This post features: Vienna, Graz, Krems an der Donau, Sankt Pölten, Linz, Steyr, Kremsmünster, St Florian, Salzburg, Innsbruck and Feldkirch
This trip was across 12 days at the end of June and beginning of July 2022 and based on an itinerary put together for May 2020. That plan incorporated Moldova as Chisinau is a short flight from Vienna. For this trip, however, I was under the impression that Moldovan airspace was still closed and so didn’t include it.
But that turned out not to be the case, so, Moldova for October then? A 10th anniversary tour…
I mostly travelled around by train. The ÖBB app (Austrian state railway) is very good for route planning and buying tickets. It also gives live updates. In Vienna, I used the metro. Elsewhere, I used buses and trams.
Austria has a population of nearly 9 million, of which 1.9 million live in Vienna – more than in the next 9 biggest cities combined (as at January, 2022 see: http://www.migration.gv.at)
Vienna airport is a great hub for connecting with cities in the Balkans and Central Europe. Quite why it hadn’t occurred to me that makes Vienna an equally good rail hub is one of life’s mysteries – resolved during this trip, however.
I used to visit Innsbruck between 1994-9 and Vienna from 2000-07 on business but, as usual, didn’t ever get to see much. This trip was about rectifying that and learning more about the country.
One thing you’ll notice is the number of churches featured in this post. A reminder of the power, influence and wealth that the church once had. What amazed me was how astonishingly ornate & decorative some of them are.
Places featured in this post are: Vienna, Graz, Krems an der Donau, St Pölten, Linz, Steyr, Kremsmünster, St Florian, Salzburg and Innsbruck. The visit to Passau is featured in Germany 3 and Bratislava has its own post…
As with my other posts, this is just an edited highlights: there is more to see in the places I visited and much more throughout Austria, clearly…
Vienna
Vienna’s history dates back to the first post-Christian century, when the Romans established the military camp Vindobona. The city has many fine Baroque buildings, mostly created under the rules of Empress Maria Theresia (1740 – 1780) and Franz Joseph (1848 – 1916). There is so much to see in Vienna, including palaces and museums, that this post only gives a glimpse of what the city has to offer.
St Stephen’s Cathedral dates from the mid 12th century and was enlarged in the mid 13th century. Rebuilding in a Gothic style began in 1359.The cathedral underwent a 20-year programme of restoration beginning in 1985The south tower is 136m highSt Peter’s Church claims to be Vienna’s oldest church as it is on the site of a late 4th century church. By the late 17th century the church was in such a bad state it was demolished. Rebuilding began and the current baroque church was consecrated in 1733Construction of the first St Michael’s Church began around 1220 in a Romanesque style. Gothic annexes were added in 1340 and in 1450. In 1626 the church was entrusted to the Barnabite Order, founded in the St Barnabas monastery in Milan. The church underwent further changes throughout the 18th century with work finishing in 1792. In 1923 the Barnabites handed the church over to the Salvatorians – a Catholic teaching order founded in Rome in 1881.The Minoritenkirche dates back to the 13th century. Since 1786 the Italian community in Vienna has been associated with the church and some services are conducted in ItalianConstruction of the Votive Church began in 1856 and it was consecrated in 1879. A votive church is one that is built as a sign of thanks or gratitude – in this case as a symbol of gratitude for an unsuccessful assassination attempt on Emperor Franz JosephAlthough seemingly in a constant state of repair, it is glorious…The Karlskirche – built by Emperor Charles VI in the early 18th-century and named after Saint Charles Borromeo.
