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