| The ambitious program of architectural | | | | Empress Maria Theresa is surrounded by famous |
| improvements to Viennaintroduced by Emperor | | | | exponentsof the politics, arts and sciences of her |
| Franz Joseph I, including the Ringstraße,the | | | | era. Most of thepointed-arch windows with stained |
| Rathauspark (City Hall Park), and the Opera. | | | | lead glazing facing thegallery were reconstructed |
| Friedrich von | | | | after the Second World War onthe basis of the |
| Schmidt, who had been one of the architects | | | | original plans. The back wall of the centralvisitors' |
| working on Cologne | | | | gallery depicts the tasks of Vienna's |
| Cathedral, designed and built the Vienna City Hall | | | | municipaladministration in symbolic form. |
| between 1872and 1883. It is the most significant | | | | Another attractive feature is the Senate |
| secular building in the neo- | | | | Chamber which servesas the meeting-room of |
| Gothic style in the city. | | | | the City Senate. This is one of themost |
| As Vienna is Austria's federal capital as well as a | | | | impressive rooms of the City Hall. A special sight |
| federalprovince in its own right, it is the seat of | | | | is thebeautiful majolica fireplace - a present by the |
| the mayor andgovernor of Vienna - two posts | | | | Guild of Stoveand Fireplace Makers dating from |
| held by the same person. | | | | 1885 - on the wall facingthe entrance to the hall. |
| The Provincial Assembly is composed of 100 | | | | The walls are covered with green silkdamask. The |
| membersand elected for a term of five years. | | | | ceiling featuring inlay work and gilt elements |
| The huge chandelier in the historicist style is the | | | | isintricately and richly decorated. |
| moststriking feature of the 14-metre-high Council | | | | The Arkadenhof is one of the biggest inner |
| Chamberwhere the members of the Assembly | | | | courtyards in |
| convene. It has adiameter of five meters and 213 | | | | Europe having a surface of 2,804 square meters, |
| lights. It was cast in onepiece, weighs 3,200 kg | | | | and canbe compared to the courtyard of the |
| and can be entered by maintenancepersonnel to | | | | Doge's Palace in |
| change the lamps. The coffered ceiling of | | | | Venice. A choir-type oriel along its western wall is |
| high-grade larch and spruce wood is decorated | | | | areminder of the original project to build a chapel |
| with 22-carat gold-leaf rosettes. Directly below the | | | | in the City |
| ceiling, a series of frescoesdepicts events from | | | | Hall. Lined by five-meter-wide, pointed-arch |
| the history of Austria and Vienna. Thesection | | | | arcades, thecourtyard offers a fascinating setting |
| situated on the right hand of the central | | | | for a wide variety ofevents. A folding roof |
| visitors'gallery shows scenes from the 13th to | | | | designed by the architect Silja Tillneris a new |
| 16th centuries;one can see Duke Rudolf IV laying | | | | addition to protect visitors against wind and rain. |
| the foundation-stonefor the southern spire of St. | | | | It also houses the Municipal and State Libraries |
| Stephen's Cathedral and theinstitution of Vienna | | | | and Archiveswhich hold many key documents of |
| University, the world's oldest universitywhere | | | | Vienna's history and alarge collection of local |
| students are taught in the German language. | | | | memorabilia. |
| The left-hand side takes one into the 17th to 19th | | | | Article written by Anil Gupta. |
| centuries. | | | | |