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:

The Opera Don Giovanni

The German word of the Day is: zu Fuß which means on foot

I have never been to an opera before. I have been to musical, plays and concerts but never an opera. This was my first experience and I do not regret it one bit. I thought it was fascinating and dramatic.



My classmates and I saw Mozart’s Opera Don Giovanni. Mozart or Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in 1756 in Salzburg, Austria. At an early age he showed musical talent. His father who was also a musician began teaching him how to play piano and violin. After a hard early life filled with lots of traveling in the attempts to find steady job, Mozart finally found fame and popularity in Vienna. It was here he found his new creative spirt and started to compose the great works of art his is known for. It is said that his last years of his life were the most productive in which he produced the famous works like the Opera called the Magic flute, and the piano concerto K.595 in B-flat. Mozart died of illness in 1791 at the age of 35. His music lived on and grew to new fame after his death.

Mozart’s Opera Don Giovanni is about a young man named Don Giovanni who is a womanizer. It was written in 1787 and premiered in Prague In the play Don Giovanni goes around seducing girls with the promise of marriage. With one of these girls named Donna Anna, Don Giovanni kills her father after the father stops him from seducing her. Don Giovanni later in the Opera is plagued by the ghost of the dead father and after a brief inter change between the two Don Giovanni was sent to hell.

It was so much fun to go to the Opera. It was located at the Theater an der Wien. The production was a modern rendition of the Opera DOn Giovanni. I felt that this rendition of the Opera really made it come alive and speak to me. I could follow the events even though I could understand the language. I felt very privileged to have such a wonderful time with such great company. I would definitely go back if I had the opportunity.



One of the most interesting parts of the night was after the Opera. Professor Stuarts friend, “Lady Gaga” brought us to her Romanian bar were she provided us with free refreshments. She was extremely nice even if the atmosphere was not the traditional type of place I would hang out at.

ALPS!!

The German Word of the Day is: Gehen which means to go.

I feel like the German Word of the Day is very appropriate for the activity we did.

This by far was one of my favorite parts of the trip. I really love the outdoors and Raxalpe struck a chord within my heart. Raxalpe is located South East of Vienna in the last part of the Alps. It comprises of many different little ski lodges. The Alps are extremely beautiful and I was so excited to get hiking. We took a ski lift ride up the mountain to our lodge which was named Berggasthof. This lodge was very accommodating and had a very beautiful view.

View from lodge.


Camelia, Alex, Tyler and I decided that it would be awesome to get hiking early and do as much as we can. We planned on catching the sun rise from the next hut up the Ottohaus then proceed to climb all the way up the mountain and summit. Luckily the place where we were staying at packed us breakfast which enabled us to leave the hut before dawn and start our hike.


Sunrise.


Sadly the morning sunrise which was at 5:45 am wasn’t as beautiful as we envisioned it but none the less it was great be outside and hiking around. I was surprised how easy going the trail was. We passed marker after marker and before we knew it we reached the summit at 10 am. I felt that it was for the better that it was relatively easy. After having a long plane ride and not exercising for about a week and half, a brisk walk up and around a mountain was very satisfying.

Summit! The rock says Heukuppe 2007 meters!


It is amazing what beautiful plants live up in these mountains. It makes you feel as if you are walking through the garden of eden, especially when you can stop your hike at anytime and proceed to the nearest hut for food and nourishment. After reaching the Summit we decided to continue on and proceed to the Habsburghhaus. These alpine retreats are not just little old wooden huts. They are huge lodges that can hold many people and are warm and beautiful. As we looked at our map, (which turned out to be a children's menu map.) we decided that we were going to make make one big loop of our adventure. This would put us right back at the Ottohaus and then from there it was only a short walk back to Berggasthof.

Karl-Ludwighaus:


The color of the flowers in the Alps are so amazing!


In all we were out hiking for about twelve hours. Through the rain and wind we made it around the mountain. Tyler, Alex, and Camelia are great hikers and I would go hiking with them any day. I can’t wait to come back to the Alps and do some more hiking, maybe even some skiing! Austrians have such a different life style then Americans. I feel like they are more in touch with nature. Instead of just sitting at home watching t.v. they go hiking in the alps or relax in the numerous city parks. This type of atmosphere allows them to live happier more relaxing life’s.

This is part of a song we made while we were hiking around. It is sung to the style of Glory Glory Hallelujah.

First:
-Here we come walking from the mountain high.
-We’re tired, wet and hungry but we are well and alive
-At 5:45 are eyes beheld the dawning of the light
-And then we marched on

Chorus:
Glory, Glory we made it to the top.
Glory, Glory we thought it would never stop
Glory, Glory we ate all the nutella we brought
Thank you for bringing us here!

Second:
-We stopped to take a tea break and much to our surprise
-Anthony was Steaming hot right before our eyes
-We continued on our journey and right at 10 o’clock
-Then we reached the top!

Third:
-On the way back down we decided to explore
-We wandered through the meadows like kids we were before
-We hiked down to the valley where we saw some deer.....

Thats all we finished but it was alot of fun trying to make a song while hiking through the Alps.

Eisenstadt and Stations of the Cross

The German Word of the Day is: Wohin which means Where


Before going to the Alps we stopped at Eisenstadt. Eisenstadt is a well known city because the great musician Haydn lived, played and practiced there. Eisenstadt was a small village that became popular because the great Family of the Esterhazy decided to build their prime residence there. The Esterhazy family was a great patron to Haydn and the arts. They were one of the richest families in Austria, making more money at times then the king. Nikolaus Esterhazy born in the year 1720 was the principal employer of Hayden he is well known for greatly increasing the Esterhazy wealth and being a benevolent employer. Patronage was very important for musicians at this time. This was the only way for one to become recognized and make a living at preforming.

I was very impressed with the palace in Eisenstadt. For just being one palace out of many I could see that the Esterhazys were very wealthy.



Inside was the art exhibit, “Haydn Explosive.” This art exhibit was strange and not suited I felt for the material that was in the museum. Instead of making the museum friendly and comforting, it made the museum feel like a mad house. From crazy carpeting to a large projection of a giant beetle and dooms day, this new found expression distracted from the art work and artifacts. I was turned off by the countless distractions and noises. Instead of adding to the exhibit it took anyway and made me gloss over items just because I was annoyed with its surroundings. One item I did find amazing was the sheet music that Hayden himself corrected. It really made him feel like a live person not just an untouchable great musical genius from the past.



After the Haydn museum the class proceeded to walk up hill to a church that was dedicated to the Stations of the cross. First thing I noticed was the unique style of architecture. One side of the building was a church while the other was this large dome type structure. Once inside a person proceeds from the bottom to the top of the structure and you follow the different steps of Jesus Christ and the Passion. This idea was new to me and I found it very vivid. I thought it was a very unique and great way to explain the Passion story. Even within this church their was Anti-Semitism. Many of Jesus’s tortures were wearing the trademark Jewish hat. I find it interesting that churches feel the need to put down other religions so that they can reinforce their own.

Heeresgeschichtliche lots of war!

The German Word of the Day is: Autobahn which means Highway

Heeresgeschichtliche was amazing! The Heeresgeschichtliche is a War museum in Vienna. It was built according to the plans of Ludwig Foerster and Theophil Hansen. It was constructed from 1850 to 1856 and is considered the first Viennese museum. The architecture varies but it combines styles from the Byzantine, Hispano-Moorish to the Neo-Gothic. It was built within Vienna’s Arsenal or military complex. It was originally a new garrison for the city that included a military museum. It was built by the order of Emperor Franz Joseph I after the failed revolution of 1848. The revolution of 1848 was the German version of the French revolution. This revolution failed but not with out a large amount of bloodshed and destruction. In this destruction the old city garrison was destroyed.

Our assignment was to compare the Turks and the Christians. In this museum the Turks are portrayed very negatively. The museum emphasizes the successes of the Austrians and the many hardships the city suffered during the many wars it fought. The 17th century was a war filled century for the Habsburgs Empire. It was involved in the Thirty years war which was supposedly about Catholics vs Protestants while it also faced a threat from the east which were the Turks. The Thirty years war was more about european balance of power then an actual religious war. After the Thirty years war the Turks were still a thorn in the Habsburgs side. The Turks laid siege to Vienna twice in its history and both times the siege failed. The most famous siege is the second siege of Vienna. It was 1683 and the Ottoman empire had been laying siege to Vienna for two months. The Austrian king and most of Vienna’s citizens left the city months earlier and the only people left to defend the city was Ernst Rudiger Graf von Starhernberg the leader of 11,000 troops and 5,000 citizens. As supplies ran low and casualties sky rocketed Starhernberg feared his only option was to declare defeat. Days before he was going to surrender Vienna the Polish King Jan III Sobieski came to the relief of the city and fought back the Ottomen. This battle is known for being the largest horse charge in history. The Polish King Jan III Sobieski charged down the Vienna hillside with over 20,000 men. In many pictures in the museum we get a heavenly glow around the winners of the Siege. The Turks are shown as silly and gross looking. While the Christians are shown as proper and strong.

Below is a picture of the battle where the Polish king defeats the Turks.

Christian King Leopold I depicted as strong.

I found very interesting the artifacts from the Great War. It was very special to see the car and the bullet torn jacket of Archduke Francis Ferdinand. It is amazing to think that this event was the start of World War I in which so many people died. It makes one sad to think about all the loss and pain that so many people felt due to this assassination.




Another room was about World War II and the Nazi regime. It was saddening and breath taking to see all the propaganda that the Nazi war machine put out. I feel it is understandable that the Austrian people accepted Nazi rule so easily. The Germans and the Austrians have had such along and intertwined history under the Holy Roman empire I am surprised that they are not one nation. It makes me sad to see all of this inventiveness and human capacity spent in the attempt to kill one another. Also in this section was a some interpretive art showing the evil of the Nazi. I felt like this art work really conveyed its point. It made me sick just looking at it.

By the way this is what I would want to drive to school in for fun. ( I wouldn't have to worry about parking or traffic!)

Schatzkammer and divine right

The German word of the day is: krieg which means war

The Schatzkammer or Imperial treasury was absolutely amazing. It is located in the Hofburg Palace and is a little tricky to get to. You have to walk around and proceed through a courtyard called “Swiss Courtyard” or Schweizer Hof. This treasury hold most of the Jewels of the Habsburgs and contains many priceless items.

The Habsburgs enjoyed a very lavish lifestyle which is evident by the palaces they constructed and the jewels they wore. The Habsburgs were able to maintain and carry on such a life style because of they were absolute monarchs. An absolute monarch is a monarch who has absolute power over all his or her subjects. These monarchs may have customs or religious authorities that may try and curtail their power but in the end an absolute monarch has absolute control.

One reason for such a lavish lifestyle was to help make the peasants believe that the monarchs were untouchable. All the pomp and grandiose excess reinforces peasant beliefs that they are inferior. This gives the monarchs more control and allows them to continue their reign unrestrained. The Habsburgs believed they had divine right over there people. The Catholic Church reenforced this method of thinking. Parsons says,“authority and legitimacy of rulers in Austria would rest on an alliance between the Roman Catholic Church and the dynasty, between throne and altar.” pg 99 With the Catholic Church in league with the rulers the power of the divine right ruler was constantly being reinforced.

Baroque is an artistic style that was encouraged by the Catholic Church. It mainly communicates religious themes and is a means of expressing triumphant power. This style can be seen in paintings, sculptures, music, literature and architecture. I feel that this style represents the Habsburgs monarchy and the Catholic Church because of their quest to maintain and assert the legitimacy over the common people.

The jewels present in the Schatzkammer also express this absolute and baroque ideas. The jewels make the wearer seem larger then life. It makes the person looking at them feel envy and self consciousness. These jewels reenforce the power of the monarch. A few examples of these beautiful masterpieces are; The Imperial Crown of the Holy Roman Empire, The Order of the Golden Fleece and the Imperial Crown of Austria.

The Imperial Crown of the Holy Roman Empire:
The Order of the Golden Fleece:
Imperial Crown of Austria:

Kunsthistorischen Museum!

The German word of the day is: Hoffen which means to hope

After a nice day off from class due to the long and exciting day at the Klosterneuburg Abbey, the class met up at the Kunsthistorisches museum. This museum is a world famous art museum that contains most of the Habsburgs royal art collection. It is built in the city center along the Ringstraße. The Ringstraße is a circular road which used to be the old city walls that protected Vienna. The city walls were built during the 13th century and were funded by the ransom money paid by England for the return of Richard I of England. The city walls successfully defended Vienna against many invasions but by the 18th century they became obsolete. In 1857 Franz Joseph I of Austria issued his decree “Es ist Mein Wille” or It is My will to demolish the city walls and instead create a massive boulevard. In his decree Franz Joseph I explained that this boulevard was meant to show the grandeur and glory of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The Kunsthistorisches Museum was founded in 1872 by Franz Joseph I and the architects were Gottfried Semper and Karl Freiherr von Hasenauer.

The museum is filled with priceless art. It includes work from Jan van Eyck, Albrecht Durer, Giuseppe Arcimboldo and Pieter Brueghel the Elder. Studying them from a book or looking at them online is nothing compared to actually seeing them in person. Throughout my life I had seen this works in art books and at home. Now that I had the chance to witness the paintings first hand I felt grateful and excited. Being able to see the paintings first hand made them come alive.

In class we were learning about the different types of art produced during the Reformation and the Counter Reformation. Though are tour guide was a bit dry at times I remember her going over the artists Rebrandt and Peter Paul Rubens. Rebrandt was a Dutch painter born in 1606. He was considered a great master and was know for his painting style that focused on portraiture and narrative paintings. Instead of making people in his paintings larger then life he tries to make them as real life as possible. This more subdued style reflects the Reformation in its attempt to get rid of the excess of the church, make the church more real and personable. Two examples are “Philosopher in Meditation” and a “Self-Portrait”



On the opposite side is the Flemish painter Rubens his paintings emphasized color and movement. Rubens would paint altarpieces and history paintings of mythological and allegorical subjects. His paintings were vivid and filled with energy. Two examples are “The Raising of the Cross” and “The Massacre of the Innocents”


One of my favorite paintings is Pieter Bruegels painting “The Fight Between Carnival and Lent” I feel this painting represents the differences between the towns people and the people of the church. It shows how people like to indulge in life’s pleasantries while the church tries to reign in that behavior. The “battle” between the church and the people is exemplified by the fatman on the barrel and the frail churchman in a chair. It looks like they are at a jousting match and are about to go head to head.