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“Vienna’s the city,the place to becomethe top of the line.”–Billy Joel–

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Dear reader,

There’s music in the air. And there is no better airfor it than in Vienna, the Capital of Music – this wasalso clear to Ludwig van Beethoven, who selectedthe Austrian capital as his new home in 1792 beforerising to stardom in the city. 2020 will mark the250th anniversary of his birth. To this day, Viennacontinues to attract some of the world’s mosttalented musicians. Because our music schools,conservatories and universities, with the mdw –University of Music and Performing Arts Viennaleading the way, are among the very best in theworld. And for those who have already achievedglobal recognition, there is nothing better thanperforming in the city’s magnificent opera housesand concert venues. International stars Billy Joel,Hans Zimmer, Yuja Wang and Joshua Bell all sharethis exclusively with us – and do not hold back withtheir declarations of love for the city either.

Sigmund Freud was – and still is – a superstarwho made his most important intellectualbreakthroughs in the city,writing ‘The Interpretationof Dreams’ here which first appeared 120 yearsago. In this edition of the Vienna Journal we takea look at the new Sigmund Freud Museum and thenew Austrian Netflix series ‘Freud’, which will beavailable to 148 million account holders aroundthe world from spring 2020.

Monika and Sylvester Levay and Gayle Berry-Zöchbauer granted us an exclusive look attheir private apartments. They live in famoustourist destinations: Schönbrunn Palace and theMuseumsQuartier. We went to see them and talkedabout what it was like to live in a monument!

And we have another special feature story foryou: have you ever looked at a bee hive at closequarters? We will treat you to a fascinating insightinto the colorful world of Vienna’s honey bees. Andwe tell you why these insects are so important forthe city. And if bees could talk, they would surelyagree that Vienna is the world’s most livable city.If anyone still needs convincing, in this ViennaJournal we share ten good reasons why the citydeserves the title. It’s not for nothing that in 2019the international consultants at Mercer named theAustrian capital the most livable city in the worldfor the tenth year in a row! In another coup forVienna, respected UK magazine The Economistnamed us ‘The World’s Most Liveable City’ for thesecond year in succession.

Simply turn to our events page to find out justhow nice winter in Vienna can be.

You can look forward to a publication brimmingwith stars of all sizes and surprising insights intothe city – and to your next trip to Vienna, which ishopefully coming up some time soon.

Norbert KettnerManaging Director, Vienna Tourist Board

Published by: Vienna Tourist Board, Invalidenstrasse 6, A-1030 Vienna, www.vienna.info · Editor-in-chief: Robert Seydel · Texts (in alphabetical order): Susanna Burger, Karoline Gasienica-Bryjak, Helga Gerbl, Susanne Kapeller, Angelika Lechner, Stefan Müller, RobertSeydel, Julia Zangerl · Edited by: Renate Hofbauer · Photo research: Elisabeth Freundlinger · Produced by: Hermann Höger, Irmgard Steiner · Image production: Julia Forst · Art direction and layout: seite zwei · Final layout: Kreativ · Evelyne Sacher-Toporek · Printed inAustria by Ferdinand Berger & Söhne GmbH

No liability accepted for errors or omissions. Content subject to change without notice. Copy deadline: September 2019

Picture creditsCover Billy Joel: © Stefan Wuernitzer Page 2 Norbert Kettner: © Vienna Tourist Board/Peter Rigaud Page 3 See corresponding pages Page 4 Billy Joel: © Stefan Wuernitzer Page 5 Hans Zimmer: © Stefan Wuernitzer · Yuja Wang: © Stefan Wuernitzer · Joshua Bell:© Stefan Wuernitzer Page 6 Beethoven bust: © Innenansicht, chapter “vermachen”, 2017, photo: Klaus Pichler © Wien Museum · Wiener Symphoniker: © Vienna Tourist Board/Peter Rigaud · House of Music: © Vienna Tourist Board/Paul Bauer · Collection of Historic MusicalInstruments: © Vienna Tourist Board/Paul Bauer Page 7 Beethoven Museum: © Vienna Tourist Board/Paul Bauer · Beethoven portrait: Portrait of Ludwig van Beethoven, ca. 1901, Julius Schmid © Wien Museum · Theater an der Wien: VBW/© Peter M. Mayr Page 8 Volksgarten:© Vienna Tourist Board/Christian Stemper · Tram: © Vienna Tourist Board/Peter Rigaud · Drinking fountain: © Vienna Tourist Board/Paul Bauer Page 9 Alte Donau: © Vienna Tourist Board/Paul Bauer · Vienna University of Economics and Business: © Vienna Tourist Board/Christian Stemper · Stacked chairs: © Vienna Tourist Board/Peter Rigaud · Leopold Museum: © Vienna Tourist Board/Peter Rigaud Page 10/11 Schönbrunn Palace and MuseumsQuartier feature stories: © Vienna Tourist Board/Paul Bauer Page 12/13 Cartoon: Bernd Ertl,www.ausgezeichnet.com Page 14 Café Ansari: © Mato Johannik · Café Savoy: © Vienna Tourist Board/Peter Rigaud · Café Espresso: © Espresso Page 15 Café Bauchstich: © Martin Dudek · Café Schopenhauer: © Café Schopenhauer · Café Ritter: © Gerhard Deutsch/Kurier/picturedesk.com · Die Turnhalle: © Philipp Lichtenegger · Manner wafers: © Manner · Manner stonemason: © Vienna Tourist Board/Gregor Hofbauer Page 16 Netflix Freud series: © ORF Satel Film Bavaria Fiction Jan Hromádko · Portrait of Sigmund Freud: © SigmundFreud Copyrights/Max Halberstadt · Sigmund Freud Museum rendering: © qucumber.at Page 17 feinedinge*: © Noisternig · Augarten coffee service: © Augarten Wien · Said The Fox: © saidthefox.at/photo: Mark Glassner/Key ring: Werkstätte Carl Auböck · Golif: © KMG/photo: Ingo Karnicnik · Nychos: © Silke Sapina · Die Schöne gallery: © Die Schöne/Kiki Heindl Page 18/19 Bees, beehive, honey, beekeeper, honeycomb, flower: © Vienna Tourist Board/Paul Bauer Page 19 Swan: © Wiener Wildnis · Stadtpark: © Vienna Tourist Board/Peter Rigaud Page 20 Ernst Fuchs Museum: © Vienna Tourist Board/Christian Stemper · Tram: © Vienna Tourist Board/Peter Rigaud · Men, Rossauerlände: © Vienna Tourist Board/Slash · Augarten: © Vienna Tourist Board/Paul Bauer Page 21 Narrenturm: © ViennaTourist Board/Paul Bauer · Amalienbad: © Vienna Tourist Board/Paul Bauer · Snow globes: © Vienna Tourist Board/Christian Stemper · Alte Donau: © Vienna Tourist Board/Paul Bauer · Stammersdorf cellar lane: © Vienna Tourist Board/Paul Bauer · Karl-Marx-Hof: © ViennaTourist Board/Paul Bauer Page 22 Tourist Info Vienna International Airport: © Vienna Tourist Board/Rainer Fehringer Page 23 Vienna Ice World: © Vienna Tourist Board/Christian Stemper · New Year’s Eve: © Vienna Tourist Board/Christian Stemper · Street with Christmasdecorations: © Vienna Tourist Board/Christian Stemper · Music Film Festival: © Vienna Tourist Board/Christian Stemper · Vienna City Marathon: © VCM/FinisherPix · Summer Night’s Concert: © Sommernachtskonzert/Terry Linke · mumok: © Vienna Tourist Board/Paul Bauer

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VIENNA’S HIGH FLYERSThe city’s honey bees – probably its hardest-working residents – enjoy the perfect habitat inVienna. We paid one of the capital’s beekeepersa visit and watched the bees at work.Plus: accompany us on a trip along the riverWien from Hütteldorf to the Danube Canal.

VIENNA: THE STAGE IS YOURS!Vienna is full of hidden locations that can takesome finding. These are the places wherevisitors can experience typically Viennesemoments, meet Viennese people and discoverthe real Vienna – unadorned, unexpected andunbelievably special.

FREUD, DESIGN ANDART ON THE FRINGE

Sigmund Freud is still a superstar. TheSigmund Freud Museum reopens inearly 2020 and the Netflix series ‘Freud’will be available to 148 million accountholders around the world. In Freud’s day,Vienna had a world-class reputation fordesign. And still does, as shown by thecurrent crop of designers. The capital alsohas a burgeoning art scene outside thecity center: we take a look.

HERE’S TO YOU, LUDWIG!Major celebrations are the order of the day for2020, when the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’sbirth swings around. All over the world his musiccontinues to ring out with its unmistakable revo-lutionary edge. But we will be focusing on Vienna,as it was here that the great composer chose tomake a life and career for himself.

VIENNESE TYPESAND BLACK CAMELS

Zum Schwarzen Kameel – half bistro, half upmarketrestaurant and a unique kaleidoscope of Viennesesociety with people from all walks of life immortal-ized in a tongue-in-cheek pull-out cartoon.

23 COFFEEHOUSES ANDSWEET FACTS ABOUT MANNER

Explore the variety of Vienna’s coffeehousescene in a stroll through all 23 of its districts.And we will tell you everything you have everwanted to know about those famous Mannerwafers.A ROOM WITH A VIEW

Living where others go on holiday: we visit theLevay family at their apartment in SchönbrunnPalace and call in to see Gayle Berry-Zöchbauerat her home in the MuseumsQuartier – twoexclusive feature articles.

A GREAT PLACE TO LIVEVienna is the world’s most livable city – asconfirmed by numerous studies and rankings.We have picked out ten of the best reasons whyVienna is so special, showing how it manages totop the leaderboard year in, year out.

WORLD-FAMOUS“VIENNESE BY CHOICE”

Four international stars who sing Vienna’s praises,and just love the city and its music: rock legendBilly Joel, film music composer Hans Zimmer,pianist Yuja Wang and violinist Joshua Bell. Theyare all “Viennese by choice”, like Beethovenbefore them. 2020 marks the 250th anniversaryof the great composer’s birth.

VIENNA INFO ANDEVENT HIGHLIGHTSTravel information at a glance: from the ViennaCity Card to all the contact details you need for theperfect stay in the city. Plus: all the event highlightsof 2020.

