Ciao Vienna

02-08-07

The German Word of the day is anderen- Ich musse anderen Aufsatz schrieben which translates to "I must write another essay."

The class got an introduction to Vienna courtesy of the distinguished Viennese professor Dr. O. who ardently expressed her affection for the arts, culture, and history of Vienna while I gazed out the bus window to see what she was conveying.

The first stop was the Upper Belvedere - a magnificent palace that was constructed in two years by Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt as the summer home of Prince Eugene of Savoy- a brilliant military field tactician who played a major influence in defeating the Turks in 1683.

Hildebrandt along with his rival JB Fischer von Erlach were the two great Viennese Baroque architects. Hildebrandt - son of an Italian mother and a German father, was trained in Rome by the legendary Roman architect Carlo Fontana who designed the church Santa Maria in Trastevere. But it was in Vienna where Hildebrandt made his impact working for dignified families. He was known for utilizing French and Italian motifs in his designs and was a major influence in introducing Italian Baroque-style architecture into Austria. Some of Hildebrandt's other major works include the Schoenborn Palace, the Kinsky Palace, and the Maria Treu Kirche.

The Belvedere situated on a small sloping hill consists of two palaces- the grand Upper Belvedere and the Lower Belvedere which was completed in 1716. The Belvedere palaces are connected through a manicured three-level French-style garden by Dominique Girard.

The Belvedere will be a fun place to explore inside with its important art collection and I'm looking forward to it.

After ascending a mountain to get a view of Vienna and the mountains beyond, Dr. O showed the modern contemporary Vienna- people bathing on the Danbue, playing beach volleyball and finally the controversial apartments Hundertwasserhaus- a multi-colored apartment building that seems to belong in Willy Wonka with its colorful paints, uneven ceramic lines, and seemingly irregular windows. The apartment block was created in 1985 by Friedensreich Hundertwasser and realized by two architects, Joseph Krawina and Peter Pelikan. The intention was to reject contemporary architecture which Hundertwasser found soulless and build something out of the ordinary. It was obviously influenced by the Spanish architect Antonio Gaudi. I thought to myself that this building has surpassed Richard Meier's modern box for the Ara Pacis museum in Rome as the most disgraceful building I've seen on my trip.