This memorial stone marking Hitler’s birthplace honors his victims and serves as a warning to future generations not to repeat the mistakes that led to the death of millions.
Vienna’s “Rathaus,” or “Town Hall,” was the first of many stops on our sightseeing adventure.
Part of the monumental Hofburg complex, the royal residence for the Habsburgs in Vienna, this portion of the palace now serves as museum space. The massive square in front of the building is called the “Heldenplatz,” or “Hero’s Square.”
Here is yet another facade of the expansive Hofburg palace. Each is more intricate than the next!
The Hundertwasserhaus is a famous and funky apartment building designed by architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser between 1983 to 1985.
There’s no better place to eat Wiener Schnitzel than in its namesake city!
One of the many perks of going to see an opera in the Vienna Opera House is that you can go out on the terrace and see its beautiful architecture up close as well as getting a peak over the city.
Vienna is known for its breathtaking architecture and the Opera House does not disappoint.
The interior is equally impressive!
And the people inside the Opera House were as elegantly dressed as the design of the building itself.
I really loved the warm glow of the building all lit up after dark.
On Sunday morning we went to Mass in St. Stephan’s Cathedral in the heart of the city.
The color patterned roof of St. Stephan’s also features Austria’s coat of arms as well as that of the city of Vienna.
Karlskirche is another one of Vienna’s famous churches. We also took the opportunity in this picture to joke about me fulfilling the stereotype of American’s loving McDonalds.
Vienna’s legacy is forever entwined with that of the Habsburg Dynasty so there is no better place to visit than “Schloss Schönbrunn,” or “Schönbrunn Palace,” the summer retreat for the historic royal family.
Schönbrunn’s gardens are just as grand as the palace itself.
At the top of the hill behind the palace is a beautiful Orangerie.
This is the view from in front of the Orangerie looking back at the palace and the city. At the time the palace was built, it would have been surrounded by the wilderness as the city hadn’t yet expanded this far.
Whit Monday, the Monday after Pentecost, is a holiday in Germany, so with everything closed, I took the opportunity for a workday. Tuesday and Wednesday I returned to the Bavarian State Library to work with the “Die Kunst im Dritten Reich,” a Nazi art publication. Thursday I was working on some diagrams from my room while taking breaks to do some chores.
Friday was a busy day and filled with preparation work. As a resident of Munich, I took advantage of some free testing opportunities in preparation for a weekend trip to Wien, or Vienna! We needed a negative rapid test to get into Österreich, or Austria, and to get into our hotel, restaurants, and museums while in the city. We also needed a negative PCR test to get back into Germany. In the evening we packed, printed out tickets, and filled out some paperwork to register our arrival in Austria as well as our return to Germany. We also took a monument to have a beer and chocolate cupcakes to celebrate another floormate’s birthday.
Saturday started early when we woke up at 5:30 and departed for our weekend adventure. We turned the need to get gas into a point of historical education when we stopped in Braunau am Inn, which is Hitler’s birthplace. A memorial stone dedicated to his victims lies outside the apartment in which he was born and stands as a reminder to never again allow such atrocities to happen. From there we continued our journey, arrived, and began our sightseeing walk throughout the city. We enjoyed a very Viennese meal of traditional Wiener Schnitzel. We did a little more sightseeing as we made our way back to the hotel to check-in and prepare for the evening when the boys explored more of the city while the girls went to the Vienna Opera House to see Carmen! I knew Carmen by name, but that was about all I knew, so I was happily surprised by how much of the music I recognized! After the opera we returned to the hotel where we joined the guys in watching the end of the Champions League’s final.
On Sunday we went to church in St. Stephan’s Cathedral, ate lunch, and continued some sightseeing. In the afternoon we went to “Schloss Schönbrunn,” or “Schönbrunn Palace,” which was the summer retreat for the Habsburg dynasty. We toured the palace and then took a walk through the gardens before departing Vienna. On our journey back home we took a pit stop to grab some food and walk around a little in the town St. Pölten. We made it back to Munich at a reasonable hour in order to get a fresh start for the next week.
Leave A Comment