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Four international stars who sing Vienna’s praises,and just love the city and its music: Billy Joel,Hans Zimmer, Yuja Wang and Joshua Bell. Like

Beethoven before them, they are all “Viennese bychoice”. 2020 marks the 250th anniversary of thegreat composer’s birth. The superstars of today arebig fans of Vienna. For them, the Austrian capital isall about enjoying and making music, networking,innovation and those elusive musical Götterfunkenor ‘sparks of divinity’ that touched Beethoven too.

And a city with a character all of its own.

You know, wehave Nashvillein America that’s‘music city USA’,but in Europe‘music city’ isVienna. As a matterof fact, I went outwith some friends,my brother’sfriends… somecrazy musicians…to some bar…instead of jammingrock and roll orblues or jazz, theywere jammingclassical musicin the middle ofthe night, at three

o’clock in the morning. All of a sudden, boom, a stringensemble brings their violins… Where do you see that?You see it in Vienna, that’s where that stuff goes on. It’sfantastic.

Beethoven was “Viennese by choice”. Ludwigvan Beethovenmoved here from Bonn for goodat the age of 22. Even at that time, Vienna wasthe place to be for musicians. Like him centu-ries earlier, big name international stars aremaking Vienna their go-to place for music.They draw on the wealth of tradition that con-tinues to be upheld in Vienna to this day, andcherish the inspiring energy of the city’s crea-tive music scene.

PIANO MANBilly Joel, who has enjoyed superstar status fordecades now, is a truly fascinating individual. InLong Island in New York, the Grammy winner –who has sold more than 82 million albums –answers our questions about Beethoven andVienna. Both topics that are close to the PianoMan’s heart. He warms to the subject the morewe talk, even treating us to a spot of improvon the piano. He can play Beethoven by heart.He reveals that he grew up with Beethoven’smusic and visited his father and brother inVienna. And that he used parts of Beethoven’sPathétique for his song ‘This Night’.

One of his most interesting songs,‘Vienna’, is a kind of declaration of love to theAustrian capital: “When I wrote ‘Vienna waitsfor you’, I meant that it is a place where youclose the circle. By going to Vienna, suddenlythings started to make sense in the world forme. Which is really what the song is about…slow down, look around you and have somegratitude for the good things in your life. That’swhat Vienna represented to me.”

DA DA DA DAAA!Hans Zimmer is also very taken with Beethovenand Vienna. Born in Germany, he is one of thetrue greats in the Hollywood film music biz,with an Oscar, several Grammys and GoldenGlobes in his trophy cabinet. His eyes light upwhen we visit him in his apartment in Londonas talk turns to Beethoven: “My personal rela-tionship to Beethoven is that I’m forever tryingto make people understand that he is truly thegreatest genius in any form of music. Just theopening to the Fifth, the ‘Da da da daaa’ – thosefew notes, every kid can walk past the pianoand go ‘Da da da daaa’. It takes genius to realizethat you can make a firework of a symphonyof it, that those few notes can mean so much.”

To me, Beethoven was the most human composer, Mozartto me is almost God like, because his music is perfect. It ties

into itself with no friction. With Beethoven, I hear the stopsand the starts and the fits and the struggles that he had

when he was writing, and to me that makes his music morehuman, because it is not easy to write that stuff. And, even if

you look at the original scores that he wrote, the handwrittenscores, you see

where he gougedout huge sectionsthat he wrote, like

he did not wantanyone to see the

stupid stuff hewrote.

TEXT: SUSANNA BURGER

BillyJoel

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Hans Zimmer likes coming to Vienna becausethe people are so friendly. Because of the wayhe is accepted here. Because of the food. Be-cause of Egon Schiele at the museum. And be-cause he can listen to music here in a cultivatedenvironment. Zimmer has recorded his ownmusic at Vienna Synchron Stage (‘Inferno’, ‘TheCrown’). Viennese film music production hasnothing to fear from Hollywood: “If you are acomposer and you have your music performedin Vienna by the Viennese, it doesn’t get anybetter than that.”

MUSIC AND THE SWEET SIDE OF LIFEIn May 2019 the world-class pianist Yuja Wangwas back in Vienna for yet another guest ap-pearance when she performed alongside theVienna Philharmonic at the Summer NightConcert at Schönbrunn Palace. Thousands ofpeople attend the open air classical music con-cert each year, which will take place again onMay 21, 2020. Millions more follow it live on TV.In our interview with Yuja Wang we quickly ap-preciate her qualities as a highly-likeable artistwho is full of energy and knows exactly whatshe wants. And it’s not the mainstream. Shedoes, however rhapsodize about Sachertorte!

Music shapes Vienna, she says: “Viennawithout music? It will still be nice, the cakesare going to be there, the coffee is going to bethere, and the Viennese know how to enjoy life.And, I have to say the museums are awesome.So, the music is… I would not say is a bonus,I think it is pretty essential though… it will bequiet… (laughs loudly).”

VIOLIN CASES AND APPARITIONSAt the Wiener Konzerthaus we meet virtuosoAmerican violinist Joshua Bell. He lives in NewYork, is the director of music at the Academy ofSt. Martin in the Fields in London and is clear-ly smitten: “I come to Vienna and I see, evenwalking down the street, every second personhas a violin case or a cello case. Somehow itjust feels like a city of music. Even when thereis no music playing, you feel like you can hearmusic because there are so many ghosts of thegreats, kind of ringing in the air…”

You can watch the interviews withBilly Joel, Hans Zimmer, Yuja Wang,

Joshua Bell and other international starsonline at music2020.vienna.info

Vienna sounds tome like… music.But music that

can be dissonant,music that canbe passionate,music that canbe romantic,

music that canbe beautiful,

music that canbe light, music

that can bedisturbing, music that can start a revolution,

music that makes you dance, music thatmakes you want to live forever.

HansZimmer

I have lots of friends in Vienna. Once I am here, Ifeel happy, I feel safe, I feel loved. I love walking inthe Stadtpark, and then the Konzerthaus is not far

from Musikverein…it is kind of a littlepiece of paradise.

Of course, as amusician it is likeheaven to come

to the city. I thinkit is inspiring to

be in a place thatjust has beauty onevery corner. As amusician, beauty

inspires beauty.And that’s what a

great piece of music, like a Beethoven symphony, has.Every note belongs where it belongs for a reason, it

was written with purpose.

Joshua Bell

YujaWang

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Major celebrations are the order of the day for2020, when the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’sbirth swings around. All over the world his music

continues to ring out with its unmistakable,revolutionary edge. But we will be focusing onVienna, as it was here that the great composerchose to make a life and career for himself. He

came here to stay. Forever.

Ludwig van Beethoven was a radical force ofnature, both as a man and as an artist. A vision-ary who questioned and reinvented everythingthat went before – changing the face of musicforever. And of Vienna. His influence can stillbe felt to this day, simmering and bubblingaway in the city’s music scene. Musicians fromall over the world are drawn to the capital, likeBeethoven before them. Today lots of talentedyoung people have their sights set on studyingat themdw – University of Music and PerformingArts, Vienna. According to the 2019 QS Uni-versity Ranking it is the number one musicuniversity in the world. It doesn’t get muchbetter than that.

LIVE, LOVE, LAMENTBeethoven lived and worked in Vienna for35 years, and the city inspired much of hiscreative output. Three patrons from the up-per echelons of the nobility pitched in to makeup his annual stipend of 4,000 guilders (grant-ed with no strings attached!): Prince Lobkowitz,Prince Kinsky and Archduke Rudolf of Austria.

But Beethoven had an ambivalent rela-tionship with his sponsors: on the one handhe courted their favor, but at the same timehe would insist on creative freedom and duedeference. His impulsive nature frequentlyrevealed itself. In one instance, Beethovenshows himself to be irked by his host PrinceLichnowsky’s expectations: “And now I am sup-posed to be at home by three thirty every day,put on smarter clothes, shave etc. – I cannotbear it.”

Endless speculation surrounded the wom-en in his life: some he would admire from a dis-tance, and others he would approach. Madlyin love with some, he worshipped others witha burning reverence. But what do we know forsure? – ‘Für Elise’, which forms part of any bud-ding pianist’s repertoire was dedicated to a cer-tain Therese (Malfatti). He composed the piecein the Pasqualati House, which is today an im-portant Beethoven memorial site.

From the age of 30 he was increasinglytormented physically and psychologically byhis growing deafness. Despite this he would goon to complete – later in a state of profounddeafness – unforgettable works including the

Ninth Symphony, the final movement of whichfeatures a setting of Schiller’s ‘Ode to Joy’. Fol-lowing his death on March 26, 1827 at the ageof 56 he was borne forth to his grave like a popstar. 20,000 lined the streets, a tenth of thecity’s population at the time. He was originallyburied in the Währinger Ortsfriedhof cemeterybefore being moved to his final resting placeat the Central Cemetery.

BEETHOVEN LIVE IN 2020The 2020 Beethoven year will celebrate the lifeof the great master. His revolutionary music willbe heard more than usual in the city’s concerthalls, including the Musikverein – which is cel-ebrating its 150th anniversary – and the WienerKonzerthaus. Beethoven only wrote one opera,and it took quite a toll on him: ‘Fidelio’ – will beon at the Vienna State Opera in 2020, as wellas the Theater an der Wien in a new produc-tion directed by Oscar winner Christoph Waltz(premiere: March 16, 2020).

Various temporary exhibitions includingshows at the Austrian National Library and theKunsthistorisches Museum Vienna will providea fascinating insight into the different elementsof his personality and the genius of his oeuvre.There are countless traces of the composer inthe city: from former residences (one of which isnow the city’s main Beethoven Museum, othersa restaurant or even a Heuriger wine tavern),to the scenes of his greatest triumphs and dis-appointments, monuments, Klimt’s BeethovenFrieze at the Secession and his Ehrengrab atthe Central Cemetery. Vienna’s soundmuseum,the House of Music has an interactive exhibi-tion dedicated to Beethoven and will be put-ting on a special program in 2020.

At the Collection of Historic Musical Instruments,numerous rare historic instruments dating backover five centuries are on display. Including fromBeethoven’s day.

music2020.vienna.infoThe lowdown on Beethoven and the

2020 musical calendar (including detailsof Beethoven-related locations and events in 2020)

INFO

The Wiener Symphoniker, a top orchestra witha tradition dating back over 120 years, hasrerecorded all of Beethoven’s symphonies. Allof which can be heard live in Vienna in 2020.

