Archive: May 2018

Last week we told you the story of Marhsall Radetzky and why he declined the emperor’s offer to be buried at the Kapuzinergruft (The Imperial Crypt). Well, perhaps one should not blame him for declining the offer as the Habsburgs had a particular way of being buried. You see, the remains of some members of…

The Donaukanal is one of the most popular places to hang out in Vienna once the weather starts getting warmer, and one of the most distinctive buildings on the canal is the Urania. Named after Urania, a muse to astronomers in Greek mythology, it was originally built as a temporary structure in the Prater for…

It’s Christmas again in Vienna for photography lovers. After the Polaroid exhibition and in parallel with the Man Ray and Elina Brotherus shows, Westlicht Gallery brings to town the works of Vivian Maier. The simplest way to start talking about Vivian Maier is to use the saying of another famous photographer, Diane Arbus: ‘A picture…

Some time ago, we told you the story of Marshall Radetzky, who at a young age was advised not to pursue a career in the army as his body was too weak. Eventually, Field Marshal Radeztky retired in 1857 at the age of 91, after 72 years of military career under five Kaisers. Franz Joseph…

The Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien is among the best art museums in the world, hosting the 4th largest collection of paintings, the largest collection of Egyptian papyri, art objects from Greek, Roman, Etruscan and other early cultures, as well as the crown jewels of the Holy Roman Empire of German Nations, Austria, Hungary, Sicily. As most…

Vienna has so many churches that it can become hard to keep track, but a few stand out from the crowd. One of these is the Russian Orthodox church in the 3rd district, which just about any passer-by would quickly identify as being Russian on account of the distinctive onion-shaped domes that jut out over…

Yesterday we asked you to identify one building in a picture. It did not take long for someone to win the quiz! The building in question was the “Altes Burgtheater”. The history of the building goes back to the 16th century until it was demolished in 1888 to allow for the expansion of the Hofburg….

We recently told you about the Phillipphof, which once stood prominently across from the Albertina, but was destroyed in 1945 and is today the site of the Monument Against War and Fascism. Unfortunately, it is far from the only architectural casualty of the war and the post-war period. Another once prominent and proud Palais stood…

If you have lived in Vienna long enough you will remember the days that you had to hurry up to the supermarket because they would close very early. And this during the week and also Saturdays. Times have changed slowly for the better though. It was only last year that your SV explorer was amazed…

Sometimes we tell you stories about buildings that one can see when walking around the city. And if you look carefully you may notice that some buildings seem a bit out of place. This may happen, for example, in the city center where you may see a baroque building next to a building built during…