of Maria Theresa, as an imperial summer residence, Schönbrunn Palace became the glittering focus of court life. From this time on, it played host to the leading statesmen of Europe.” – READ MORE
As one of Austria’s most important cultural assets and one of Vienna’s major tourist attractions, millions of visitors flock to see this UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site each year. “Inclusion in this list confirms the importance of the palace and its gardens as a unique Baroque ensemble.”
The Habsburg dynasty had ownership of the palace since Maximilian II in 1569 till the end of the monarchy in 1918, when it was passed on to the Republic of Austria. In 1992 the Republic of Austria forwarded administration of the palace to a company whose mission was to preserve the entire complex, while staying self-sufficient with no need for state subsidies. They have done a fantastic job since “The palace is magnificent, the furniture befitting of a queen and in the best of taste.”
On one of the hottest days of our trip so far, we had quite a hike to get from our bus to the entrance of Schönbrunn Palace through the expansive courtyard. The brighter yellow exterior color was very pretty and quite a departure from the muted, lighter colors of Vienna. To find out more about how this palace went from a hunting lodge into a grand summer residence, click on the link. You’ll also read about the origins of the famous “Schönbrunn Yellow” paint and see some fantastic photos – both inside and out.
Since the entire courtyard was covered in gravel, I wasn’t as impressed as I’d have been if there was grass and an obscene amount of flowers, but since the front was probably where horse-drawn carriages dropped off and picked up the guests, the backyard was where the beauty was revealed.
The Park at Schönbrunn Palace has provided a beautiful setting for locals and international visitors alike since around 1779. For a fabulous link to view the most beautiful areas, click here.
And what garden would be complete without a few statues – thirty-two of them to be exact – all of equal height on stands, and representing mythological or historical figures. There were a couple of interesting statues that I can’t quite figure out. I’ll let you decide if things look strange to you! Then click on this link to see what’s really going on and you’ll find they aren’t as bizarre as first thought.
After another fantastic meal (and yes, more wine), we called it a night. By midnight, the Skadi was en route to Melk – giving us just enough sleep and just enough distance to reach the Wachau Valley around 8:30am. We spent the next morning on the bridge with our Program Director Stein. He shared points of interest as we sailed through one of the most scenic stretches of the Danube. We were in for terraced vineyards, forested slopes, charming towns and castle ruins – and a couple of monasteries.
Yes, the vineyards are abundant in this part of Austria. Not only are they beautiful, they produce some of the best grapes for some of the best wine in the world!
“The Wachau is a UNESCO world heritage site and a region of great natural beauty, situated in the Danube River valley between the towns of Melk and Krems. Grape varietiesGrüner Veltliner and Riesling predominate here on 1,344 hectares [over 3,300 acres], partly planted in terraces arrayed on steeply inclined hillsides terraces. Top vineyard sites here produce some of the best white wines in the world, with decades of aging potential.” – READ MORE
For this part of the tour, I’ll just shut up and show you a couple of my favorite photos and then a link to a slideshow showcasing the rest of the voyage between Vienna and Melk, Austria.
Now, click on this link for a slideshow that lasts about as long as one of my favorite songs from the past. Enjoy!
One of the things I love about doing this blog is reviewing the photos from our trips. Sometimes I can actually visualize our guide explaining a landmark’s significance, while others I rely on Jim’s recollection. Sometimes I take photos if a building has a story, but other times I just like its looks – its architecture or its beauty. When I go to work on a blog, I do some research into the nameless buildings, and sometimes I get lucky – while others remain a mystery and a captionless photo that I just liked enough to keep.
Another thing I’ve noticed recently is that while I’m doing the research to give you just a little information about an area, I’m getting sidetracked – following the story further – making it more time-consuming. Although history class in high school didn’t excite me much, digging deeper into the things we’re seeing on this cruise has hooked me. So that’ll be my excuse for these blogs taking so long – not the fact that we, along with probably everyone reading this – have a lot going on in our lives.
Called the “City of Music” because of its musical heritage, Vienna is also referred to as the “City of Dreams” because Sigmund Freud lived and worked there until 1938. Vienna is also known for its quality of life, ranking high (if not first), for many years in a “Quality of Living” survey of hundreds of cities around the world. It is a city with almost two million Austrians, with around fifteen million tourists per year and is one of the wealthiest regions in the European Union.
Panoramic Vienna
Today we met our guide for a half-day bus and walking tour that would take us along the remarkable Ringstrasse – a grand boulevard that circles historic Old Town in Vienna. Sometimes called “Ring Road” and dubbed the most beautiful boulevard in the world, this masterpiece of urban planning connected the Vienna suburbs to the center of imperial power. Lined with palaces, elegant public buildings and grand residences, today’s route was sure to please.
