The enlightened Joseph II

IMG_6072, originally uploaded by bratislavadavis.

21-08-07

The German Word of the day Dieser Wein ist suess. Mmmmm!

The death of the enlightened reformer Joseph II in 1790 would leave Austria in shambled turmoil for the next generation. Leopold II - the brother of Joseph passed away unexpectedly in 1792 leaving the throne to Franz the brother of Marie Antoinette of France who was beheaded during the French revolution. The new ruler had two titles- he was known as Franz II- the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire and Franz I- Emperor of Austria.

Lehne and Johnson speculated in their book, Vienna: The Past in the Present, that Franz had inhibitions about a revolt occurring in Austria especially after the tragic fate of his sister. This led to an anxiety-filled reign with no ambitious plans. He aimed to stop the construction of factories in Vienna by ruling that they must be built outside the city-limits while supporting small businesses such as agriculture that didn’t threaten change. Franz despised intellectualism viewing it as dangerous and accepted mediocrity that did not threaten change.
Not surprisingly, Franz was despised by intellectuals, but the blue-collar constituents of Vienna viewed him as their protector calling him, “the good Kaiser Franz”

But it was the mêlées with Napoleon over a period of 20 years that defined the Franz reign with the French invading Vienna twice in 1805 and 1809 with much of the city barraged. A stunning defeat at Waterloo led to the fall of Napoleon and the liberation of Austria. Although much of Europe would be restored after the Congress of Vienna- the enlightenment movement would forever change the political and cultural face of the continent. Intellectualism became more prominent as people rendezvoused in coffee shops and cafes in Vienna and salons questioning the state of politics especially absolute power and monarchy. The arts began to take an increasing intellectual approach and play a more prominent role in society.

Biedermeier refers to the culture of the intellectuals in society from about 1815-1848. One of the most prominent means for an intellectual to show off during the Biedermeier era was through the lavish furniture as seen in the MAK museum which I visited today. The jewel of the Biedermeirer collection at the MAK is a red sofa with rather-simple curvy wooden frames to support it, but the wood was extremely high-quality. Also, homes often had Lobmeyer glass - a fine art glass.

The MAK museum was the first museum in Vienna that I did not enjoy at all. There were museums like the Mozart Haus that were disappointing, but I got something out of it. I felt like I had to have a background on furniture to appreciate the art of Biedermeier furniture.

I took the metro to the Schonbrunn palace and gardens which I really enjoyed. At the top of the hill, there is a beautiful view of the city, but also two architectural masterpieces worth nothing. The Neptune fountain carved in 1780 by Franz Anton Zauner who also developed the Josephplatz in the heart of Vienna. The white Gloriette is a neo-classical structure designed by Ferdinand von Hobenberg in 1775 designed primarily as an observation point to the lovely gardens on the peak of the knoll, but it was also a popular place to dine. The Gloriette was damaged during World War II and was rebuilt.

The palace was designed by Johnann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach at the request of Leopold I initially in 1695, but it wasn’t completed until the middle of the 18th century. I took a tour of the imperial rooms of the palace where Franz Joseph and his wife Elisabeth resided. Dazzling chandeliers spiral from the ceiling seemingly like a glorified octopus while there are portraits scattered throughout the 40 rooms including one of Marie Antoinette. The most historic room of the palace is the Great Gallery where receptions were held. President Kennedy and the Soviet leader Khrushchev met here in 1961.