What does Vienna (Wien) conjure up for you? Are you a Romantic that sees the street cafes and hears the waltzes of the Strauss family (father and sons). Perhaps you are a classicist and hear the works of Beethoven and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. You may even be a Historian who see the once Capital City of a vast Empire and lastly a Socialist who see the seat of revolution. Regardless of what you think you are Vienna will more than match your expectations. Evidence points to the fact that Vienna or rather the site has been in constant habitation since 500 BC first by the Celts then in 15 BC the Romans arrived and fortified the town (Vindobona) against the Northern Barbarians (Germans). Up until 1440 it was the centre of the Babenberg dynasty then the Hapsburgs and the centre of the Holy Roman Empire which became the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The town survived sieges by the Ottoman Empire in 16th and 17th Century. It survived a major plague in 1679 which killed a third of the population. A city that has a rich and varied history and continues to be a hub of Europe to this day.
The Austrians and our guide went into great detail of the greatest of the Austrian Monarchs and surprisingly it is Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina or Maria Theresa Empress of Austria that could be said to have founded the Austro-Hungarian Empire. If you think of UK and Queen Victoria where most of the crown heads of Europe were related to her, the same can be said of Maria Theresa. She had 16 children who were all married off for the benefit of Austria and the Empire grew. One of the most Marie Antoinette the ill-fated Queen of France.
The city is a monument to the Empire and Romanticism. As well as being the capital city 
to the fledgling Austrian empire Vienna was also the home to Ludwig Van Beethoven who made the city his home from 1792 until his death in 1827 and unlike Mozart he was buried in a dedicated grave in the Währing cemetery, north-west of Vienna. This of course brings us to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart who lived and dies in Vienna between 1781 and 1791. Unfortunately, unlike Beethoven, Mozart was buried in a communal grave at St. Marx Cemetery and his grave is unknown. Vienna certainly had her share of the classical composers. It is said that there is a classic concert on every night in Vienna. However, there is one family name and one dance that is forever linked to Vienna – The Strauss family, Johann Snr, Johann Jnr, Josef and Eduard. The age of the Vienna Waltz arrived in 1827 with Johann Snr. Whilst all were talented composers of Waltzs, Polka and Marches, the honor must lie with Johann Jnr and the waltz forever linked with Vienna – The Blue Danube.
The central area (Inner Stadt or District 1) is the heart of the old city. It is totally pedestrianized with a mixture of Old and Modern. Wandering around the centre we came across the Spanish Horse Riding School with the world-famous Lipzzan horses, the Hofburg (Winter) Palace and St Stephens’ Cathedral . By the time we had seen those places we were ready for a cup of Viennese Coffee in a proper Viennese Coffee House.
Our tour of the high spots was not over, but we had to return to the ship for lunch and prepare for our next excursion to the Schönbrunn Palace a place I have wanted to see since I saw a programme on it.
To be continued….