If you like the photo below of the Österreichische Postsparkasse taken while passing by in a bus, please take a minute and click the link to check out the closeup photos of the exterior, as well as some stunning photos inside. It was a postal savings bank and is now BAWAG P.S.K., the 4th largest bank in Austria. I wish we would have had more time to see it in person, or at least been able to get up close to see the designs on the exterior.
If you peek between the buildings in the second photo below, you’ll see Palais Coburg Residenz, a Neoclassical palace built in 1845. Its last private owner was the widow of a prince, who lived there with her family until the 1970s. Today it’s a luxury five star boutique hotel with 33 suites ranging from $800-$3,000 a night. The hotel was the venue for the Iran nuclear deal in 2015.
The third photo is Schwarzenberg Square – named after one of the most significant noble families in this area. You may remember that name from my Kutna Hora post a while back, where their coat of arms was created out of human bones. May sound a little creepy, but it’s worth a look. The statue in the square is Austrian Field Marshal Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwarzenberg.
We got a pretty good side view of the Vienna State Opera Building, but you can find photos from the front and a panoramic tour at the link. The quote below is also from that link.
“Wiener Staatsoper is one of the leading opera houses in the world… Every night, you can witness world-class artists alongside the permanent ensemble members on the stage and at the conductor’s desk, accompanied by a unique orchestra: the orchestra of Wiener Staatsoper, whose members at the same time make up the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.
In 2013, director Dominique Meyer launched Wiener Staatsoper live at home, a project for digital outreach: It allows opera and ballet lovers all over the world to follow the performances of the Wiener Staatsoper on their digital devices.”
The absolutely gorgeous photo below at night is by Markus Leupold-Löwenthal and shows the rear of the opera house and the stage wings.
And here we are at last – at the walking part of our tour, where photos are sure to improve. We start out at Maria-Theresien-Platz, a large public square where a large statue of Maria-Theresa is flanked by two nearly identical buildings – the Natural History Museum (Naturhistorisches Museum) and the Art History Museum (Kunsthistorisches Museum).
The Holy Roman Empress Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina was determined to carry on the Hapsburg lineage during a time when only men could inherit the family riches, countries and possessions. Her father (Emperor Charles VI) created the Pragmatic Sanction in 1713 to ensure that the Habsburg possessions could be inherited by a daughter, but upon his death in 1740, several countries took exception to that rule and promptly invaded. Over the course of the War of the Austrian Succession, despite the loss of a few minor territories, Maria Theresa successfully defended her rule over most of the Habsburg empire and continued her 40-year reign.
“Maria Theresa was a key figure in the power politics of eighteenth-century Europe who brought unity to the Habsburg Monarchy and was considered one of its most capable rulers. Not only did she successfully fulfill her public duties but she also at the same time bore and brought up 16 children including Marie Antoinette and Leopold II. By doing so she became a role model for many women.” – READ MORE
Such beautiful detail on these buildings, and almost mirror images of each other, with the exception of the statues on the facade.
We come to the Outer Castle Gate (Äußeres Burgtor) also called Heroes’ Gate (Heldentor) – the main entrance to Heldenplatz Square. Built in 1824, it was rebuilt as a war memorial in 1934. It has five massive wooden doors and inside is a Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Heroes’ Gate from inside the square looks almost nothing like the outside, with the exception of the black circles along the top. The inscriptions are different as well, with the outside translating to “Francis I, Emperor of Austria, 1824” and the inside translating to “Justice is the foundation of the rule” which was the motto of Emperor Franz I of Austria.
As we pass through the gate, the Neue Burg comes into view. The photo below shows the first of two horseman statues in the square. This statue of Archduke Charles of Austria was inaugurated in 1860 and was meant to glorify the Habsburg dynasty as great Austrian military leaders. Inside the square, there are monuments dedicated to the victims of the two World Wars and those who died in the fight for freedom in Austria.
Construction on the Neue Burg (New Castle) began in the late 19th century and finished in 1913. In the original plan, it was to be twice the size, with the addition of another building facing this one to add symmetry to the square. Time and money ran out and it was never completed. I say hooray to that, since the views of Vienna are amazing from the open area where the other building would have been – as you’ll see in a photo below.
Heldenplatz Square is quite an expansive and remarkable square, with many important events taking place here, most notably Adolf Hitler’s ceremonial announcement of the Austrian annexation to Nazi Germany on March 15, 1938.
The World Museum Vienna (The Weltmuseum Wien) is shown in the photo below (left). “Many exhibits originate from the numerous travels of the Habsburg archdukes. The Weltmuseum Wien deals with the cultural diversity of humanity and documents Austria’s rich historic relations with the world with its global collection.”