The House of Music is celebrating its 20th anniversary.And will be providing a special focus on Beethoventhroughout the year. Highlight: the ‘Inside Beethoven’installation – which gives visitors the opportunity toexperience what being part of a musical ensemble feelslike. (Jun 10–Aug 10, 2020)

Here’sto you,Ludwig!

TEXT: SUSANNA BURGER

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HEILIGENSTADTIn 1800, this part of Vienna was a highly-desirable spa town outside the city.The spring waters of the old baths have long since been capped, but thearea’s idyllic character is still very much in evidence: winding streets, cobblestones and bucolic charm. Ludwig van Beethoven lived out in the countrysideat Probusgasse 6 on several different occasions from 1802 to seek respitefrom his suffering – and because he loved nature (which can be heard in hisSixth Symphony, ‘The Pastoral’, in which instruments mimic birdsong andthunderstorms). Today, the property is home to the fascinating BeethovenMuseum. A letter – known as the ‘Heiligenstadt Testament’ – which he wroteto his brothers at Probusgasse, but never sent, gives a heart-wrenchinginsight into his torment. “O you men who think or say that I am malevolent,stubborn or misanthropic, how greatly do you wrong me...”

Beethoven also lived at another property just a few steps farther on,which is now the Mayer am Pfarrplatz Heuriger wine tavern: and he is knownto have enjoyed the Viennese wine during his stay here.

Portrait of Ludwig van Beethovenby Julius Schmid, ca. 1901

The present-day Beethoven Museum is oneof the composer’s many former residences.

The Theater an der Wien: now famous for its contemporary opera productions,it hosted the premiere of Beethoven’s only opera, ‘Fidelio’.

Notorious for frequently changing apartments,Beethoven moved house more than 60 timesduring his 35 years in Vienna. We follow himto two of his former residences: one now theBeethoven Museum and the other the Theater

an der Wien opera house.

At homewith themaestro

THEATER AN DER WIENAnother of his numerous addresses was the Theater an der Wien, where hewas engaged in 1801. The deal included a regular wage and an apartmentin a now demolished wing of the theater. And Beethoven kept his side ofthe bargain – his opera ‘Fidelio’ made its debut here in two different itera-tions, as did his violin concerto and his Second, Fifth and Sixth Symphonies.

Kapellmeister Ignaz von Seyfried vividly described the state ofBeethoven’s rooms at the theater: “In his household a truly admirableconfusion… books and music strewn in every corner, there the remainsof a cold snack – here sealed or half-empty bottles – there on the lecternrough sketches for a new quartet, between the windows a respectable slabof Stracchino cheese, to the side substantial debris from a genuine Veronasalami [...].” – the life of a genius back then.

TEXT: SUSANNA BURGER

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Vienna is fantastic. And the whole world knows it. Even so, it is still niceto see this confirmed every year in black and white. In September 2019,Vienna was named ‘The World’s Most Liveable City’ for the second timeby British weekly magazine The Economist. And for the tenth year in arow, the Austrian capital topped the quality of life ranking published byglobal consultancy firm Mercer. Vienna has left no one in any doubt of

its strengths for a full ten years. How come? There are countless reasonswhy quality of life in the city is so good. We’ve picked out ten of the best.

Over 53% of Vienna comprises green space.

GREEN TRANSPORTATION THROUGHOUT THE CAPITAL1. Five subway lines, 28 tram lines and 129 bus services, coveringa total of 1,150 km – Vienna’s environmentally friendly, reliable

public transport system brings passengers to even the farthest-flungcorners of the city. And for an extremely low price: an annual ticketcosts just 1 euro per day. The Wiener Linien public transportation net-work runs continuously: once the day shift is over, night buses duringthe week ensure that everyone gets home safely. On Fridays, Saturdaysand the nights before public holidays the five subway lines drop offlate-night partygoers more or less on their doorsteps!

FRESH FROM THE MOUNTAINS2. The best drink in Vienna (apart from Viennese wine) comesdirectly from the taps: fresh mountain spring water. Two pipe-

lines from the Lower Austrian-Styrian Alps supply the city with400,000 m³ of fresh spring water every day – enough to fill 2.5 millionbathtubs. The water can be tasted at any time at one of the thousanddrinking fountains spread across the capital. Vienna is in fact the firstcity in the world to have its water supply protected by the constitution. 28 tram lines reliably transport passengers from A to B.

There are 1,000 drinking fountains in Vienna.

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Numerous international rankings confirm Vienna’sleading position as the most livable city.

2019:Top spot in the Global Liveability Index

produced by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)forecast and analysis team

2017:Third place in Monocle Magazine’s list of the

world’s most livable cities

2019:First place in the Smart City Strategy Index

compiled by global consultants Roland Berger

2018:Named Best International Destination 2017

by GayTravel.com,the biggest LGBT travel site

INFO

ART, ART EVERYWHERE10. 100 museums, 250 galleries forcontemporary art, over 15,000 con-

certs each year, 80 festivals, 10,000 seats inconcert halls, three opera houses, 120 stagesfor music and theatre, 28 palaces, 163 citypalaces: it is impossible to fit more culture intoa city. Genuinely. The world’s largest collectionsof works by Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele andBruegel in particular are unique attractions thatare a must-see on any trip to Vienna.

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GREEN, GREENER, VIENNA3. The green, green grass of home... with 990 parks and green spaces,300,000 trees, and countless meadows, woods and fields, Vienna

is one of the world’s greenest major cities. 53% of themunicipal area is madeup by green space. The many parks on the Ringstrasse, as well as the Praterpark, provide opportunities to enjoy green space right in the heart of thecity. A sizeable chunk of the Donau-Auen National Park falls within the citylimits – the Lobau, which is one of Europe’s last unspoiled wetlands. Andwith part of the Vienna woods also on its outskirts, the capital has its ownbiosphere reserve, which is home to various endangered species.

WE LIKE TO MOVE IT4. There are also a wide variety of sportsactivities on offer in Vienna. The Vienna

woods are paradise for hikers andmountain bik-ers, with 11 clearly marked trails within the citylimits. In the fresh air high up on the Kahlenbergthere’s an aerial adventure park, and the adja-cent 3D archery park is a real highlight – amustfor sharp shooters! Vienna’s outdoor pools aswell as the Danube and attached waters offerhours of fun splashing about. And anyone whocan’t keep their feet still will be in their elementrunning or inline skating along the Prater Haupt-allee or on the Danube Island. Alternatively, theycan head to Alte Donau (Old Danube) to showoff their stand-up paddling skills.

CUCUMBER CAPITAL5. For a city with close to two million inhabitants, Vienna has aflourishing agriculture sector: around a third of green space

and 15% of the total area of the capital is given over to farming.645 gardens, vineyards, fields, vegetable patches and orchards sup-ply the city with a cornucopia of vegetables, fruit, cereals, and wine.Vienna grows more cucumbers than any other region of Austria – animpressive 28,700 tons every year – making it the cucumber capital.

MICHELIN-STAR CUISINE À LA VIENNE6. Vienna is not the place to come to for a detox diet.Viennese Cuisine is in fact the only cuisine in the world to

be named after a city. And it is easy to find Michelin-starred cuisineeven at a reasonable price – Heinz Reitbauer’s Steirereck in theStadtpark, Juan Amador’s restaurant Amador, and KonstantinFilippou’s restaurant all sport stars awarded by the world-renownedguide. For those looking for something a bit more down-to-earth,countless restaurants, pubs, traditional Viennese Beisl and othereateries await hungry guests, with a huge range of food available.

VIENNA’S HEROES IN ORANGE7. An essential requirement for good qual-ity of life is a clean city. The Municipal

Department for Waste Management, StreetCleaning and Vehicle Fleet – MA 48 for short –enjoys cult status in Vienna. Nowhere else willyou find cool workers making sure that trashends up where it belongs: out of the city. Intheir orange overalls, they make 120,000 jour-neys in their garbage trucks every year, cover-ing nine million kilometers in total – that’s ajourney to the moon every 14 days.

VIENNA NEVER STOPS LEARNING8. Vienna’s 20 various universities havearound 200,000 students enrolled in

courses, making the Austrian capital the big-gest university town in the German-speakingworld. Vienna can be proud of the quality of itsuniversities; the University of Music and Per-forming Arts, Vienna (mdw) is the best musicuniversity in the world. And Vienna continuesto grow as a center for higher education: infall 2019 the respected Central European Uni-versity (CEU) moved here. Michael Ignatieff, thePresident and Rector of CEU, is very taken withVienna: “Vienna is an international location foruniversities, companies and international or-ganizations. The establishment of the Viennacampus opens up fantastic new possibilitiesfor the CEU’s faculty and students.”

THE WORLD IN VIENNA9. Vienna is a popular location for international organizations (in-cluding the United Nations) and global businesses, not least

thanks to its central location in the heart of Europe, good transportlinks and virtually unbeatable quality of life. This international aspectmeans the city is also a popular venue for congresses, conferencesand company get-togethers, with 4,500 such events taking place inVienna every year. The 2018 International Congress and ConventionAssociation (ICCA) rankings placed Vienna in second place, behindParis. And Vienna is ranked fourth worldwide by the Union of Interna-tional Associations (UIA). As well as three outstanding conferencecenters (the Austria Center Vienna, Hofburg Vienna, and Messe WienExhibition & Congress Center), Vienna scores highly for its manyother historic and modern event venues.

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Live like Empress Sisi in a palace, or in one of theworld’s largest arts complexes? Both are possiblein Vienna. These days, many of the city’s historicbuildings are called home by private individuals.We were welcomed as guests at Schönbrunn

Palace and the MuseumsQuartier.

Emperors and empresses once walked up the manystaircases in Schönbrunn Palace to reach their chambers.And until a few years ago, so did a woman dressed in flowingrobes, who believed she was Marie Antoinette – the Frenchqueen who was beheaded in 1793. “The lady was a bitconfused,” Monika Levay tells us. And how does she know? –Well, for the last 20 years, Monika Levay has lived in anapartment in Schönbrunn Palace with her husband, thecomposer Sylvester Levay. Today, we ascend the stairs inthe palace, as the Levays have offered us an exclusive lookinto their home. There are a total of 35 apartments insideSchönbrunn Palace, and another 120 in other buildings onthe estate of the most visited tourist attraction in Austria.

As we step inside the spacious drawing room, thereis a sharp intake of breath: it has a direct view of theGloriette. It is hard to imagine that a better view could befound anywhere in the whole of Vienna. The couple livein a space of about 150 m². “Every stone here breatheshistory,” enthuses Monika, a historian and expert on EmpressElisabeth. “The ‘Red Duchess’ Elisabeth [daughter of CrownPrince Rudolph who was converted to the cause of socialdemocracy] is supposed to have resided here.”

