Leopold museum

The German word of the day is: Fußball which means soccer

Today tour of the Leopold museum was fascinating. The Leopold museum was completed in September of 2001. It is located in the Museum quarter of Vienna. The museum has over 5,000 exhibits featuring artists like Gustav Klimt, Oskar Kokoschka, Egon Schiele and Richard Gerstl. The Museum contains the largest collection of Egon Schiele and also includes famous art work from Gustav Klimt. Most of the art in the Leopold Museum was collected by Rudolf and Elisabeth Leopold. They collected the art work throughout their lives and finally decided it was time to convert their collection into a Museum.

Doctor O led the tour through the Leopold museum. Her tour was full of energy and information. She was energetic and easy to understand. I took so much away from her tour I wish she could be my tour guide all the time. Doctor O is very knowledgeable and it seemed like she knew everything about the pieces of art and art history. Doctor O focused mainly on two very important artists. The first was Gustav Klimt and the second was Egon Schiele.

Gustav Klimt was born in Baumgarten which is close to Vienna in 1862. He was the second child of seven grew up in poverty. Luckily for Klimt he was awarded a scholarship to the Vienna School of Arts and Crafts in 1876. By 1888 Klimt received the Golden order of Merit from Emperor Franz Josef I of Austria for helping paint the Burgtheater in Vienna. Klimt was a very talented artist and started to forge a new direction in art after a great fiasco in 1894 at the University of Vienna. He was commissioned to paint three paintings, one of philosophy, one of medicine and the last jurisprudence. These paintings were rejected because the citizens of Vienna thought they were too radical and almost pornographic. After this rejection Gustav Klimt went on to form his own movement called the Vienna Secession. He was the president of this group and he with the founding members declared the object of this group was to allow for free expression of art work and for a place to show case this new radical art. The secessionist building in Vienna is were Gustav Klimt and other radical artist showed their work. I personally like Gustav Klimt alot his artwork is very unique and thought provoking. This is probably one of Klimt more famous works. I personally love how he uses the different colors and the gold to show is message.
The Kiss:



The other artist that Doctor O covered was Egon Schiele. Schiele was born in Tulln and at an early age Schiele lost his father. On the urgings of his Uncle, Schiele applied for art school in Vienna and was excepted. After arriving in Vienna Schiele sought out Klimt and became his protege. Schiele’s paintings were known for there focus on death, sex and discovery. Schiele was obsessed with painting himself. Here is one example of his self portraits.

Self portrait:


I was sad that this was the last time we would see Doctor O. She was a great tour guide and I wish I could have taken an art history class or some type of class under her. I am grateful that I had the opportunity to hear her speak.

Mauthausen

The German word of the Day is: Heute which means today

Today we took a trip to the Nazi Concentration Camp Mauthausen. It is hard to believe that just over 60 years ago so many people died there at the hands of the Nazi guards. The concentration camp was tucked up on a hillside in the beautiful rolling hills of Austria.

Mauthausen is located in upper Austria between the two villages of Mauthausen and Gusen. Under Nazi control this labor camp grew into one of the largest camps in the Nazi controlled zone. They practiced the belief of extermination through labor and made their prisoners work in quarries and arms factories. It was one of the first large scale concentration camp and was the largest labour camp by 1940. It is estimated that around 320,000 people died at this camp. It was labeled by the Nazi government as a “Grade III camp” which meant it was for the highest level enemies of the state.

Mauthausen complex:


The visit to Mauthausen was very intense. It is hard to comprehend the amount of people that lost their lives at this facility. The treatment of the prisoners and the conditions they had to live in is mind numbing. It makes me feel sick to my stomach just thinking about it.

For living quarters the prisoners slept in large barracks. Each of these barracks were full of bunk beds. In each of these small bunk beds slept 6 prisoners (3 on each level). The prisoners who lived in the barrack were starved even though the official's had enough food to go around.

