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Under the Roman Empire (when it was known as Danubius and, in its lower course, as Ister), the Danube was the northern border against the barbarian world. As Rome declined, the Danubian plains for centuries attracted invading hordes—Goths, Huns, Avars, Magyars, Pechenegs, Cumans, Mongols, and others. The Danube increased in commercial importance in the era of the Crusades, but commerce suffered (15th–16th cent.) after the Turks gained control of its course from the Hungarian plain to the Black Sea. In the 19th cent. the Danube's economic importance as an international waterway increased. At the end of the Crimean War the Congress of Paris appointed (1856) a commission to clear the delta (below Brăila) of obstructions.
By the Treaty of Versailles (1919) the Danube was internationalized and a commission established with jurisdiction over the course from Ulm to Brăila. Germany repudiated the internationalization in 1936 and in 1939–40 forced both the navigation and international commissions to dissolve. After World War II, delegates from Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Romania, Bulgaria, the Soviet Union, the United States, Great Britain, and France met (1948) to determine the status of the Danube. When a commission representing only the seven riparian nations was established, the three Western nations refused to sign the convention. Subsequently, the riparian nations established a new Danube commission, based at Budapest; present membership includes Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, and Ukraine.
The Danube is Austria's principal river and the longest in Europe after the Volga. Although barely more than 300km/185mi of the river's total course of some 2,900km/1,800miles - from its source in South Germany to its outflow into the Black Sea in Romania - lie within Austria, the names of Austria and the Danube are so closely linked that it is difficult to think of the one without the other. As the only major European waterway flowing from west to east, the Danube has for thousands of years played an important part in the history of the many peoples through whose territory it flowed. It marked out the route of the great military highway which ran from the Rhine to the Black Sea; the Romans built a series of fortified camps such as Vindobona and Carnuntum along the valley; the legendary Nibelungs came this way; and here, too, passed the Celts, Charlemagne's Franks, Frederick Barbarossa's Crusaders and finally Napoleon. In the opposite direction, going upstream, Attila led his Huns towards France and the Avars and Hungarians pressed into western Europe. Great battles which decided the fate of Europe have been fought on the banks of the Danube: twice the West withstood Turkish assaults at Vienna, and at Aspern (now within the city limits of Vienna) Napoleon suffered his first defeat in 1809. The Danube and the regions along its banks have become threatened by attack from chemical waste and by the power stations which affect the water-balance. As a result, in recent years the idea of making the area below Vienna a protected national park has attracted considerable support; however, the problem of finance is as yet unsolved. Between the German frontier at Passau and the Upper Austrian town of Linz the Danube describes a series of great loops in the forest-fringed valley between the Mühlviertel to the north and the Innviertel to the south. Below Linz lies the Strudengau, a wooded defile between Ardagger and Ybbs, and beyond this, extending to Melk, stretches the Nibelungengau, with the conspicuous pilgrimage church of Maria Taferl. The best-known stretch is perhaps the Wachau, with a series of ancient little towns between Melk and Krems. Just beyond this, through the Tullner Basin, lies Vienna, and the low-lying area which extends eastward to Hainburg and Bratislava (the Czech Republic) begins to take on the aspect of the Hungarian puszta.
www.planetware.com/austria/danube-a-o-danu.htm
m/austria/danube-a-o-danu.htm
Kryty most, Kolárovo (Gúta), 16 lipca 2018 r.
Most ma długość 86 m i jest jednym z najdłuższych drewnianych mostów krytych w Europie. Został zbudowany w ciągu 9 dni w 1992 r. w miejscu wcześniejszej konstrukcji zniszczonej przez krę.
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Covered bridge, Kolárovo (Gúta), July 16, 2018
The bridge is 86 metres long and belongs to the oldest wooden bridges of Europe. It was built during 9 days in 1992 in the place of earlier structure which was destroyed by ice blocks.
Schiffsdaten
Name: WSP 12
gemeldet in: Regensburg
Nationalität: Deutsch
Länge: 8,07 m
Breite: 3,00 m
Tiefgang: 0,95 m
Baujahr: 2001
erbaut in: Finnland
Bauwerft: Sarins Bootswerft Kokolla
Importeur: Harle Yachtbau Esens
Bootstyp: Minor 29 Oscar
Danubiana Meulensteen Art Museum alebo skrátene Danubiana je múzeum moderného umenia nachádzajúce sa asi 15 km južne od Bratislavy blízko obce Čunovo. Múzeum sa nachádza na polostrove na toku rieky Dunaj. Bolo otvorené 9. septembra 2000.