The imperial accommodation is also a perfect fit forSylvester, who enjoyed global success with the hit musical‘Elisabeth’ in 1992, which shone a critical light on Sisi’s life.Although the songs for ‘Elisabeth’ were composed else-where, the musicals ‘Mozart!’ and ‘Rebecca’ were writtenhere, on Sylvester’s Bösendorfer Imperial grand piano.His appreciation is inescapable: “The Empress’ balconyis directly below our drawing room. That is a source ofinspiration. My soul is very happy here. What more couldI wish for?”

JOGGING ELEPHANTSThe Levays have never regretted moving here, though theyadmit: “It is a little difficult to bring the shopping or luggagein, past all the visitors and up to the apartment.” Close tofour million people visit the palace every year. But surpris-ingly, it isn’t noisy: “At six in the morning, if we have thewindows open, we hear the crunching of joggers’ shoeson the gravel,” says Sylvester. “And if the wind is blowingin the right direction, in the evening we can hear the lionsroaring in the zoo. Very romantic.” Monika Levay adds: “Afew years ago, the sound of crunching gravel was particu-larly loud. I looked down and saw that the elephants weretaking a turn around the park with their keepers – beforethe park opened to the public, of course.”

After 8pm, the 160-hectare palace gardens are onceagain the preserve of the residents. On New Year’s Eve, theLevays usually walk up the hill to the Gloriette. “From therewe have a fantastic view of the city and the fireworks,” theGrammy-award-winning composer explains.

Monika and Sylvester Levay in their drawing roomwith its view of the Gloriette

Sylvester Levay has composed many hitsat his Bösendorfer Imperial concert grand.

The 50-m² drawing room is the jewel in thecrown of the apartment.

An original letter written by Empress Elisabeth, signedwith her Hungarian name, Erzsébet.

Monika Levay is a passionate collector of objectsonce owned by Elisabeth. Here she holds a watercarafe that belonged to the Empress.

Empress Elisabeth’s visiting card

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TEXT: ROBERT SEYDEL ,JULIA ZANGERL

GUESTS FROM THE HOUSE OF HABSBURGGenuine Habsburgs also pop by from time to time, as thestar composer relates: “We have a good relationship withthe Habsburg-Lothringen family. They have been dinnerguests of ours many times. They never say directly thatthey would be happy to live here, but you can see howmuch they like it.”

The Habsburgs must also take pleasure in seeing theglass-fronted cabinet that stands in the hall. It containsporcelain, silverware, glassware and many other piecesformerly owned by Empress Elisabeth. “I was six years oldwhen I first read a book about her,” Monika tells us. Sheregularly purchases items from the former imperial house-hold at auctions, and also loans them out for exhibitions.As we leave the apartment, it is impossible not to feel thatwe are leaving part of the imperial past...

“IT’S REALLY EXCITING!”The next apartment we visit is also found in one of thecity’s most prominent locations. Former Austrian Airlinesemployee Gayle Berry-Zöchbauer and her husband fellin love with the MuseumsQuartier (MQ) 11 years ago, andlive in a first-floor, 150-m² flat here. Their home in one ofthe world’s largest arts and culture centers is impressive.On one side (from the bedroom), there are views of theNaturhistorisches Museum Vienna, the KunsthistorischesMuseum Vienna and the Maria Theresa memorial, while the55-m² terrace faces the mumok – museum of modern artludwig foundation vienna and looks out over the MQ’s live-ly inner courtyard. Inside, the mixture of furniture from theViennese Modernism era and numerous artworks collectedby Berry-Zöchbauer’s husband create a stylish ambience.

And the couple are here to stay. “We jumped atthe chance,” she recalls. They waited eight years for anapartment to become available. Today they can’t imagineliving anywhere else. Berry-Zöchbauer, who was born inNew York, explains why: “Here in the MuseumsQuartieryou’re at the beating heart of everything that happens inthis city. For me, the seventh district is the hippest andcoolest in Vienna. And when you go outside the door, youhave everything: art, culture, history, architecture, music,dance – all year round. Unadulterated entertainment.” Sheadds: “It’s really exciting here.”

“IN MANHATTAN, ALL YOU HEAR IS SIRENS.”Just like for the Levays, the historic character of the lo-cation plays an important part for Berry-Zöchbauer, whoalso happens to be a karate master. Formerly, the imperialstables were located here. “It’s very stimulating to live in aplace imbued with so much history, where Baroque meetsmodernity,” she enthuses. For her, the absolute highlight isthe terrace. Like in a private box at the opera, the couplecan enjoy events in the MQ courtyard here with friends.And there’s space for a bit of urban gardening, too.

4.5million people flock theMQ each year. Is it not tiringto live here? Berry-Zöchbauer answers without hesitation:“No. Maybe it’s a bit loud sometimes, because there’s alwayssomething going on in the courtyard. But that keeps usyoung. And anyway the noise comes from people enjoyingthemselves: clinking glasses and laughing. In Manhattan, allyou hear is sirens. So I know what real noise is.”

With a heavy heart we say goodbye after two hours, toreturn to our new-build flats and dream of the palace andthe MuseumsQuartier. As we are leaving, Berry-Zöchbauerdoes think of something she would change: “What doesreally bother us is that Maria Theresa has her back turnedto us,” she laughs. “Could you please arrange for the statueto be turned around?” A tall order. But as we know, any-thing is possible in Vienna.

Tourists visiting the palace can go no further –from this point access is for residents only.

The 55-m² terrace across from the mumok isan oasis of green.

Gayle Berry-Zöchbauer enjoys the breathtaking viewof Maria Theresa and the Naturhistorisches and Kunst-historisches Museum Vienna.

Furniture from the Viennese modernist periodadds a stylish touch to the living room.

The karate master retreats to her libraryto relax.

The living room is filled with artworkscollected by Berry-Zöchbauer’s husband.

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THE LANDLORD PETER FRIESEHe’s the patron of the Zum Schwarzen Kameel,always has a smile on his lips, and gives every

guest the feeling of being a regular,even on their first visit. His commandpost is the central cash desk, from

where he has an excellent view of things inhis family-run establishment.

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As ever, the Zum Schwarzen Kameel is full tobursting. All hell has broken loose around thebar. The waiters, all wearing a white jacket andred tie, snake their way through the throng.Next to a few business men, a worker enjoysa beer, a group of downtown ladies sip aglass of wine or two over the legendary opensandwiches at their weekly meeting, touristsadmire the beautiful Art Nouveau ambiencewith the historic wood paneling and relief tiles.In between, well-known politicians mingle withstylish artists, busybodies with boasters. TheZum Schwarzen Kameel is the stage for theViennese and Viennese culture, with the guestsplaying the main role. As do the sandwiches,which guests here eat standing up. TheZum Schwarzen Kameel, half bar, half poshrestaurant, is a trendy spot for all age groups, aunique kaleidoscope of Viennese society fromall walks of life. Founded by Johann BaptistCameel (hence the second „e“ in the name), theFriese family now owns the cult establishmentthat has been around for 400 years. Oh yes,there‘s also a restaurant for everyone whoprefers a little less hustle and bustle.

Bognergasse 5, 1010 Vienna

TEXT: SUSANNE KAPELLER

THE ELEGANT DOWNTOWN LADYThe lady of indeterminate age also wears herfine camel hair coat with mink collar on thepremises, of course. The hair – blond, natural-ly – fits perfectly, as if she had come straightfrom the hair salon (which is probably true), herlips made up. For all the perfection, asurgeonmight have helped a little. Theelegant downtown lady likes to drinka glass of Grüner Veltliner in the afternoon.

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THE WAITERSThey manage the Zum Schwarzen Kameel andof course greet regular guests by name. They

can spot right away who would like toorder something and appear at thetable at just the right moment. Charm-

ing to the last, they are also the very height ofdiscretion. And they look like they’re genuflect-ing – with white tuxedo jackets and red ties.

THE ARTISTA black turtleneck sweater, black pants, atousled head of curly hair – the well-knownpainter stands somewhat lost in the middle ofthe Zum Schwarzen Kameel, drinkinghis obligatory glass of red wine. “Is ithim or isn’t it?” the other guests whis-per. Nobody is sure. “And who is he meeting?”Usually he remains on his own. Although...one never is in the Zum Schwarzen Kameel,of course.

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Any similarities between the fictional charactersand actual persons are purely coincidental.

CARTOON: BERND ERTLwww.ausgezeichnet.com

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THE ARISTOCRATThe jacket is a bit worn and threadbare, thepants have seen better times. A visit to the

hairdresser is also long overdue. Thedescendant of an old-establishedViennese noble family, however, has a

good name. And on his little finger there is anopulent signet ring that testifies to more glo-rious times past.

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THE ADVERTISER GIOVANNIHe is a man in his prime, the hair on his fore-head a little thinner, the remaining, slight-ly graying hair is longer, combed back withgel. A three-day beard and suit with waist-coat are his trademarks. He has beena regular guest of the Zum SchwarzenKameel for years and has his regularplace. Every waiter knows him and immedi-ately brings him a glass of his favorite wine.

5THE SECRETARY

After work, she likes to meet her friends inthe Zum Schwarzen Kameel for a few whitewine spritzers or a few glasses ofProsecco. Wearing a mini skirt, shesits on the bar stool, neatly dressed,her long hair tumbling into her neckline, herlips a little too full to be natural. And she throwsglances in the direction of the smart lawyerat the bar.

MAÎTRE JOHANNGEORG GENSBICHLER

Head waiter Johann Georg Gensbichler withhis distinctive imperial whiskers may alreadybe in semi-retirement, but is still kind of like thetrademark of the Zum Schwarzen Kameel. He

directs the guests to their seats, knowsall their titles, and addresses them cor-rectly with “Dear lady”, “Doctor” and

“Madam privy councilor”. He wanders fromtable to table and gives every guest the feel-ing of being the most important person there.Gensbichler’s clothing is also eyecatching:sometimes a frock coat, sometimes a color-ful suit.

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THE POSH LAWYERThe shirt is unbuttoned exactly one button toofar, the golden boy from a successful Viennesefamily leans against the bar, enjoying,above all, a good view of the ladiespresent. The pastel-colored cashmeresweater is carefully draped over his shoulders.Next to him at the bar: a well-chilled bottleof champagne, waiting to make its grand en-trance when his friends from the upmarket dis-trict of Döbling come rushing in.