Barrack:


The crematorium of Mauthausen is where they would burn the bodies of the dead. Today the room is filled with pictures of the dead and also contains the oven where they would burn the bodies. Our tour guide said that when new prisoners were brought to the camp they would have to stand for days at a time on a wall called the “wailing wall”. On this wall they would be tortured and SS officers would tell them, “This is the way in, and that’s (crematorium) is the way out.” While in the crematorium room I was taken aback when I saw this man smiling and taking a picture in front of the crematorium. To me this place is very sad and solemn and to see a man take a picture in front of it felt very disrespectful to all the dead.

Crematorium:


Though Mauthausen was a labor camp it still had a gas chamber. This gas chamber was alot smaller then the one at other extermination camps. It was very eree to walk into this little room. So many people died there at the hands of the Nazi’s.

After walking away from the camp itself we walked over to the Quarries. In the Quarries the prisoners would have to preform hard labor. They were force to mine the rock and take it back to the camp. In order to get to the Quarries you had to walk down the “Stairs of death” these steep stairs had to be walked up by the prisoners with 100 pound rocks. The Nazi guards would often push people down the stairs or over the cliff. They would also play death games with the prisoners making them decided wether to kill the person in front of them or kill themselves.

Quarry

Stairs of death


This trip to Mauthausen was very draining and emotionally intense. There was so much pain and death stained into the walls of this facility. Though this is a modern day, tourist friendly, Mauthausen, I feel that it is important for people to see. Actually going to the place makes the Nazi horror come alive and take on new personal meaning.

Airsofting with the Viennese

The German word of the day Kino which means Movies

Over the course of the trip I made some Austrian friends. I first met them at the local bar downstairs and over the course of the month we starting hanging out. What was the most surprising part of the trip was the fact that these Austrians played Airsoft and would go Airsofting in the forests North of Vienna.

Airsofting simply put is a bunch of people running around shooting plastic bb’s at each other. This may sound silly and a little ridiculous cause it is, but it is actually alot of fun! The players dress up in military camo so that they can hide and surprise their opponents. They wear tactical gear so they can carry onto the field with them extra ammo (plastic BB’s), gas, water, food, and ammunition(bb) clips. Airsoft uses toy guns that propel plastic bb’s in order to tag people with. These guns are modeled after real weapons to make the game seem more serious and to encourage players to play with their brains. There are an infinite number of ways to play the game but mostly people play match’s where two teams face off and play head to head. In Airsoft the players use tactics and teamwork to tag out there opponents. Players use the honor system to call their hits because these plastic bb’s do not leave marks like paintballs do. Since players are shooting little plastic bb’s at each other, players wear impact rated eye protection and masks. There are many Airsofters which play in small and large competitions around the globe. Theses match’s can be anything from a bunch of friends getting together and running around in their back yard to full fledged tournaments that involve hundreds of people and vehicles.

Airsoft was developed in Japan by Japans toy companies. After becoming quite popular in Japan it moved into the states and then to the rest of the World. Airsofting is a world wide hobby that is exciting and a fun way to spend the day.


I have been Airsofting since I was little and I have seen the popularity explode within the last couple years. I was overjoyed to hear that these Austrians played Airsoft and it really felt like I was hanging out with friends at home. Today’s modern global world is amazing. Its incredible that I can go across the world and still meet people that do the same things I do at home. I felt like these personal event emphasized that people all over are similar. They may have grown up in different cultures but everyone can relate to each other in some way.


A group photo of us.

Third Man

The German word of the day is wegen which means because of

Today I watched a great movie called the Third Man. The Third man is an old mystery movie that is set in Post war Vienna. It was made in 1949 by the director Carol Reed. It starts as the main actor named Holly Martins arrives in Vienna and learns that his friend Harry Lime has died in a car accident. Lost in Vienna Holly Martins pries around to figure out what happened to his friend.

Third man DVD cover:


Even if I didn’t go see the movie in Vienna I still would have liked it. It is a very interesting film and is a great classic thriller. One of the coolest parts of the movie was the fact that I could pick out were each and every shot was taken from. It made the movie more significant and come alive when you knew where each shot was. This movie also showed how life was life in Post war Vienna and Europe. It showed how so many buildings where destroyed and how so many people were suffering.

