Historical city, Wien inherited evidences of past epochs: the stillness of Medieval times; the grandeur of the glorious years of realm, when it was the capital of an Empire so big that it spread over half Europe; along with the results of a socialist government that took power in the 1920s; the scars of the "Anschluss" experienced during WWII, and the decennial of occupation by the allies, which lasted until 1955.

Birthplace or patron of several personages who left an indelible mark, such as the Empress Maria Theresa, Freud and - in the fields of the nine Muses - Klimt, Gluck, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Lanner, Brahams, Mahler and the Strausses father and son, Wien keep reverberating their personalities, tastes and creations.

Battlefield during the Cold War era, when Krushev and JFK sat at the table to discuss about nuclear disarmament, about the conflict in Indochina and about the fate of Berlin, Wien still holds that hours as living memories, emblematized in wintry afernoons, when walking along barren avenues brings back to mind Kennedy's statement "Then, Mr. Chairman, there will be a war. It will be a cold, long winter"...

Blended into the city, these several epochs and distinctive traits, can be seen everywhere. To name but a few, all around the Stephansdom, echoes of Medieval architecture give shape to the several Gasses (alleys), along with churches such as the Ruprechtikirche, the most ancient church in Wien, which was erected in the XI century, or the Peterskirche, built on a church which dates back to the XII century, and which inspiration was taken from the Roman Basilica of St. Peter.

click here to view Stephansdom from Sankt Stephansplatz

The district of the Hofburg (the Imperial Palace) is where you will be overwhelmed by the remnants of the years when the nobility used to live on the notes of the "An der schönen, blauen Donau", attending balls, while the monarchy slowly extinguished, with the last outstanding Imperial couple, formed by Francis Joseph and Elizabeth (usually known as Sissi). The same feelings will be perceived by visiting Schönbrunn, the Belvedere palaces and gardens, and the Opernring, a luxury shop zone, surrounded by many theaters, which not only brings back memories of the XVIII and XIX centuries, but reminds of the importance of Wien as capital of theatrical arts and of the music too.

click here to view Schönbrunn Palace

click here to view Upper Belvedere

click here to view Burgtheather

Green spaces have always played an important role in Vienna, either for recreational or for aesthetic purposes. The Prater, in the past Imperial Hunting Lodge, isn't only a green lung of the city, but the host to its panoramic wheel, which is famous worldwide.

click here to view Prater - The Giant Ferris Wheel

Modern architecture - as the Sunken City's or the Hundertwasser's - mixes with the gothic of the New Town Hall, or the baroque of the Karlskirche under an extremely romantic mood, made of the deeply rooted Klimt's art nouveau style and the schmalzy sonatas of Schubert.

click here to view the Hundertwasser House

click here to view St. Charles's Church

click here to view the New Town Hall

At a first glance provincial, Vienna is - on the contrary - an international city, one of the fews where the United Nations have HQs.

click here to view the Uno City

One city. Many facets. Hundreds of flavours...You will not find figures such as the Mad Hatter, March Hare, and the Dormouse to attend to a Mad Tea Party, but the right addresses where you can enjoy a tea (or a coffee), along with some excellent desserts are a lot. But take it as a rule of thumb: they make you grow larger...........

click here to view the Café Central

Photography by Giuseppe Pennisi and Gabriele Ruggeri for Arounder Vienna.
Technical Details: Canon EOS Ds Mark2, 15 mm, 360Precision Head and Manfrotto tripod.
Postpro in Photoshop CS, and REALVIZ Stitcher.

For more Vienna panoramas visit Arounder Vienna.

Links:
The Arounder project
Arounder Vienna