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The Halászbástya or Fisherman's Bastion is a terrace in neo-Gothic and neo-Romanesque style situated on the Buda bank of the Danube, on the Castle hill in Budapest, around Matthias Church. The Bastion takes its name from the guild of fishermen that was responsible for defending this stretch of the city walls in the Middle Ages. It is a viewing terrace, with many stairs and walking paths. Its seven towers represent the seven Magyar tribes that settled in the Carpathian Basin in 896.
Not your usual shot of Budapest that you find on postcards and books, reason being that it has been captured from top corner suite of Hilton hotel, which has some of the best views over the city. There is nothing I enjoy more than having the perfect view from the hotel room !! So when I get up for the morning shots at 4 AM, I only have to crawl out of bed and push the button... ;-) (although that is also not always the easiest as most hotel with high floors dont allow to have windows open, so you have to deal with various reflections on the glass etc..)
Camera Model: Canon EOS 5D Mark II; EF17-40mm f/4L USM; Focal length: 35.00 mm; Aperture: 8.0; Exposure time: 32.0 s; ISO: 100
All rights reserved - Copyright © Lucie Debelkova www.luciedebelkova.com
All images are exclusive property and may not be copied, downloaded, reproduced, transmitted, manipulated or used in any way without expressed, written permission of the photographer.
Zamek Hohenzollernów, widok z mostu nad Dunajem, Burgstraße, Sigmaringen, 2 grudnia 2014 r.
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Castle of the Hohenzollern family, view from a bridge over the Danube, Burgstraße, Sigmaringen, December 2, 2014
The Belvedere is a baroque palace complex built by Prince Eugene of Savoy in the 3rd district of Vienna, south-east of the city centre.
After buying the plot of land in 1697, Prince Eugene had a large park created. The Schloss Belvedere began as a suburban entertainment villa: in 1714 work began to erect what is now called the Lower Belvedere, not as a palace but as a garden villa, with an orangerie and paintings gallery, with suitable living quarters. The architect was Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt, one of the most important architects of the Austrian Baroque, who produced in the complex of buildings his masterwork. He was assisted by the Venetian sculptor Giovanni Stanetti, who had been brought to Vienna by Prince Eugene, with his atelier of assistants; now he also provided properly Italianate sculptural details, such as the figures along the balustrade and garden sculptures. The Lower Belvedere was finished in 1716. The ceiling of its central Marmorsaal ("Marble Hall"), painted by Martino Altomonte, celebrates Prince Eugene as a new Apollo, leader of the Muses. The room also contains an Apotheosis of Prince Eugene sculpted by Balthasar Permoser.
Altomonte's trompe l'oeil architecture in the Marmorsaal
Altomonte's trompe l'oeil architecture in the Marmorsaal
To the west lies a State Bedroom (Paradeschlafzimmer) suitable for levées, a room with delicate grottesche in the manner of Jean Bérain, painted by Jonas Drentwett, the marble-gallery stucco-decorations and figures by Domenico Parodi. The inner marble-room with ceiling-paintings by Giacomo del Po from 1720. The Donnersaal has ceiling frescos by Altomonte and feigned architecture by Gaetano Fanti (1716). To the east is a State Dining Room.
A cabinet de verdure at the Belvedere
A cabinet de verdure at the Belvedere
The garden was laid out, enclosed by clipped hedging, even as the Belvedere was building, in the formal French manner with gravelled walks and jeux d'eau by Dominique Girard, who had trained in the gardens of Versailles as a pupil of André Le Nôtre. Its great water basin in the upper parterre and the stairs and cascades peopled by nymphs and goddesses that links upper and lower parterres survive, but the patterned bedding has long been grassed over; it is currently being restored.
In 1720-1723, the Upper Belvedere was built, originally intended simply to provide a suitable end to the main garden axis. The architect was again Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt. Once again there is a central Marmorsaal—the site of the signing of the Austrian State Treaty, that formed modern Austria, May 15, 1955—but the Schloss was soon enlarged to provide the main summer residence of Prince Eugene. Its painted ceilings are by Carlo Carlone, with an altarpiece in the chapel by Francesco Solimena.
The complex was sold in 1752 to Maria Theresa by the prince's heiress. Maria Theresa first named the Schloss "Belvedere". Under the Habsburgs it was further extended. Since 1775, the Belvedere has housed the imperial picture gallery on behalf of Joseph II, and in 1806 the collection of Ambras Palace was moved to the Lower Belvedere as well. Both were transferred to the Museum of Art History (Kunsthistorisches Museum) in 1890. The last to reside here was Archduke Franz Ferdinand.