I found it interesting how the movie showed how Vienna was split up into occupied zones. The movie went to portray the American zone as safe and orderly while the Soviet zone was dangerous. The movie showed how cooperation between the two was almost nonexistent. The characters who played the Soviets looked like Mafioso type men while the people would played the Americans looked respectable and reasonable.

Finally the main character finds out the truth. He discovers that his friend is alive and in the Soviet zone. Making contact with his friend his friend agrees to take a fairest wheel ride with him. During this scene Harry tells Holly about his operation that he as going on and compares the people on the ground to black dots which are nothing more then Ants. Harry would make money by taking medicine from the US and then selling it on the black market. In the process we would split the medicine in order to make more of it. By splitting the medicine he was causing people to die because they would not get the right dose of medicine. I was turned off by this kind of thinking. I feel like this is a type of predatory thinking that only hurts the world. Harry was out to make a quick buck regardless of the cost.

Harry Lime:


Overall the Third man was a great movie and exciting. At first I was not looking forward to the movie because I didn’t think it would be good. However once the movie started I was drawn in and felt the excitement every step of the way.

Schönbrunn- a place from a fairy tale!

The German word of the day is: Krank which means ill

Schönbrunn is such a beautiful place. Though it is hot and muggy Jan, Nicole and I with some other students decided that now would be a perfect time to go visit the Schönbrunn Zoo! I will be honest and tell you that I think zoo’s are really fun. I have been going to zoo’s all my life and it never gets old to me. The Schönbrunn Zoo is definitely a special zoo. It was founded in 1752 by the Holy Roman Emperor Francis I and is the oldest zoo in the world. Most of its architecture reflects the baroque era but there are also many modern buildings too. Both World Wars negatively affected the zoo causing many animals to die by starvation or bombings. Today the zoo is doing well and is very popular.

What I found amazing about the zoo is how close you can be to the animals. In a U.S. zoo, a person is at least 100 feet away from an animal. Here the animals were barely a foot away. It was very impressive to see Giant Panda’s, Jaguars, Hippo’s and so many more animals so close. It is amazing that all these different types of animals can live in the wild and hunt for food. What I also thought was interesting was the shape of the zoo it’s self. The zoo is in the shape of sliced pie, the cut outs are the roads and the “pie” is the animal enclosures. In the center of the zoo is a baroque cafe house that used to be the imperial breakfast house.

Polar bears!

Tigers!Hippo!


After the zoo the group proceeded through the Schönbrunn Gardens and up to the top of the hill. It was very hot out but the view was worth it. I wish I could live like these Kings and Queens. It is mind blowing to think of the gardens they were able to walk, ride and relax in. Schönbrunn seems like a palace out of a fairy tale book.

A beautiful fountain in Schönbrunn

The Palace itself!

The gardens in Schönbrunn are shaped after the French style of Versailles. This form is characterized by symmetry and imposing order over nature. I am not really a fan of this style, I prefer the English style of gardens which are just as well cared for but mimic nature not dominance over it. I am jealous that the Viennese have such an amazing place to relax and exercise. To many cities in the U.S. do not have such parks.

United Nations!

The German word of the day is gesund which means healthy

Austria is known for being a great place for nations to come together and discuss international problems. Austria is considered a neutral nation in regards to its international politics. Being a facilitator of discussion Austria and its capitol Vienna is home to a United Nations Headquarters.


The United Nations was founded in October 1945 right after World War II. Its goal is facilitate international peace, promote social progress and develop friendly relations between nations around the world. It is made up of six main departments; The General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social council, the Trusteeship Council, the Secretariat and the International Court of Justice. These groups facilitate in helping the World maintain and reach common goals.

The United Nations Headquarters in Vienna was the third headquarters established by the United Nations. It was built in 1980 and hosts many departments, some of which are the Office of Drug and Crime, the Office for Outer Space Affairs and International Atomic Energy Agency.