Other Sights:
View of the city from my hotel room with the spire of St Andrew’s in the middleThe Vienna State OperaThe Vienna State Opera from a different angleDer Graben – the main shopping streetHofburg: the former Imperial PalaceHofburg: the former Imperial Palace is not a standalone palace like Versailles. It is a series of opulent, interconnected buildings that made up the Habsburg monarch’s former residence in town.The Hofburg area covers a collection of formerly imperial buildings and open spaces that now serve a variety of purposes such as the President’s office, the National Library and museumsThe Neue Burg wing of the Hofburg Palace, 1723-6, houses the Austrian National Library, the Ephesos Museum and Weltmuseum Statue of Josef II in JosefsplatzThe Rathaus undergoing restoration. Designed by Friedrich Schmidt, it was erected between 1872 and 1883.The Parliament Building is enormous and undergoing restorationThe architect was Theophil Hansen, who designed the Parliament Building in a Greek style. Construction began in 1874 and opened in 1883The Liebenberg Monument commemorates Johann Andreas von Liebenberg, who was mayor of Vienna. He is remembered for steering Vienna through the Great Bubonic Plague of 1679 and for his work during the siege of Vienna by the Ottoman army (July – September 1683)The Burgtheater opened in 1888The Volkstheater – opened in 1889 as the “bourgeois counterpart” to the Burgtheater. It one of the largest theatres in the German-speaking world. The Natural History Museum Natural History Museum opened in 1889Kunsthistorisches Museum – history of fine arts museum – construction began in 1871 and opened in 1891
Belvedere Palace:
Belvedere Palace: the Austrian general Prince Eugene of Savoy commissioned the renowned Baroque architect Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt to build a summer residence. Construction began in 1712 and was completed in 1732. On the death of Prince Eugene, Empress Maria Theresa acquired the entire complex and transformed the Upper Belvedere into an exhibition venue for the imperial collections – making it one of the first public museums in the world.
View From My Hotel Room:
Graz
Graz is Austria’s second largest city, situated on the River Mur and capital of the province of Styria. It was the Cultural Capital of Europe 2003 and the Altstadt is a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site
Emerging from Graz Hauptbahnhoff is a bit disconcerting. It’s clear that you’re not near the city centre and there are no signs directing you to it. Depending on which way you go it’s about 2km and actually quite straightforward. Better to get a tram. So head over to the right and down the steps leading down to the tram stop. The trams are frequent and tickets easy to buy. But check the direction of travel as one line takes you into the city centre & beyond while the other line takes you away from the city centre. Still, I got there eventually…The HauptplatzThere has been a Rathaus on the site since the 1550’s but this was replaced in 1803. Graz grew to such an extent that a larger town hall was required and this one opened in 1893. Intriguingly, there was a competition in 1886 to select the best design for the new town hall. It was won by 2 Viennese architects and the design submitted by Graz-native Georg Hauberrisser was rejected. However, Georg, who was only 25, went on to design the town hall in Munich…The Stadtpfarrkirche Church of the Holy Blood – originally a Dominican abbey it became the parish church in 1585The church was badly damaged during WW2 and the original stained glass windows destroyed. The tower, which dates from around 1780, survived the bomb blastThe Landhaus, built between 1527 and 1531, is still the seat of the Styrian state parliament .The Hauptplatz
Krems an der Donau:
Krems an der Donau about an hour from Vienna by train…
Several bands had gathered for the Bezirksfest – there were stalls selling local produce as well as local winesThe museum is excellent and, because it was a festival day, free…
Churches:
The Pfarekirche St Veit – a large baroque church, very ornate insideThe Piaristenkirche up the hill on the left and the Pfarekirche St Veit on the rightInside the Piaristenkirche – a service had just finished and the air was heavy with incenseInside the Piaristenkirche – a service had just finished and the air was heavy with incenseLooking down on Krems from the Piaristenkirche…
Sankt Pölten
St Pölten is the capital of Lower Austria and the oldest documented town in Austria. The city charter, which was granted in 1159, also makes it one of the oldest in Europe. The historic centre mainly goes back to the city’s golden era in the 17th and 18th century, with its Baroque splendour. The city centre is undergoing significant renovation…
The Dom and the area around it are undergoing restorationThe Sparkasse (savings bank) is very nice – there’s a lot of restoration going on in the city centreThe LÖWEN-APOTHEKE has been going since 1545The former Carmelite Church, with Rococo façade, was closed unfortunately…
The Rathaus and Rathausplatz:
The Rathaus dates from 1727The colourful Rathausplatz
Linz
Linz is the 3rd largest city in Austria and capital of the Upper Austria province. I based myself here for 4 nights. I enjoyed staying here and it became my favourite Austrian city. It’s a great city to explore and, with good rail and bus connections, a good base from which to see more of the region.