Since World War I, the Austrian Gallery museum resides in the Belvedere.
The building suffered heavy damage during World War II. The Gold Cabinet burnt out and had to be reconstructed.
The building is currently being given a facelift, with the beautiful restored garden already finished. The work is scheduled to be complete by 2008.
Georg Rafael Donner coin
Georg Rafael Donner coin
The Belvedere palace is so popular and famous, that it was the main motive one is the most famous gold euro coins: The sculpture coin issued in November 13, 2002. The obverse has a portrait of Georg Rafael Donner, with the palace in the background. This palace currently contains much of Donner’s work.
Taken from:
Prístavné reálie I.
www.flickr.com/photos/lofofor/54057769678
Prístavné reálie II.
www.flickr.com/photos/lofofor/54070632952
Prístavné reálie III.
www.flickr.com/photos/lofofor/54088594581
Prístavné reálie IV.
www.flickr.com/photos/lofofor/54207814107
Prístavné reálie V.
Under the Roman Empire (when it was known as Danubius and, in its lower course, as Ister), the Danube was the northern border against the barbarian world. As Rome declined, the Danubian plains for centuries attracted invading hordes—Goths, Huns, Avars, Magyars, Pechenegs, Cumans, Mongols, and others. The Danube increased in commercial importance in the era of the Crusades, but commerce suffered (15th–16th cent.) after the Turks gained control of its course from the Hungarian plain to the Black Sea. In the 19th cent. the Danube's economic importance as an international waterway increased. At the end of the Crimean War the Congress of Paris appointed (1856) a commission to clear the delta (below Brăila) of obstructions.
By the Treaty of Versailles (1919) the Danube was internationalized and a commission established with jurisdiction over the course from Ulm to Brăila. Germany repudiated the internationalization in 1936 and in 1939–40 forced both the navigation and international commissions to dissolve. After World War II, delegates from Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Romania, Bulgaria, the Soviet Union, the United States, Great Britain, and France met (1948) to determine the status of the Danube. When a commission representing only the seven riparian nations was established, the three Western nations refused to sign the convention. Subsequently, the riparian nations established a new Danube commission, based at Budapest; present membership includes Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, and Ukraine.
La Hofburg est un ancien palais impérial situé dans le 1er arrondissement de Vienne en Autriche. Étant le plus grand palais de la ville, il s'est progressivement édifié depuis le XIIIe siècle. Ce fut la résidence de la plupart des dirigeants de l'histoire de l'Autriche, notamment de la dynastie des Habsbourg (pendant plus de 600 ans), et des empereurs d'Autriche et d'Autriche-Hongrie. Depuis 1946, c'est la résidence officielle du président fédéral de la république d'Autriche.
Bazylika św. Wojciecha w Ostrzyhomiu, widok z bulwaru nad Dunajem, Štúrovo, 16 lipca 2018 r.
Ostrzyhom jest jednym z najstarszych miast na Węgrzech, zostało założone w 960 r. Tutaj odbyła się koronacja św. Stefana, tu też urodziła się św. Kinga. Miasto jest siedzibą prymasa Węgier.
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Basilica of St. Adalbert in Esztergom, view from the Danube boulevard, Štúrovo, July 16, 2018
Esztegrom is among the oldest cities of Hungary, it was founded in 960. The coronation of St. Stephen took place here, also here St. Kinga was born. The city is the seat of the Primate of Hungary.
