Vienna. The most important public buildings on Ringstrasse

The most beautiful boulevard in the world is home not only to many of Vienna's best-known sights, such as the Imperial Palace, the Kunsthistorisches Museum and the Natural History Museum, the Vienna State Opera and Parliament. Magnificent palaces, extensive parks and important monuments also line the "display window" of the former Danube monarchy.

   

Ringstrasse is lined by Austria’s most important buildings: an overview

Vienna State Opera

Constructed in the neo-Renaissance style by August Sicard von Sicardsburg and Eduard van der Nüll between 1861 and 1869, the Vienna State Opera opened on 25 May 1869 with Mozart’s "Don Giovanni". After the destruction of the Second World War, the house reopened in 1955 with Beethoven’s "Fidelio".

Imperial Palace/Neue Burg

Nowadays the Neue Burg also houses parts of the National Library and the Weltmuseum Wien. The building standing here today was completed in 1913. Heldenplatz lies directly in front of it.

Kunsthistorisches Museum

The Kunsthistorisches Museum is one of the most famous museums in the world. Built by Gottfried Semper and Carl von Hasenauer, the museum was opened in 1891. It holds the art treasures of the Habsburgs, including the world’s largest Brueghel collection and one of the most valuable chambers of art, the  Chamber of Art and Wonders.

Museum of Natural History

Opened in 1889, the building is virtually identical to the Kunsthistorisches Museum, and contains one of the largest natural science collections in the world. The Stone Age "Venus of Willendorf" is one of the museum’s prize pieces.

Parliament

With its famous Pallas Athene fountain, Parliament was erected in the Greek style by Theophil von Hansen from 1874 to 1883. It is considered to be one of the most attractive and important Ringstrasse buildings. Guided tours are available.

City Hall

The seat of Vienna’s mayor was erected in the Neo-Gothic style by Friedrich Schmidt from 1872 to 1883. The events held on the square in front of the City Hall throughout the year attract thousands of visitors. Regular guided tours.

National Theater

Gottfried Semper and Karl von Hasenauer erected this leading theater from 1874 to 1888. Gustav Klimt created the ceiling paintings above the staircase together with Franz Matsch and Ernst Klimt. On the stage of the National Theater: the best actors of the German-speaking world.

University

This imposing building was constructed in the Italian High Renaissance style by Heinrich von Ferstel between 1877 and 1884. Regular guided tours.

Votive Church

Out of gratitude for an unsuccessful attempt on the life of Emperor Franz Joseph, construction of what is today Vienna second-highest church was begun in 1856. The neo-Gothic church was consecrated in 1879 on the occasion of the imperial couple’s silver wedding.

Stock Exchange

Theophil Hansen was commissioned to draw up the plans, and the building was opened in 1877. Today the Stock Exchange houses event  venues. In the basement: one of Vienna’s finest flower shops and a restaurant.

Rossauer Barracks

The barracks were erected by Karl Pihal and Karl Markl. Completed in 1869, today the barracks house the Austrian Ministry of Defence.

Ring Tower

The Ring Tower on Schottenring stands out not only due to its size (93 m), but also due to its modern appearance. The skyscraper was  completed in 1955, and is today the headquarters of an insurance company.

Urania

The building on the Danube Canal was planned by Max Fabiani and completed in 1910 as an adult education center. The leading intellectuals of the time (including Albert Einstein and Thomas Mann) held lectures and courses here. Austria’s first public observatory was installed in the building, and can still be visited today.

Post Office Savings Bank

Erected by Otto Wagner, the Post Office Savings Bank is one of the most important buildings of Vienna Modernism. The banking hall is an Art  Nouveau jewel, and the museum there shows Wagner as a brilliant architect.

Austrian Museum of Applied Arts/Contemporary Art

The museum on Stubenring was opened in 1871 after three years of construction. Heinrich von Ferstel designed this first museum building on Ringstrasse in the Renaissance style.

There are also many important buildings in the "second row" of Ringstrasse: Secession, Palace of Justice, Musikverein, Künstlerhaus and many town palaces.

  

  

Vienna. Ringstrasse boulevard monuments

Numerous monuments along the Ringstrasse boulevard honor historical personalities.

Warlords, rulers, emperors, composers and leading poets line the Ringstrasse. For the great men and women of Austrian and European history, a spot on the most beautiful boulevard in the world was only just good enough. The largest memorial is for Maria Theresia between the Kunsthistorisches Museum and the Museum of Natural History. It was unveiled personally by Emperor Franz Joseph in 1888.

The most often photographed memorial is probably the Johann Strauss Monument in the Stadtpark. The two imposing knight’s statues on Heldenplatz are those of Archduke Carl and Prince Eugene of Savoy. Friedrich Schiller and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe are located between the Opera and the Burggarten.

Empress Sisi was immortalized in the Volksgarten, while her husband, Emperor Franz Joseph, was carved in stone in the Burggarten. There is also a statue of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart there. A memorial for General Johann Joseph Wenzel Graf Radetzky was built in front of the former Ministry of War on the Stubenring.

Near the Parliament, there is the Monument of the Republic, which was proclaimed on the Ringstrasse in front of the Parliament in 1918. And Prince Karl Philipp von Schwarzenberg is immortalized on Schwarzenbergplatz. The Heroes’ Monument to the Red Army, also located on Schwarzenbergplatz, commemorates the approximately 17,000 soldiers who fell in the battle of Vienna in 1945.