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MADAM ERNAThe lady with the eccentric glasses is also anessential feature of the Zum Schwarzen Kameel.She is the mistress of the famous open sand-wiches from the display case, which she manag-es with an indescribable attention to detail. With

charm, she extols the icons among thesandwiches: topped with ham andfreshly shredded horseradish.

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Vienna and cafés. Naturally enough everyone immediatelythinks of a venerable old Viennese coffeehouse. And there

are plenty of them in the city – 130 to be precise. But Viennahas much more to offer: all told, there are 2,400 cafés of all

kinds in the city, from café-restaurants, pastry shops with theirown cafés, and espresso bars, to mini roasteries and hipsterjoints. Discover a cross-section of the variety on offer in acoffeehouse walk that takes in all 23 of Vienna’s districts.

TEXT: SUSANNE KAPELLER

A taste of Georgia: Café Ansari in the second district

Mirror, mirror on the wall: Café Savoy in the sixth district

The hipster’s choice: Café Espresso in the seventh district

1ST DISTRICTThe café for bohemians: Café Engländer

People don’t really go to Engländer for thecoffee and cake, it’s more about being partof something. Artists, creatives and ad execsmake up the clientèle. Genuinely a place tosee and be seen.

Postgasse 2, 1010 Vienna

2ND DISTRICTA taste of Georgia: Café Ansari

A gem of a coffeehouse on the idyllic, tree-lined Praterstrasse boulevard with deliciousGeorgian cuisine. Lovingly designed by anarchitect, down to the last detail.

Praterstrasse 15, 1020 Vienna

3RD DISTRICTFor those in the know: Café am Heumarkt

A typical Viennese coffeehouse, yet somehowthe opposite of its traditional first districtcousins: quiet, slightly tucked away, a littlecareworn and only open during the week.

Am Heumarkt 15, 1030 Vienna

4TH DISTRICTOne for all the generations: Vollpension

Inside, it looks like a cool granny’s living room –with good reason: a group of grandmothersserve slices of homemade cake alongside theirlife stories.

Schleifmühlgasse 16, 1040 Vienna

5TH DISTRICTA café with a garden: Café Rüdigerhof

The Rüdigerhof garden is one of Vienna’s pretti-est. The building itself is amonument to AustrianArt Nouveau and the worn yet charming interi-ors have an appeal all of their own.

Hamburgerstrasse 20, 1050 Vienna

6TH DISTRICTMirror, mirror on the wall: Café Savoy

This beautiful historic coffeehouse is not onlya popular hangout for gay men. The huge mir-rors – the second largest in Europe after the onesin the Palace of Versailles – are real head-turners.

Linke Wienzeile 36, 1060 Vienna

7TH DISTRICTThe hipster’s choice: Café Espresso

A 1950s style espresso bar with original fur-nishings in the heart of hipster central: littletables, red leatherette banquettes and acurved bar. Guests who aren’t into coffeeshould try the milk frappé.

Burggasse 57, 1070 Vienna

8TH DISTRICTA real charmer: Café Eiles

A traditional coffeehouse close to City Hallwith a culinary and aesthetic spring in its step,following its recent renovation. Seemingly un-changed, yet everything’s new.

Josefstädter Strasse 2, 1080 Vienna

9TH DISTRICTThe former post office: Café Telegraph

A modern café with echoes of a bistro thanksto its eye-catching tiled floor. Breakfast is atrip around the world – just as it should be ina former telegraph office.

Garnisongasse 7, 1090 Vienna

10TH DISTRICTSocial center: Magdas Kantine

Between gallery sessions at the Brotfabrik, artfans can stop off for coffee at Magdas Kantinewhere people struggling to break into thelabor market run the show.

Absberggasse 27, 1100 Vienna

11TH DISTRICTPomp and ceremony: Kurkonditorei Oberlaa

at the Central CemeteryAn unusual location for a café, but perfectfor a rest after a walk around the sights at theCentral Cemetery – featuring treats from thefamously delicious Oberlaa patisserie.

Simmeringer Hauptstrasse 232,Entrance at Tor 2, 1110 Vienna

12TH DISTRICTThe suburban café: Café Raimann

A classic café with lots of local color and aset lunch menu which the Viennese can’t getenough of. Yes, some typical Viennese coffee-houses serve food, too!

Schönbrunner Strasse 285, 1120 Vienna

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The sweet aroma of chocolate and hazelnuts hangs inthe air in the seventeenth district, where Manner hasbeen making its fine confectionery since 1890. Its mostsuccessful product are Manner Schnitten: from their originsin Vienna, these Neapolitan wafers filled with chocolatehazelnut creme have gone on to take the world by storm.Today they have a cult following.

Each pack contains 10 wafers, and in tribute we have10 surprising facts about Manner for you:

• An average of two packs of Manner Schnitten are eat-en every second worldwide. Or an impressive 72,000an hour. Lined up end to end, that’s 3,528 meters –more than 26 times the height of St. Stephen’s Cathe-dral.

• Manner Schnitten are among the most famous Viennasouvenirs. The Manner store on Stephansplatz alonesells up to 4,000 packs each day.

• The individual wafers are designed to be perfectlybite-sized. The formula for success is as follows:49x17x17 millimeters.

• The hazelnuts were once sourced from the Naplesregion, which is why they are known as Neapolitanwafers.

• St. Stephen’s Cathedral is part of the Manner logo.And Manner is the only company allowed to use thistrademarked symbol on its products.

• To demonstrate its ties to the landmark, Manner issponsoring Vienna’s sweetest stonemason, it pays thewages of an artisan working on St. Stephen’s Cathe-dral. Rather than donning the traditional blue dunga-rees favored by the city’s tradespeople, his workwearis Manner pink.

• The world-famous Manner pink has been in use sincethe company’s foundation and was added as an offi-cial Pantone color in 2019.

• There are only a handful of companies who, likeManner, produce their own chocolate using beansfrom their own roastery. And Manner wafers havealways been vegan. Many years before anyone knewwhat it meant!

• For the Viennese, a sausage stand without Mannerwafers is not a real sausage stand. The same goes forthe capital’s Heuriger wine taverns and cinemas.

• While the classic hazelnut version never changes,Manner has introduced an assortment of other varie-ties to suit different tastes over the years – from rasp-berry to coffee. Currently Manner wafers are alsoavailable in lemon, coconut, vanilla and chocolatecreme. But it’s impossible to beat the original.www.manner.com

Five layers of wafer, filled with four layersof hazelnut and cocoa creme, cut intobite-sized pieces

Tickled pinkA LEGENDARY VIENNESE CONFECTIONER IS CELEBRATING A SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY IN 2020:

MANNER HAS BEEN PRODUCING ITS POPULAR SNACKS FOR 130 YEARS.WRAPPED UP IN DISTINCTIVE PINK PACKAGING, MANNER WAFERS ARE KNOWN ALL OVER THE WORLD.

Manner pink instead of blue dungarees:Vienna’s sweetest stonemason at work atSt. Stephen’s Cathedral

TEXT: SUSANNE KAPELLER

Brimming with history: Café Turnhalle in the fifteenthdistrict

A palace for the workers: Café Ritter in the sixteenth district

The café that never was: Café Bauchstich

13TH DISTRICTWell-heeled: Café Dommayer

The thirteenth district is a particularly well-to-do, conservative part of town. Visitors love CaféDommayer, an attractive venue with a beautifulBiedermeier interior where everything is justso. Perfect after a trip to Schönbrunn.

Dommayergasse 1, 1130 Vienna

14TH DISTRICTBike café: Velobis

A hybrid experience in what was once theGloriette Kino cinema: Velobis is a bike shopand café-bistro all rolled into one. A puristvibe – with bikes on the walls, yet still cozy.

Johnstrasse 1–3, 1140 Vienna

15TH DISTRICTBrimming with history: Die Turnhalle

A great location with an international feel, setin the old gym of a Jewish school. This build-ing was once at the heart of Jewish life in thispart of Vienna.

Herklotzgasse 21, 1150 Vienna

16TH DISTRICTA palace for the workers: Café Ritter

There are two Café Ritters in Vienna. The onein Ottakring is an opulent gem set in the heartof a down-to-earth working class district. It’shard to think of a bigger contrast.

Ottakringer Strasse 117, 1160 Vienna

17TH DISTRICTGreen with envy: Manameierei

This utterly charming café in a modern tim-ber cabin occupies an enviable location inthe Schwarzenbergpark, on the fringes ofthe Vienna Woods. It is accessible via theStadtwanderweg 3 hiking trail.

Exelbergstrasse 32, 1170 Vienna

18TH DISTRICTParadise for parlor games:

Café SchopenhauerThis beautiful old Viennese coffeehouse ispopular among card players thanks to its specialtables for tarock, bridge and the like. Chess,dice poker and billiards are also on the menu.

Staudgasse 1, 1180 Vienna

19TH DISTRICTA café with a view:

Café Restaurant Oktogon Am HimmelGlazed on all sides, this octagonal café on a hillon the outskirts provides fantastic panoramicviews of the city below. The nearby Sisi-Kapellechapel is also worth a look.

Himmelstrasse 125, 1190 Vienna

20TH DISTRICTThe café that never was: Café Bauchstich

This is the name given to by the Viennese to thekind of underworld café where you might getcaught up in a knife fight (Bauchstich = a stabin the gut). Of course, there is no Café Bauch-stich, but for a long time this was the name em-blazoned on a vacant building as a joke.

21ST DISTRICTPretty in pink: Aida

You can always rely on the Aida chain. Evenin districts where coffeehouse are in relativelyshort supply, you are bound to find a branch ofthis café-patisserie in its distinctive pink retrolook.

Schönthalergasse 1, 1210 ViennaFloridsdorfer Hauptstrasse 42, 1210 Vienna

22ND DISTRICTCafé with 360° views:

Turmcafé at the DonauturmThe Turmcafé at the Donauturm (constructed1964) revolves on its own axis 170meters aboveground. The whole city glides past as patronsenjoy their coffees. It’s almost like watching TV!

Donauturmstrasse 4, 1220 Vienna

23RD DISTRICTThe wine tavern

For the twenty-third district, we are sendingyou off for “a coffee” at a Heuriger wine tavernin Mauer. Well... better a glass of GemischterSatz, which is a Viennese specialty – and theideal choice in this picturesque winegrowingvillage.

Heurigendorf Mauer, 1230 Vienna

Paradise for parlor games: Café Schopenhauerin the eighteenth

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It is practically impossible to get away from Sigmund Freud at the moment,with the reopening of the Freud Museum in Vienna, and a Netflix series aboutthe young Freud set to hit screens worldwide. This ambitious doctor becamea pop star of the academic world – a man who revolutionized thinking about

the human condition from his practice in Vienna.

TEXT: STEFAN MÜLLER

In early 1876, nothing suggested that 19-year-old medicalstudent Sigmund Freud would one day become a greatscientist and the cartographer of the Viennese soul.Quite the opposite: he was standing – haunted by the dis-appointment of a first love lost and struggling with poverty –in the zoology department in Trieste and, scalpel in hand,attempting to determine the location of the sex organs ofan eel. His anatomy teacher admired the zeal with which hewent about this task. For his doctoral thesis in 1881, Freudwrote about the nervous systems of lower fish species.

Today he is a household name all over the world. Heremains one of the most oft-cited academics, and his famecontinues undiminished. In China in particular his popu-larity continues to grow. His book ‘The Interpretation ofDreams’, written 120 years ago, is more relevant than ever.The Freud Museum in Vienna will reopen in May 2020, andearly in 2020 streaming giant Netflix releases an Austrianseries that will be available to 148 million households andin 30 different languages: ‘Freud’ is a portrait of a develop-ing young man, who was no stranger to controversy withhis passionate belief in his theories.

“HE WAS A GENIUS”Freud had little success with his fish. So in 1885, after aperiod of study in Paris, he began to focus on psychopa-thology and, step by step, started laying bare the structuresof human soul. A bold undertaking. Desire and aggression;the repression of drives and neuroses. Who wants to hearthat we are not master in our own house, that the uncon-scious has us on a merry-go-round, and that what we seein other people is just the tip of the iceberg? Freud openedup chasms that changed everything: art, science, society –our picture of the human being.

“The time was ripe and he was simply a genius,”explains Professor Alfred Pritz, the founding rector of theSigmund Freud University in Vienna. “Freud is a guidingfigure in the understanding of the modern soul. He had

his weaknesses, but we have to approach him overall as ahistorical personality. There is no one like him in the worldin our discipline.” It is due in no small part to Freud that in2021 and 2023 a neurology and a psychotherapy congresswill take place in Vienna, with 9,000 delegates expectedaltogether. Pritz also underlines what a great achievementit was to develop psychoanalysis into a teachable method.“He showed that it is possible to ease people’s suffering andto heal them bymeans of a special, respectful relationship,”says Pritz. Freud was able to provide relief to and even healmany of the “crazy” people that entered his private practiceat number 19, Berggasse in Vienna – simply by talking, witha couch as the only treatment aid.

FREUD’S LEGACYThe spirit of the time in Vienna around 1900 made Freud’swork possible. But there were also outstanding practition-ers elsewhere. Naturally there were precursors to Freud’sthinking, but he set new standards. His legacy was takenfurther by the young acolytes who flocked to the greatmaestro. At Mariannengasse 1 in Vienna there is a muse-um dedicated to Viktor Frankl, whose work focused on thequestion of meaning in life.

During his lifetime Freud was known in Europe as wellas in North and South America. And yet he was plaguedby self-doubt; at the end of each working day he analyz-ed himself, as he also suffered from internal conflicts andmessed-up relationships. Criticism of “unscientific” newteachings continued unabated, but his devotees veneratedhim all the more. In death, he retains his revered positionin history. His appearance on Netflix would surely havepleased him.

Robert Finster plays Sigmund Freud in the Netflix series ‘Freud’.

Sigmund Freud was the founder of modern psycho-analysis and left an indelible imprint on Vienna.

The Sigmund Freud Museum will reopen in May 2020following modernization.

SIGMUND FREUD MUSEUMBerggasse 19, 1090 Viennawww.freud-museum.at

From October 23, 2020 to March 7, 2021, theLower Belvedere will present an exhibition

entitled Dalí – Freud, which examines Freud’sinfluence on the great surrealist painter.

Rennweg 6, 1030 Viennawww.belvedere.at

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TEXT: SUSANNE KAPELLER

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The Augarten Melon Service, designed by JosefHoffmann, is a popular design souvenir.

Art on the fringeTHE BIGGEST REPOSITORIES OF ART AND

MOST GALLERIES ARE FOUND IN THE CENTER OF VIENNA.BUT THERE IS ALSO A FLOURISHING ART SCENE

CLOSER TO THE CAPITAL’S OUTSKIRTS.

TEXT: ROBERT SEYDEL

Modern TimesVIENNA WAS A CITY OF DESIGN A HUNDRED YEARS AGO – AND IT STILL IS

TODAY. THE CITY’S FABRIC STILL BEARS THE HALLMARKS OF THE JUGENDSTIL(ART NOUVEAU) ERA AND THE WIENER WERKSTÄTTE DESIGN COMPANY,

WHICH REMAIN SEMINAL INFLUENCES. THEIR LEGACY PROVIDES AN INSPIRINGENVIRONMENT FOR CONTEMPORARY VIENNESE DESIGNERS, WHO PLAY WITH

TRADITION OR CONSCIOUSLY DISTANCE THEMSELVES FROM IT.

Vienna’s excellent public transport networkmeans it is possible to reach the city’s outer dis-tricts in the shortest time. And it is well worthmaking the journey: more and more galleriesand fringe venues are springing up outside theGürtel ring road that encircles the inner districts.Current hotspot Die Schöne is located behindthe Ottakringer brewery in the sixteenth dis-trict. On the first floor of an industrial building,close to 400 m² of floor space serves as a gal-lery, experimental space, workshop and studio.The Kunst ab Hinterhof platform has its shop onthe ground floor, where visitors can buy up-and-coming contemporary art. The project’s initia-tors, Sonja Gansberger and Florian Appelt, haveno regrets about setting up in Ottakring: “Weliked the location, as it is at a ‘safe remove’ fromthe established art scene, becausewewanted tostart something new and unconventional.” The

disadvantages do not cause a problem. “Notbeing just a hop away from the center supportscreativity. And we make up for the lack of foot-fall with a number of initiatives.”

AA Collections is located in the fifteenthdistrict, while Galerie Frewein-Kazakbaev isfound in the eighteenth. Several galleries andcreative spaces have moved into the Brotfabrik,an old industrial bakery in the tenth district,and on Yppenplatz in the sixteenth districta former market hall has been made into anarts laboratory – the Brunnenpassage. Over400 events take place here every year, fromtheater and dance to music, exhibitions andfilm screenings. Unusual art can be found attwo fringe spaces in the twentieth district –New Jörg and Mz* Baltazar’s Laboratory.

Street artists have also discoveredVienna’s outer districts. At Hernalser Gürtel 13(seventeenth district) there is a brand newpink mural by Golif measuring 25 meters by15 meters, and various works adorn the wallsaround Yppenplatz. Impressive works canalso be seen in Braunhirschenpark (fifteenthdistrict), at Quellenstrasse 156 (tenth district),at the Brotfabrik (tenth district) and atGierstergasse 10 (twelfth district).

In the Österreichische Werkstätten shop on KärntnerStrasse, the traditional meets the contemporary as classicsof Austrian Art Nouveau and Viennese Modernism arejoined by new designs. Glasses from Lobmeyr, porcelainfrom Augarten, and fabrics produced by Backhausen todesigns created 100 years ago by Josef Hoffmann forWiener Werkstätte sparkle for all they are worth alongsidecontemporary tableware by Mano Design, vases byGlashütte Comploj, and Mühlbauer hats.

Imperial Shop Vienna, in the Hofburg, offers a mix oftraditional craftsmanship and products by young designerswho play with tradition. Alongside design classics it stockseye-catching bags by Sagan Vienna that put a modern twiston the Viennese wickerwork traditionally found in Thonetchairs, as well as small bags of all kinds by Said The Fox,whose designs pay homage to Josef Hoffmann.

The MAK – Museum of Applied Arts is also a designmuseum, and holds the Wiener Werkstätte archive.Fittingly, the MAK Design Shop presents outstandingAustrian design – from notebooks featuring WienerWerkstätte designs, to salt and pepper shakers in the shapeof animals, created by Viennese design collective Mostlikelyfor Augarten.

Anyone who enjoys visiting galleries and loves table-ware should head straight for the Augarten Porcelain Manu-factory. Small ceramics producers feinedinge* in the fourthdistrict and Mano Design in the sixteenth district are alsoworth a visit.

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Exhibition at Die Schöne gallery

Street art wunderkind Nychos hasdissected Freud at Spittelau.

The feinedinge* shop by the tablewaredesigners of the same name is a feastfor the eyes.

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In Vienna, people love nothing more than a good dance – inmore formal styles at balls, and to a distinctly contemporarybeat at dance festivals like ImPulsTanz. Even the beehivesare rocking – honey bees famously use specific dancemoves to relate information to each other about foodsources in the area.

The bee dance was discovered by a Vienna-born re-searcher by the name of Karl von Frisch. No one knowswhether he was himself a good dancer, but bees were defi-nitely his great passion in life. In 1973 he was awarded theNobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his pioneering re-search, along with Nikolaas Tinbergen and Konrad Lorenz.

But 200 years before that, bees had already capturedthe attention of none other than Maria Theresa, who found-ed the world’s first beekeeping school in Vienna in 1769. Tothis day, a memorial plaque hangs in the Augarten com-memorating her head beekeeper and rector of the bee-keeping school, Anton Janša. Having World Bee Day onMay 20 – his birthday – seemed like the obvious thing todo. And in 2018 the United Nations made it official, show-ing just how important these industrious creatures are forour ecosystem and the wider economy.

A CITY OF 200 MILLIONBees are also important for Vienna. You could even saythat they make a beeline for the city. And the capital ispulling out all the stops to ensure that they have the per-fect habitat. What many people don’t realize is that citiesare great environments where bees can thrive, especiallyif they are as green as Vienna! The large proportion of themetropolitan area accounted for by green space (53%) andnumerous greened roofs, leafy terraces and plant-filled

balconies provide a rich source of food all year round.Around 700 beekeepers make the most of these ideal con-ditions – and up to 200 million bees buzz through the skiesabove the city’s streets in summer.