The Danube is Austria's principal river and the longest in Europe after the Volga. Although barely more than 300km/185mi of the river's total course of some 2,900km/1,800miles - from its source in South Germany to its outflow into the Black Sea in Romania - lie within Austria, the names of Austria and the Danube are so closely linked that it is difficult to think of the one without the other. As the only major European waterway flowing from west to east, the Danube has for thousands of years played an important part in the history of the many peoples through whose territory it flowed. It marked out the route of the great military highway which ran from the Rhine to the Black Sea; the Romans built a series of fortified camps such as Vindobona and Carnuntum along the valley; the legendary Nibelungs came this way; and here, too, passed the Celts, Charlemagne's Franks, Frederick Barbarossa's Crusaders and finally Napoleon. In the opposite direction, going upstream, Attila led his Huns towards France and the Avars and Hungarians pressed into western Europe. Great battles which decided the fate of Europe have been fought on the banks of the Danube: twice the West withstood Turkish assaults at Vienna, and at Aspern (now within the city limits of Vienna) Napoleon suffered his first defeat in 1809. The Danube and the regions along its banks have become threatened by attack from chemical waste and by the power stations which affect the water-balance. As a result, in recent years the idea of making the area below Vienna a protected national park has attracted considerable support; however, the problem of finance is as yet unsolved. Between the German frontier at Passau and the Upper Austrian town of Linz the Danube describes a series of great loops in the forest-fringed valley between the Mühlviertel to the north and the Innviertel to the south. Below Linz lies the Strudengau, a wooded defile between Ardagger and Ybbs, and beyond this, extending to Melk, stretches the Nibelungengau, with the conspicuous pilgrimage church of Maria Taferl. The best-known stretch is perhaps the Wachau, with a series of ancient little towns between Melk and Krems. Just beyond this, through the Tullner Basin, lies Vienna, and the low-lying area which extends eastward to Hainburg and Bratislava (the Czech Republic) begins to take on the aspect of the Hungarian puszta.
www.planetware.com/austria/danube-a-o-danu.htm
m/austria/danube-a-o-danu.htm
Founded around 500 BC, Vienna was originally a Celtic settlement. In 15 BC, Vienna became a Roman frontier city (Vindobona) guarding the Roman Empire against Germanic tribes to the north.
Vienna came under threat from the Mongolian Empire that stretched over much of present day Russia and China in the 1200s. However, due to the death of an important leader, the Mongolian Empire deteriorated and Europe was freed from the threat.
During the Middle Ages, Vienna was home to the Babenberg Dynasty and in 1440 AD became residence city of the Habsburg dynasties from where Vienna eventually grew to become the capital of the Holy Roman Empire and a cultural centre for arts and science, music and fine cuisine. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Ottoman armies were stopped twice outside Vienna (see Siege of Vienna, 1529 and Battle of Vienna, 1683).
In 1804, Vienna became capital of the Austrian Empire and continued to play a major role in European and World politics, including hosting the 1814 Congress of Vienna. After the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 Vienna remained the capital of what was then the Austro-Hungarian Empire. During the latter half of the 19th century the city developed what had previously been the bastions and glacis into the Ringstraße, a major prestige project. Former suburbs were incorporated, and the city of Vienna grew drastically.
In 1918, after World War I, Vienna became capital of the First Austrian Republic. During the 1920s and 1930s it was a bastion of Socialism in Austria, and became known as "Red Vienna." The city was stage to the Austrian Civil War of 1934, when Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss sent the Army to shell civilian housing occupied by the socialist militia. In 1938, after a triumphant entry into Austria, Adolf Hitler famously spoke to the Austrian people from the balcony of the Neue Burg, a part of the Hofburg at the Heldenplatz. Between 1938 (Anschluß) and the end of the Second World War, Vienna lost its status as a capital to Berlin.
In 1945, the Vienna Offensive was successfully launched by the Soviets against the Germans holding Vienna. The city was besieged for about two weeks before it fell to the Soviets. After 1945, Vienna again became the capital of Austria. It was initially divided into four zones by the 4 Powers and was governed by the Allied Commission for Austria. During the 10 years of foreign occupation Vienna became a hot-bed for international espionage between the Western and Eastern blocs.
In the 1970s Austrian Chancellor Bruno Kreisky inaugurated the creation of the Vienna International Centre, a new area of the city created to host international institutions. Vienna has regained a part of its former international relevance by hosting such international organizations as the United Nations (UNIDO, UNOV, CTBTO and UNODC), the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
Taken from:
In 1713, one year after the last great plague epidemic, Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor, pledged to build a church for his namesake patron saint, Charles Borromeo, who was revered as a healer for plague sufferers. An architectural competition was announced, in which Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach prevailed over, among others, Ferdinando Galli-Bibiena and Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt. Construction began in 1716. After J.B. Fischer's death in 1723, his son, Joseph Emanuel Fischer von Erlach, completed the construction in 1737 using partially altered plans. The church originally possessed a direct line of sight to the Hofburg and was also, until 1918, the imperial patron parish church.
Taken from:
Founded around 500 BC, Vienna was originally a Celtic settlement. In 15 BC, Vienna became a Roman frontier city (Vindobona) guarding the Roman Empire against Germanic tribes to the north.