We continue our walk to the courtyard known as Franzensplatz (below), where we see a monument to Franz Joseph I, who ruled Austria from 1848-1916. Surrounding the courtyard is Amalienborg Castle, which shows off its fabulous sundial, clock and bell tower.
A beautiful red Swiss Gate (Schweizertor) leads to the Swiss Court (Schweizerhof) – the oldest part of the Hofburg – and the entrance to the Imperial Treasury (Kaiserliche Schatzkammer). The Treasury houses crowns and jewels – including the insignia and jewels of the Holy Roman Empire. Unfortunately, that was not part of our tour.
And we’re off to Joseph Square (Josefsplatz), which of course includes a statue of Emperor Joseph II.
“Joseph II was Holy Roman Emperor from August 1765 and sole ruler of the Habsburg lands from November 1780 until his death. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Emperor Francis I, and the brother of Marie Antoinette.” – READ MORE
It seems as though the statue of Joseph II serves another purpose by providing a place to sit in the shade for weary tourists!
As you’ve probably gathered by now, the Hofburg is the former principal imperial palace of the Habsburg dynasty rulers. The Imperial Chancellery Wing (the second photo below) serves as the official residence and workplace of the President of Austria.
Somewhere between Josefsplatz and our next stop is the Spanish Riding School for Lipizzanhorses. The school allows public viewing of some training sessions and offers performances to showcase its four centuries of tradition. The leading horses and riders of the school tour and perform all over the world. Since we didn’t see anything other than a courtyard in the center of the school, I got no photos. A performance of the Lipizzan horses is an excursion that was available through Viking, be we didn’t sign up for that one.
St. Michael’s Square (Michaelerplatz) is one of Vienna’s most beautiful tourist destinations.
One of the most impressive wings of the Imperial Palace is the Michaelertor – the entrance gate to the Hofburg. Originally designed in the 1720s, the original Baroque design was finally completed in 1893. The entrances are decorated with immense statues of Hercules and at either end are large wall fountains and more sculptures. It is just fabulous!
Directly across from Michaelerplatz is Looshaus, now the Raiffeisenbank (pictured below). When Looshaus was being built in the early 1900s, its modern design caused quite a stir. Boring by Vienna’s prominently-Baroque standards – with straight lines and little or no decoration – construction was shut down temporarily until Adolf Loos agreed to decorate the facade with balcony flower boxes.
“Emperor Franz-Joseph I despised the modern façade opposite his palace and it is said that the curtains in the wing opposite the Looshaus were always closed so he wouldn’t have to look at it. Today the building is considered an example of groundbreaking modern architecture.” – from aviewoncities.com
The Palace Building on Kohlmarkt 16 (below) is one of the most beautiful buildings in Vienna (in my opinion). Pure white, with subtle gold bling, this building was built in 1892, replacing 3 other houses. Several retail businesses reside on ground level, with the Manzsche University Bookstore opening in 1912. Just so I don’t get scolded for not showing any decoration, I added a flower photo below.
From the center of the street, we can look back at St. Michael’s Square and the Hofburg (below left). After a nice stroll through a very exclusive shopping area, we are able to see St. Peter’s Church (below center). Although they are not the beautiful bookends they appear to be, there is only one street between them.
The statue in the third photo, is called the Plague Column, which was created after the Great Plague epidemic in 1679. This memorial is one of the most well-known and prominent sculptures in Vienna.
Other cities on this cruise so far had brightly colored buildings with many different styles of architecture, sometimes in the same block. The churches were covered in gilding, flanked by gargoyles, cherubs and statues. Quite frankly some were over the top. Although there were some exceptions, Vienna’s buildings seemed more subdued, more consistent in style, similarly painted in grays, whites and tans. And just because the buildings didn’t scream LOOK AT ME, we most certainly did.
St. Stephan’s Cathedral (Stephansdom) is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vienna and the seat of the Archbishop of Vienna. Supporting 13 bells, the tallest tower is almost 450 feet and can be accessed by 343 steps for amazing views of Vienna. Click on the link for a gorgeous website. Although we’re not able to view it in English, the photos are magnificent and are well worth a look.
“On the roof of St. Stephen’s Cathedral, colorful roof tiles were laid to create the Royal and Imperial double-headed eagle and the coat of arms of the city of Vienna.” Since by the angles of my photos, we didn’t enter on that side, please visit the website to see that second roof. It’s really something!
“St. Stephen’s Cathedral is the symbol of Vienna. Construction commenced in the 12th century. Today, it is one of the most important Gothic structures in Austria.”
We left the church in awe and overwhelmed by this fabulous day. I think I’ll stop here and leave our last excursion in Vienna till next time.