The city plays its part by setting aside space for naturalmeadows in its parks and promoting organic farming. Thereare hives all over the city, including at the Hirschstettenflower gardens, Seestadt Aspern and even the CentralCemetery. The first district also has a number of colonieson top of high-profile locations including the Vienna StateOpera, the Secession, the Kunsthistorisches MuseumVienna and City Hall.

BEE HAPPY AT VILLA ERBSEOne way to find out about the fascinating lives of bees isto pay a visit to the Villa Erbse organic honey farm. Sur-rounded by old buildings with mature natural gardens, thehouse with its pea green facade (Erbse = pea, ed.) is locat-ed in the twenty-third district.

“One of the bees’ main occupations is going out onreconnaissance missions in the surrounding area – they flyup to three kilometers, always on the look out for food,”explains Martin Asche, beekeeper and owner of the VillaErbse, in an interview with the Vienna Journal. Bees lovenectar and pollen, which are in plentiful supply here. Thegreat by-product of all this foraging is that they pollinatethe fruit trees in the local area.

“You could say that I was born to be a beekeeper, asmy father had several hives in his garden,” Asche adds.His first swarm of bees flew to him by chance. Legallyspeaking, a colony that leaves its hive is treated asabandoned, provided no one is actually out looking for it,

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Bees have a little furry coat that gives an indication of their age.These workers are still fuzzy, meaning that they are very young.

Vienna’s not just livable for people, it also provides a rich naturalhabitat for many different species. Bees in particular reap the

benefits of the city’s bountiful year-round food supply. We set offon a journey into the world of bees, visit an organic beekeeper andtake a closer look at the blossoming history of these fascinating

creatures all the way back to the days of Maria Theresa.

TEXT: KAROLINEGASIENICA-BRYJAK

There are lots of flowerbeds in Vienna that werespecifically introduced to provide food for beneficialinsects such as bees.

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The Wien in WienTHE RIVER WIEN PLAYED A PART IN EVERYDAY LIFE IN VIENNA LONG BEFORE ITS COURSE WASREGULATED. AFTER THE ONCE RUSHING WIEN WAS REDIRECTED INTO ITS NEW CHANNELS,

THE RIVER’S INFLUENCE ON LIFE IN – AND BENEATH – THE CITY INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY. ITCHANGED FROM A WILD RIVER NOT JUST TO A CITY RIVER, BUT A NATURAL RIVER HABITAT.

TEXT: KAROLINE GASIENICA-BRYJAK

VILLA ERBSE ORGANIC HONEY FARMFranz-Grassler-Gasse 16, 1230 Vienna

+43 (0)680 206 79 08honig@villaerbse.atwww.villaerbse.at

Before the riverWienwas tamed through humanactivity, its kinetic energy was put to workpowering mills and other industrial premises.One theory has it that the river gave the cityits name. Documentary evidence dating backto 881 mentions the place name for the firsttime in a report on a battle at Weniam, whichtranslates as wild stream.

Now the more moderately-flowing river isembedded in a concrete channel that passesvenerable old Viennese apartment buildingson its way to the Danube Canal. The source ofthe Wien is the Kaiserbründl spring in the leafyVienna Woods. Empress Sisi even had the deli-cious spring water delivered to Schönbrunn forher coffee. Or was it part of her quest for innerbeauty? This elixir is said to have lost nothingof its magical properties to this day.

The river can be seen in its original stateon the city’s western border in the thirteenthdistrict where engineers and biologists havejoined forces to restore it to its former glory.The banks have been returned as close as pos-sible to their natural form and now provide ahabitat for different types of flora and fauna.Stretching for seven kilometers through thisoasis of greenery, the Wienfluss promenaderuns alongside the river bed. Looking at thetrickle of water, it is hard to believe that this isactually a wild river like the ones found in theAlps. 27 flood markers in the river bed remindvisitors to leave the promenade immediatelyonce the water reaches a certain level. Regu-lation of the Wien is an important part of thecity’s flood protection measures. After a down-pour, the rivulet can turn into a raging torrentin a matter of minutes.

so he was allowed to keep the bees. He packed in his jobas a barkeeper and became a beekeeper instead. “Bees andnatural production are very important to us,” the organicproducer repeats on several occasions as he opens upone of the hives for us to take a closer look. And he’s notwearing any protective gear either. “The only thing I don’tlike is if they get in my hair,” the young apiarist tells us ashe shows us the golden honeycomb. In the summer he ishard at work looking after his bees from first thing in themorning until last thing at night, or out harvesting honeyfrom the 100-plus colonies that he has in Vienna and thesurrounding area. A single hive can produce up to 30 kilosof honey each year.

His partner Verena Manyet is the bee manager, a jobwhich involves preparing a colorful choice of honey treatsfor us to taste – the unusual varieties with berries and flow-ers taste outstanding.

We are just a couple of meters from the neighbor’shouse, but there’s no need to worry as Asche’s bees are notat all aggressive. And the gentle buzz and the scent of beeshave a distinctly calming effect. Martin Asche explains thatit is a mix of pheromones, honey and pollen aromas. Apismellifera – the western honey bee – is a famously hardy andgood-natured species, so we are able to get up very closeand look at what’s going on inside the hive while MartinAsche tells us more about his yellow and black charges.

Unfortunately, it is time for us to go as the new daygets under way at 5am, when these busy little bees fly offagain in search of sustenance. An eternal cycle. And wher-ever there is food to be found, you can be sure that therewill be dancing, too.

Martin Asche has been a passionate beekeeper since 2013 andlikes to keep his entire operation in close harmony with nature.

Bees can see different colors. And so thatthey always find their way back to theright hive, the entrances are color-coded.

Animals are in their element in the city. Water birds and fish areamong the biggest beneficiaries of Vienna’s waterways.

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If you follow the river towards the first district,it suddenly disappears – from this point on itstays below ground. And beneath Naschmarkt,Vienna’s sewers shot to worldwide fame in theHollywood classic ‘The Third Man’.

The archway in Stadtpark, which marksthe end of the covered section, is crowned withthe Wienflussportal, an architectural master-piece designed by Friedrich Ohmann in 1906.Although the dull, flat concrete river bed looksfairly benign, it soon becomes clear that theWien is still a wild river at heart. Swans, ducksand various species of fish can be found here,adding wildlife to the capital.

The neighbor’s house is right next door. But no onehas any reason to worry when thousands of beestake to the skies in search of food.

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Vienna is full of hidden corners that can take some finding. Butas they are the stages where life in the city plays out, they are

definitely worth the extra effort. These are the places where visitorscan experience typically Viennese moments, and the real Vienna –

unadorned, unexpected and unbelievably special. And now you havethe chance to be the star of the show – the stage is yours!

VIENNA’S ANSWER TO VENICE BEACHAnyone that goes to the gym in Vienna has no-body to blame but themselves. The real toughguys work out at “muscle beach”, at RossauerLände on the Danube Canal. The muscles area sight to behold. The race to see who can dothe most pull-ups starts afresh each day atthis playground for musclemen. Anyone thattakes a walk here or whizzes by on the U4 canwatch them and enjoy a “front row seat” forthis special show of strength.

U4 station Rossauer Lände, 1090 Wien

A HOUSE OF MANY COLORSBuilt by Otto Wagner, redesigned by Ernst Fuchs: it doesn’t get muchmore luxurious or out-there than this brightly-colored Art Nouveaugem, at Hüttelbergstrasse 26 on the fringes of the Vienna Woods. InWagner’s day, the villa welcomed true greats: Gustav Klimt, Adolf Loosand Gustav Mahler. The summer parties and salons held here werethe stuff of legend. At the start of the 1970s when Ernst Fuchs movedin, some fantastic ideas were added to the villa – quite literally, as theartist was an exponent of fantastic realism. Fuchs had the propertyremodeled, preserving some parts in their original glory and revampingothers in his own inimitable style.

Hüttelbergstrasse 26, 1140 Wien

MONOLITHS IN THE AUGARTENThey still stand bearing silent witness: the sixViennese flak towers. Built during the secondworld war, there were once anti-aircraft gunssituated on platforms at the top. They are a re-minder of a time that no one likes to remem-ber. Two of these 55-meter towers are locatedin this most Baroque of Viennese gardens, sur-rounded by boulevards laid out in the Frenchstyle. In summer people enjoy picnics and gojogging here, and children play in the shadowsof the towers. They will never be dynamited, asthe walls are so thick that the explosions wouldsimply be too strong.

Obere Augartenstrasse 1, 1020 Wien

MEDITATING ON THE TRAMIn Vienna even a trip on the tram can be anexcuse tomeditate. Tramline Dwill take you fromthe hustle and bustle of the city to the vineyardsof Nussdorf, passing numerous famous sights onthe way in a journey lasting 40minutes. So, takea seat aboard the D tram, breathe deep and openyour mind to a new dimension in meditation.Shortly before you arrive in Nussdorf, stretchout your right hand slightly and raise your elbowat a ninety degree angle to your shoulder. Feelthe glass of wine in your hand that awaits you.And end yourmeditation by exhaling deeply andsaying “cheers”.Starts: Alfred-Adler-Strasse, 1100 Wien

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VIENNESE AQUACULTUREThe Alte Donau never fails to cast a spell on visitors. A day spent ex-ploring the riverside beaches and lidos is like a trip to the Riviera. Ex-cept that it only takes 9 minutes to reach this popular leisure desti-nation from the old town, on the U1 subway line. There are numerousjetties leading into the water, grassy spaces, sunbathing and publicswimming areas awaiting sunseekers. At the end of a long summer’sday against the backdrop of the Danube City skyscrapers, it’s not onlythe roast chicken on offer at the typical Viennese buffets that has hada thorough grilling. Talking of food: Alte Kaisermühle, Restaurant LaCreperie, Gasthaus Birner and Bootshaus are all perfect destinationsfor seeing out the end of the day at the water’s edge.

Alte Donau

ART NOUVEAU SWIMMINGA luxury public swimming pool in the working class district of Favoriten?The locals could hardly believe it when the Amalienbad opened in1926. The facade gives few clues as to the stunning architecture inside.Art Nouveau lines and colorful Art Deco elements shape the interior.Even the changing cubicles are stylish, and some of the original tileshave survived to this day. Admiring the glass roof high above the poolwhile gliding through the water doing backstroke is a real treat. Onceupon a time it could be opened like a car sunroof – transforming theAmalienbad into a cabrio pool.