I spent a day in Passau, which is only about 1 hour and 30 minutes from Linz, by train. The pictures from Passau have been added to the post Germany 3. I had also planned to go to České Budējovice, which is a shade under 2 hours away, but more on that later…
The Mariendom, or Neuer Dom, dates from the mid 19th century. It has an amazing array of stained glass windows…The former Kirche der Barmherzigen Bruder, a Carmelite monastery and now a hospital and pharmacyThe Alter Dom dates from the late 17th centuryLooking towards the Ursulinenkirche of St MichaelA baroque former Ursuline conventThe Alter Dom in the background, the Ursulinenkirche in the middle and the Karmelitenkirche in the foregroundThe Karmelitenkirche – a former Carmelite monastery dating from 1726The Minoritenkirche’s tower stands out with the twin towers of the Ursulinenkirche in the middle of the pictureNot the entrance to the MinoritenkircheNor is this the entrance to the MinoritenkircheThe Minoritenkirche (church of the minor friars/Franciscans) dates from 1236 but has been redesigned in a rococo style. It took a while to find even though you can see the tower easily enough. The entrance to the church is where the 2 people are…The interior is exquisiteYou might just be able to see the artist, on the scaffolding, working on the restorationThe Stadtpfarrkirche dates from 1656This little chapel is attached to the seminary. It was commissioned by the Teutonic Order, completed in 1725 and renovated in 2015The former St Matthew’s KapuzinerkircheThe Martin Luther churchSt Martin’s is the oldest church in Linz, first mentioned in 799I hadn’t factored in the reflection from the locked glass door
Other Sights:
The Hauptplatz (The Main Square) forms the centre of Linz, and is one of the largest enclosed squares in Austria. The square, lined with bars and restaurants, leads down to the DanubeThe 20-metre high marble column, completed in 1723, is dedicated to the Holy Trinity. It was built in gratitude for having survived disasters and as protection against fire, war and plague…The Sparkasse (savings bank)In the AltstadtIn the AltstadtThis colourful bar is adjacent to the abandoned St Matthew’s churchAdalbert Stifter – a writer, poet and painter – seems quite happy here
The Danube (Donau):
The Danube (Donau in German). The towers of the Neuer Dom and the Minoritenkirche stand proud. On the right is the Castle of Linz (Linzer Schloss), now a museum and exhibition centreThe tower of the StadtpfarrkircheThe Pöstlingberg pilgrimage basilica, built in 1748, stands on a 537m high hill. It can be reached by a narrow gauge, adhesion railway – one of the steepest in the world. An adhesion railway runs on electricity alone – not cables & pulleys…
Steyr
Steyr – at the confluence of the Steyr and Enns rivers – is a gem. It is the 10th largest city in Austria and takes about 50 minutes by train from Linz, depending on which train you get. My journey was more protracted as we sat in St Valentin for 35 minutes and then stopped at Enrsthofen, where we were transferred to a bus. The fierce overnight thunderstorms had caused problems, luckily though, the return journey was ok…
Churches:
Looking over the River Enns towards St Michael’sSt Michael’s – built between 1635 and 1677 by the Jesuits with further construction from 1766 to 1770Looking over the River Enns towards the Marienkirche with the spire of the Stadtpfarrkirche peeking over it…Marienkirche – originally a Dominican Friary that was burnt down in 1522. Rebuilding began in 1559 and the baroque features added in the 1640’sThe Stadtpfarrkirche was designed by Hans Puschsbaum – who also designed St Stephen’s in ViennaNot especially decorative inside but does have some nice stained glass windows
The Stadtplatz:
The StadtplatzFranz Schubert’s house is the green one on the left (between the yellow and pink buildings)
Street Scenes:
The museum is very goodA replica medieval workshopThe swollen River Steyr
Kremsmünster
Plan A was to go to České Budējovice today, which is a shade under 2 hours from Linz, by train. But after 2 days of violent thunderstorms the Czech railway system was in disarray. So, I resorted to Plan B, which was to visit a couple of small towns with abbeys. And Kremsmünster has an enormous Benedictine abbey…
There has been a Benedictine abbey here since 777 but it was rebuilt in a baroque style in the 18th centuryVisiting the Stiftskirche is free but there are guided tours of the monastery available. The towers are undergoing renovationWalking back down into townThe Rathaus
St Florian
St Florian is a 30-minute bus ride from the Linz bus station, which is adjacent to the main railway station. It is famous for its Augustine abbey…
The Monastery of the Canons Regular of St. Augustine’s Order at St. Florian. The basilica was built between 1686-1708 with the west and south wings added between 1706-1750
Salzburg
Salzburg is the 4th biggest city in Austria and capital of the Salzburg province. It is famous for being the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756). The old town is dominated by churches, castles, and palaces and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I came here by train on a daytrip from Munich once but remember nothing of it…
The KollegienkircheThe KollegienkircheSt Peter’s AbbeyFranziskaner KircheThe Dreifältigkeiskirche (Church of the Holy Trinity)St Andrew’sKirche St SebastianKirche St Sebastian
The River Salzach:
The River SalzachThe River SalzachThe River SalzachThe Hohensalzburg Fortress
Other Sights:
Looking down over SalzburgLooking down over SalzburgThe Alter MarktThe Hohensalzburg FortressThe old Rathaus
Innsbruck
Innsbruck is the 5th largest city in Austria and capital of the Tirol province.
