Stephansdom - St. Stephen's Cathedral

St. Stephen's Cathedral (German: Stephansdom) is the mother church of the Archdiocese of Vienna and the seat of the Archbishop of Vienna. As the most important religious building in Austria's capital, the cathedral has born witness to many important events in that nation's history and has become one of the city's most recognizable symbols.

Christmas time in Vienna

Rotenturm Street.

Graben

Christmas time in Graben pedestrianized street with the Baroque plague column (Pestsaule).

State Apartments and Treasuries

Kohlmarkt steet - view toward State Apartments and Treasuries at Christmas time.

The New Town Hall is the seat of Vienna City and Provincial Assembly. Built from 1872 to 1883 to replace the Altes Rathaus.

The Burgtheater

The Burgtheater (en: Court Theatre) is the Austrian National Theatre in Vienna and one of the most important German language theatres in the world. The Burgtheater was created in 1741. On March 12, 1945 the Burgtheater was largely destroyed in a bombing raid. After the war, the theatre was restored between 1953-1955. The classic Burgtheater style and the Burgtheater-German language were trend-setting for German language theaters.

Stephansdom - St. Stephen's Cathedral

The Stephansdom at Christmas time (lightning). Situated in the center of Vienna, the Stephansdom is th soul of the city itself.

Stephansdom

Stephansdom and Haas Haus. Haas Haus is a modern building opposite the Stephansdom. It is a shining structure of glass and bluegreen marble that curves elegantly round right into the Graben.

Coloured roof of Stephansdom

A glory of St. Stephen's Cathedral is its ornately patterned, richly coloured roof, 111 meters long, and covered by 230,000 glazed tiles. Above the choir on the south side of the building the tiles form a mosaic of the double-headed eagle that is symbolic of the empire ruled from Vienna by the Habsburg dynasty.

Stephansdom

The High Altar - Stephansdom

There are 18 altars in the main part of the church, and more in the various chapels. The High Altar and the Wiener Neustädt Altar are the most famous. The first focal point of any visitor is the distant High Altar (showed on this picture), built over seven years from 1641 to 1647 as part of the first refurbishment of the cathedral in the baroque style.

The High Altar - Stephansdom

The Wiener Staatsoper

The Wiener Staatsoper (Vienna State Opera), located in Vienna, Austria, is one of the most important opera companies in Europe and throughout the world. The original opera house was inaugurated on May 25, 1869. During World War II, the stage was destroyed by Allied bombs and the building gutted by fire on March 12, 1945. The rebuilt theatre, the Staatsoper, seating more than 2,200, reopened in 1955.

The Wiener Staatsoper

The Auditorium seating more than 2200 people.

The Wiener Staatsoper

The Auditorium

The Wiener Staatsoper

A superb marble staircase sweeps up from the main entrance to the first floor.

The Wiener Staatsoper

The Schwind Foyer is decorated with scenes from opera painted by Moritz von Schwind.

The Wiener Staatsoper

The Karlskirche - St. Charles's Church

The Karlskirche (German for St. Charles's Church) is one of the most outstanding baroque church structures north of the Alps and boasts a dome in the form of an elongated ellipsoid. The church is cared for by a religious order and has long been the parish church as well as the seat of the Catholic student ministry of the Vienna University of Technology.

The Karlskirche

The beautiful Altar in Kalskirche.

The Karlskirche - St. Charles's Church

The Karlskirche - St. Charles's Church

Ceiling painting.

The Karlskirche - St. Charles's Church

Ceiling painting.

The Karlskirche - St. Charles's Church

Ceiling painting.

Upper Belvedere

The Belvedere, the palace at the heart of Vienna, was once the Baroque summer residence of the renowned general and art connoisseur Prince Eugene. In 1717, the decision was made to build the Upper Belvedere. Construction took place between 1721 and 1722 and the interior decoration was completed the following year. The garden palace primarily served the purpose of pomp and display.

Upper Belvedere

Upper Belvedere

Belvedere gardens

The Palace Gardens starting at the Lower Belvedere, the baroque garden layout unfolds in strict symmetry along a central axis to the prestige building of the Upper Belvedere. The whole concept accords with the French model, stereometrically arranged trees and hedges, sculpture, and fountains and cascades.

Lower Belvedere

In 1714 the Austrian general Prince Eugene commissioned the architect Hildebrandt to build the Lower Belvedere. The palace was completed just two years later in 1716. Today, the former living quarters and staterooms of this Baroque summer residence are still an impressive sight. Attractions include the Marble Hall, adorned with frescos by Martino Altomonte, the state bedroom, Hall of Grotesques and the Marble Gallery. The Lower Belvedere also incorporates the orangery and palace stables, formerly used for the prince's horses.

State Apartments and Treasuries

The State Apartments and the Amalienburg include the rooms occupied by Franz Joseph from 1857 to 1916.

The Peterskirche - St. Peter's Church

The Peterskirche (En: St. Peter's Church) in Vienna is a church with a long and eventful history. The Peterskirche was transferred in 1970 by the Archbishop of Vienna Franz Cardinal König to the priests of the Opus Dei. The oldest church building dates back to the Early Middle Ages, and there is speculation that it could be the oldest church in Vienna.

Fleischmarkt

Hotel Austria Wien