Reumannplatz 23, 1100 Wien

A TIPPLE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DANUBEReal Viennese drink their wine at Heuriger winetaverns in Stammersdorf. This winegrowingregion on the other side of the Danube still hasbeautiful old cellar lanes. Small, unassumingtaverns in 1960s detached houses rub shoul-ders with traditional establishments run bytop producers. Getting there seems a littledaunting, but it actually couldn’t be simpler:the number 31 tram travels directly fromSchottenring to Stammersdorf. And the journeyis a reward in itself... Especially as a glass ofwine will be waiting at the other end.

Stammersdorf, 1210 Wien

MONUMENTAL SOCIAL HOUSINGThe Karl Marx Hof has come to embody thestyle and substance of Vienna’s “red” socialhousing construction boom of 1919–1934. Thelongest contiguous apartment building in theworld, it is around 1,100 meters in length, andits original 1,382 units provided housing forover 5,000 residents. The biggest challengefor its architect Karl Ehn was getting the bestout of the narrow plot of land, without com-promising future residents’ quality of life. Afeat he pulled off masterfully: just 18% of the150,000-m² piece of land was built on. The restof the plot was given over to parkland and com-munal areas. For the people that live there, theKarl Marx Hof is a city within a city. It even hasits own museum: the Waschsalon (LaundryRoom) tells the story of this unique exemplarof Viennese housing.

Heiligenstädter Strasse 82–92, 1190 Wien

PALM-SIZED PLANETARIUMThe snow globe is a Viennese invention. It wasdiscovered by chance by the grandfather of ErwinPerzy III, while he was experimenting with differentlight sources. And in 1900 the first Viennese snowglobe was born. The precise recipe for the artificialsnow inside is a closely guarded secret. Today, itis the job of Erwin Perzy III to ensure that the snowcontinues to fall over St. Stephen’s Cathedral,Schönbrunn Palace and the Giant Ferris Wheel.The company’s workshops are located in an oldbuilding in the suburb of Hernals. None other thanformer US President Barack Obama was once givena Viennese snow globe.

Schumanngasse 87, 1170 Wien

NOT FOR THE FAINT-HEARTEDIf the walls of the Madhouse Tower could talk, they would have somuch to tell – and most of it would be pretty hard to stomach. Openedin 1784, it was originally amental institution. Although the patients are long-gone, the tower has not lost its edge. Today theworld’s largest collection ofanatomic pathology exhibits is kept here, comprising around 50,000 itemsall told. The hallways and cellars are full of specimens showingdevelopmental disorders and diseases, which physicians and studentsused – and continue to use – to research a host of medical conditions.Viennese residents have since started offering to leave parts of themselvesto the collection after their deaths. A very Viennese way of ensuring theylive on in posterity.

Spitalgasse 2, 1090 Wien

These and countless other quintessentially Viennese momentscan be discovered at yourstage.vienna.info!

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Rate andwin

SURVEY.VIENNA.INFO/VISITOR

Everything you needto know for your tripto Vienna

The Tourist Info centers –handy service points in Vienna

The welcome point in the arrivals hall of Vienna International Airport provides afirst point of contact for visitors arriving by air, as does the Tourist Info center atthe main station – the first stop in Vienna for many. The central Tourist Info officeis located in the old town, on Albertinaplatz, close to the Vienna State Opera. Eachyear the dedicated teams at the various tourist information offices provide assistanceand expert advice to around one million visitors to the city. Visitors can also pickup free maps and brochures, or their Vienna City Card. The Tourist Info center onAlbertinaplatz also offers a ticket service for sightseeing trips and cultural events,as well as free WiFi.

TOURIST INFOVIENNA (FIRST DISTRICT)Corner of Albertinaplatz

and Maysedergasse09:00–19:00 daily

TOURIST INFOHAUPTBAHNHOF – VIENNA MAIN STATION

At the Austrian National Railways(ÖBB) info point

09:00–19:00 daily

TOURIST INFOVIENNA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Arrivals hall07:00–22:00 daily

VIENNA HOTELS & INFOMonday to Friday 09:00–17:00

Tel. +43-1-24 555info@vienna.info

Vienna online at www.vienna.info

The Vienna Hotels & Info booking service isat your disposal if you would like to get intouch before you travel. Its employees knowVienna like the back of their hand, always havea wealth of tips to share and are more thanhappy to help you find the perfect hotel.

www.vienna.infoYour travel guide in 13 languages

You can find out everything you need to know about Vienna atwww.vienna.info. Alongside information about popular sights, leisureactivities, and restaurant and shopping tips, it covers the must-sees aswell some of the lesser known sides to the city. You can also find insidertips at yourstage.vienna.info (and on pages 20-21 of this edition of theVienna Journal). LGBT guests can take a look at all of the community’shotspots in the city at LGBT.vienna.info.

Around 5,000 events are listed at events.vienna.info, and ourGerman and English newsletters will keep you up to speed on thelatest developments ahead of your next trip to Vienna – subscribe inno time at all at newsletter.vienna.info

Enjoy some of the best impressions of Vienna online at:

www.facebook.com/ViennaTouristBoardwww.facebook.com/LGBTViennawww.youtube.com/Viennawww.instagram.com/viennatouristboard#ViennaNow

Vienna on social media

Vienna City CardThe Official City Card

Whether you like to decide at the lastminute or prefer to plan your itinerarya long time in advance, the Vienna CityCard is your perfect companion in thecapital.

The basic Vienna City Card is avail-able in 24, 48 and 72 hour versions. Itincludes unlimited free travel on theWiener Linien public transportation net-work, as well as more than 200 discountsat museums, sights, leisure attractions,restaurants and stores in Vienna for theduration of your stay (up to a maximumof seven days). Perfect for families: onechild aged 14 or under travels free perVienna City Card.

FULLY MOBILE FROMTHE MOMENT YOU LAND

The basic card is available with aTRANSFER add-on which includes travelto and from the airport. Transportationoptions include the CAT (City AirportTrain), the ÖBB Railjet (1st class at noextra cost), the S7 rapid transit line andthe Vienna Airport Lines bus services.City Check-in at the City Airport TrainStation at Wien Mitte/Landstrasse is alsoavailable for many flights, whether youare traveling by CAT or not.

EASY SIGHTSEEINGThe TOUR add-on is available as an alter-native or in addition to the TRANSFERoption. This includes a 24-hour hop-on,hop-off ticket for Big Bus Vienna, and aguided city walk.

SALES OUTLETSYou can purchase your Vienna City Cardfrom various points of sale in Vienna(tourist information offices, hotels,Wiener Linien transit authority ticketdesks) or online before starting yourjourney at shop.vienna.info, or by usingthe Vienna City Card app. Prices start atEUR 17. The Vienna City Card smartphoneapp is available at no charge in Germanand English for iOS and Android devices.

Find out more about the benefits of theVienna City Card atwww.viennacitycard.at

TEXT:

HELG

AGERBL

Tourist Info Vienna International Airport

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VIENNA MAJORIn August 2020 the Danube Island becomes theepicenter of the global beach volleyball scene,when the world’s best players keep audiences onthe edge of their seats at the third Vienna Major.

Event highlights

CATS THE MUSICALTheatergoers at the Ronacher can look forward tosome “caterwauling” in 2020, when ‘Cats the Musical’returns with its breathtaking dance routines, greatcostumes, spellbinding stage sets and toe-tappingrhythms.

EASTER MARKETSBetween March 27 and April 14, 2020 Vienna’s Eastermarkets will treat visitors to traditional handicrafts,culinary delights and excellent music. And there is alsoplenty to keep children busy, too.

VIENNA CITY MARATHONOn April 18 and 19, 2020, around 42,000 runners will enjoya spot of sightseeing at jogging pace, as the route takesin many of the city’s best-loved landmarks. Thousands ofwell-wishers line the route, spurring on the runners withdrumming performances and the like.

ANDY WARHOL AT MUMOKA pair of exhibitions at the mumok – museumof modern art ludwig foundation vienna fromMay 1–September 6, 2020 will be devoted toAndy Warhol. Instead of presenting his best-known pieces, mumok will take a behind-the-scenes look at the world-famous pop artistthrough various virtually unknown works, whilealso rediscovering Warhol’s talents as a pioneeringmuseum curator and installation artist.

SUMMER NIGHT CONCERTAT SCHÖNBRUNN PALACE

On May 21, 2020 the Vienna Philharmonic will serve upclassical music at its finest in front of one of the Austriancapital’s best-loved Baroque attractions – free of charge foran audience of thousands and everyone following it on TV.

ALBERTINA MODERNFrom March 12, 2020 the Albertina’s 60,000-strongcollection of contemporary art will be housed atthe newly renovated Künstlerhaus on Karlsplatz.The new 5,000-m² museum is named the Albertinamodern, and its opening exhibition is entitled TheBeginning. Art in Vienna 1945 to 1980.

30TH MUSIC FILM FESTIVALON RATHAUSPLATZ

Turning 30 doesn’t hurt – and the same goes for this popularsummertime event on Rathausplatz (City Hall Square). Fromthe end of June to the start of September a multi-genre musicprogram plays out on a huge open air screen. Numerousconcession stands run by top restaurants offering food fromall over the world ensure that visitors don’t go hungry.

TEXT: ANGELIKA LECHNER

Winter in the city is gray and miserable? Not in Vienna! From mid-November countlessAdvent markets help to sweeten the wait for Christmas – delicious punch, fresh cookiesand enchanting decorations are all part and parcel of the experience. Beautifullyilluminated shopping streets such as Kärntner Strasse and Mariahilfer Strasse deliveran unforgettable shopping experience. There is also a lot to do when the big day finallyarrives – December 24 in Austria – a ride on the carousel at the Vienna Christmas World onRathausplatz, or arts and crafts in Poldi’s Christmas workshop at Schönbrunn Palace ensurethe time flies by. And after all that yuletide fun, it’s time to start thinking about what to do

on New Year’s Eve. The New Year’s Eve Trail in theold town and the Prater is one of many highlights.Alternatives include gala dinners, the glitteringNew Year’s Eve Ball at the Hofburg Vienna, orringing in the New Year at the opera, a concertcall, a hip club or a laid-back bar. From January toMarch the square outside city hall is transformedinto a giant ice skating rink – a paradise for skatersof all ages! And for anyone who prefers glidingacross a ballroom to cutting loops out on the ice:the Viennese ball season is also in full swing inJanuary and February. While waltz reigns supreme,disco sounds also ensure that the dancefloorsare always full. Whichever way you look at it,there is never a dull moment in Vienna in winter!Info: winter.vienna.info

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