UN building:


Our trip to the United Nations was very exciting. In order to get into the place we had to show our passports and receive security cards. Our time at the United nations was spent between a general tour, two lectures and lunch. The tour of the United Nations was very interesting. The tour guide explained about the building and all the different offices in the United Nations. The Vienna United Nations building was built from the top down with the huge pillars on ether side of the building supporting the weight of the structure. It was designed so that all rooms would have sun light at one point of the day. He told us that the United Nations has 192 member countries which even includes the Vatican. As we walked inside my general impression of the building was that it could use some updating. It felt like the building was still stuck in the 80’s and needed some work. The tour was very educational and worth while.

Design:


General Tour:



After the general tour we had two lectures. One lecture was for the IAEA or the International Atomic Energy Agency. In this lecture we learned about nuclear proliferation and the role of the IAEA. The IAEA objectives include the safe use of nuclear technology and the ultimate disarmament of all nuclear weapons. Our lecturer explained how the IAEA tries and account for all nuclear material however it is often prevented from doing its job. He also stressed that the IAEA does not participate in disarmament it only accounts for the weapons/material already out there. I thought it was funny that he would only share the IAEA stance on their policy not his own personal opinions.

After lunch, which was delicious we had a great lecture from a lady who is part of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime or UNODC. She talked about how the UNODC was trying to provide drug education and prevention in developing countries. I found her presentation more interesting then the first. She was more passionate and knowledgeable about her work. With the IAEA it felt like its goals were unattainable and its methods unsuccessful. With the UNODC it felt like lives were being affected in positive ways and that it was a worthy cause.

My question for the United Nations:

1. How much legal power does the IAEA have in investigating for nuclear weapons?


- The IAEA has no legal power what so ever. It visits sites only when a nation allows it to and only to the sites the nation wants it to see.


2. How does the IAEA non-nuclear countries to continue no to develop nuclear weapons?


- The IAEA can provide money for the development of nuclear power facilities but it doesn’t provide sanctions to people who do develop nuclear weapons. The IAEA only reports this infraction.


3. How does the UN approach North Korea and how is this different from the past. Why would it work now?


- The IAEA only tries and reports North Korea’s progress on its nuclear technology. It is not engaged in disarmament.

Historisches Museum der Stadt and the Ringstraße

The German word of the day is: möglich which means possible

I thought the Historisches Museum der Stadt was very interesting. This museum is solely dedicated to the general history of Vienna. This building was built in 1959 constructed by the architect Oswald Haerdtl. It contains information about the city from the Neolithic age to the mid-twentieth century. I felt like this museum was great in helping me understand the history of Vienna and how people lived during different times. The staff at the museum were extremely helpful and they over all made the experience very enjoyable.

Right off the bat I was intrigued by the model of a Roman house and its use of heating. I was also fascinated by all the different archaeological finds from the Roman legionary camp called Vindobona which was where Vienna is now. I also thought the old knight and horse armor was amazing. The skill and time needed to make one of those makes me appreciate modern machinery. It also gives me an idea of how much shorter people were back just a couple of hundred years ago. The many diagrams and models of old Vienna brought the old city to life. I was also impressed that they were able to keep and store the original stained-glass windows from St. Stephen Cathedral. I think the major importance of this museum is that you can trace the development of Vienna with it. As you walk room to room you experience mankind's development through the ages. Each new model of the city allows you to see the growth and prosperity.





I found it fun to take the Ring tram around Vienna’s Ringstrabe. I took it around two times and each time I picked up more and more information from the audio guide. The Biedermeier period was a period of changing tastes in design and art. It was between the years 1815 and 1848. The architectural design is marked by simplicity and elegance. Though this was at the height of fashion during the eight-teen hundreds this style doesn’t resonate for me. I find it dull and too old fashion. Buildings are designed for function not necessarily to please the eyes. The Rinstrabe tour explained that the old city walls were torn down to make way for a new development and economic age. (plus wall on a city weren’t an effective form of defensive anymore) The buildings along the Ring are designed to show there function. Kunsthistorisches and Naturhistorisches Museums are in a renaissance style which show that they are showing art work and history because the renaissance was about rediscovery. Parliament is in the style of the ancient Greeks and to stress the foundation of government. Urania is also in this style which stresses public learning.

Kunsthistorisches:


Parliament:

Urania: