Today’s task was to take a look at the
architecture that surrounds the city and talk about it’s function in a greater
context than just simple function and presentation. The Ringstrasse is a
beautiful thing in my opinion, it is the location of the former city wall that
was torn down by Franz Joseph in the middle of the 19th century. The
main building the epitomizes the Ringstrasse era is the Parliament building
because it is so bright and so grand, and with it’s function as Parliament
along with the neo-classical style it screams democracy. The neo-classical
style is meant to recreate a feeling of ancient Greece where democracy
originated. From travelling around, it is apparent that there are many cities
and countries that use this as a form of architecture to inspire the same
feelings that the parliament building does here in Vienna. Another building on the
Ringstrasse that is quite striking is the Rathaus, which looks like a really
old building since it is in the gothic style. However, this being the
Ringstrasse era, it was built in 1873. This is supposed to be like an old city
hall. It is an interesting building since most of the other buildings on the
Ringstrasse fit in quite nicely with each other, yet this stands out like a
sore thumb, but a pretty one at that. The Hofburg, the Kunsthistorisches Museum
and the Naturalhistorisches Museum are on opposite sides of the Ringstrasse and
have slightly different design elements, yet they flow very nicely together.
The two museums are mirror images of each other and they are both in the
Renaissance style. While just across the street is the Hofburg which is a neo-Baroque
palace. I think that the idea behind using the baroque style with the Hofburg
was to show how the Habsburgs were the ruling power for so long during the
actual baroque period.
Another significant style in Austria during the
early 19th century was Biedermeier, which leads up to the
Ringstrasse era. The Biedermeier style was very simple and not too in your face
such as Baroque where it is impossible not to notice what you are looking at.
The Stadttempel is a building that still stands today and is a perfect example
of Biedermeier. It was built in the 1820s and fits perfectly into the buildings
that surround it, which is part of the reason that it survived the infamous Kristallnacht.
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