The Servitenkirche of St Joseph – a former Servite monastery – was founded in the early 1600’s. The Servite order was founded in 1233 in ItalyThe Servitenkirche of St Joseph – a former Servite monastery – was founded in the early 1600’s. The Servite order was founded in 1233 in ItalySpitalskirche – (Church of the Holy Spirit) dates from around 1700The Jesuitenkirche was an integral part of Innsbruck University and dates from the 17th centuryThe Hofkirche – commissioned in 1553 doesn’t look very special from the outside but – goodness me – the interior is amazing. The adjacent museum is also well worth visiting and there is a bonus if you do…From the museum you can access a gallery allowing you to look down into the churchFrom the museum you can access a gallery allowing you to look down into the church
Other Sights:
The end of the road…
Feldkirch
I visited Feldkirch in 2019 while staying in Vaduz. It is the 11th largest city in Austria and largest in the province of Vorarlberg but not the capital (Bregenz is).
Feldkirch – just across the border from VaduzFeldkirch is a lovely town spoiled by this hideous shopping centreThe River Ill flows through Feldkirch and joins the Rhine a few km northwest of the townThe River Ill flows through Feldkirch and joins the Rhine a few km northwest of the town
Vienna Airport
Smoking area in Vienna’s airport terminal. An astonishing 29% of Austrians still smoke (UK 19% / Australia 16%) Source: http://www.worldpopulationreview.com/…/smoking-rates-by…Aha! swiftly followed by a WhatsApp message to Natalia (see the Moldova & Ukraine post)…Oops…
The Habsburgs
The “Habsburg empire” is the informal and unofficial term used by many people to refer to the central European monarchy that ruled over a collection of lands from the 13th century to 1918. Although the Habsburgs were relatively powerful monarchs, theirs wasn’t ever what could be considered an empire.
The Habsburgs trace their roots back to the 10th century and present-day Switzerland and came to prominence in the 1270s. Across the subsequent 650 years the Habsburg family accumulated more and more possessions and titles. The lands making up this “empire” (and the relationships between them) changed continuously thanks to weddings, wars, inheritances, family divisions, political agreements, and so on. Despite these changes, certain regions featured regularly throughout the period of Habsburg rule:
much of modern-day Austria and Slovenia, with adjoining bits of Bavaria and Italy
Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia: most of today’s Czechia and southwest Poland
Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, and northern parts of ex-Yugoslavia
The exact dimensions of the Hungarian part of these Habsburg lands often depended on the state of relations with the Ottoman empire further out to the east (the Ottomans laid siege to Vienna twice; in 1529 and again in 1683). In summary, the Habsburg “empire” incorporated much of what is considered central and eastern Europe.
For centuries, Vienna effectively stood at the centre of an ever-changing collection of lands ruled by the Habsburg family dynasty. It is a convoluted but fairly interesting story and for more information see: http://www.visitingvienna.com/culture/habsburg-monarchy-introduction/