Vienna came under threat from the Mongolian Empire that stretched over much of present day Russia and China in the 1200s. However, due to the death of an important leader, the Mongolian Empire deteriorated and Europe was freed from the threat.
During the Middle Ages, Vienna was home to the Babenberg Dynasty and in 1440 AD became residence city of the Habsburg dynasties from where Vienna eventually grew to become the capital of the Holy Roman Empire and a cultural centre for arts and science, music and fine cuisine. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Ottoman armies were stopped twice outside Vienna (see Siege of Vienna, 1529 and Battle of Vienna, 1683).
In 1804, Vienna became capital of the Austrian Empire and continued to play a major role in European and World politics, including hosting the 1814 Congress of Vienna. After the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 Vienna remained the capital of what was then the Austro-Hungarian Empire. During the latter half of the 19th century the city developed what had previously been the bastions and glacis into the Ringstraße, a major prestige project. Former suburbs were incorporated, and the city of Vienna grew drastically.
In 1918, after World War I, Vienna became capital of the First Austrian Republic. During the 1920s and 1930s it was a bastion of Socialism in Austria, and became known as "Red Vienna." The city was stage to the Austrian Civil War of 1934, when Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss sent the Army to shell civilian housing occupied by the socialist militia. In 1938, after a triumphant entry into Austria, Adolf Hitler famously spoke to the Austrian people from the balcony of the Neue Burg, a part of the Hofburg at the Heldenplatz. Between 1938 (Anschluß) and the end of the Second World War, Vienna lost its status as a capital to Berlin.
In 1945, the Vienna Offensive was successfully launched by the Soviets against the Germans holding Vienna. The city was besieged for about two weeks before it fell to the Soviets. After 1945, Vienna again became the capital of Austria. It was initially divided into four zones by the 4 Powers and was governed by the Allied Commission for Austria. During the 10 years of foreign occupation Vienna became a hot-bed for international espionage between the Western and Eastern blocs.
In the 1970s Austrian Chancellor Bruno Kreisky inaugurated the creation of the Vienna International Centre, a new area of the city created to host international institutions. Vienna has regained a part of its former international relevance by hosting such international organizations as the United Nations (UNIDO, UNOV, CTBTO and UNODC), the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
Taken from:
Founded around 500 BC, Vienna was originally a Celtic settlement. In 15 BC, Vienna became a Roman frontier city (Vindobona) guarding the Roman Empire against Germanic tribes to the north.
Vienna came under threat from the Mongolian Empire that stretched over much of present day Russia and China in the 1200s. However, due to the death of an important leader, the Mongolian Empire deteriorated and Europe was freed from the threat.
During the Middle Ages, Vienna was home to the Babenberg Dynasty and in 1440 AD became residence city of the Habsburg dynasties from where Vienna eventually grew to become the capital of the Holy Roman Empire and a cultural centre for arts and science, music and fine cuisine. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Ottoman armies were stopped twice outside Vienna (see Siege of Vienna, 1529 and Battle of Vienna, 1683).
In 1804, Vienna became capital of the Austrian Empire and continued to play a major role in European and World politics, including hosting the 1814 Congress of Vienna. After the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 Vienna remained the capital of what was then the Austro-Hungarian Empire. During the latter half of the 19th century the city developed what had previously been the bastions and glacis into the Ringstraße, a major prestige project. Former suburbs were incorporated, and the city of Vienna grew drastically.
In 1918, after World War I, Vienna became capital of the First Austrian Republic. During the 1920s and 1930s it was a bastion of Socialism in Austria, and became known as "Red Vienna." The city was stage to the Austrian Civil War of 1934, when Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss sent the Army to shell civilian housing occupied by the socialist militia. In 1938, after a triumphant entry into Austria, Adolf Hitler famously spoke to the Austrian people from the balcony of the Neue Burg, a part of the Hofburg at the Heldenplatz. Between 1938 (Anschluß) and the end of the Second World War, Vienna lost its status as a capital to Berlin.
In 1945, the Vienna Offensive was successfully launched by the Soviets against the Germans holding Vienna. The city was besieged for about two weeks before it fell to the Soviets. After 1945, Vienna again became the capital of Austria. It was initially divided into four zones by the 4 Powers and was governed by the Allied Commission for Austria. During the 10 years of foreign occupation Vienna became a hot-bed for international espionage between the Western and Eastern blocs.
In the 1970s Austrian Chancellor Bruno Kreisky inaugurated the creation of the Vienna International Centre, a new area of the city created to host international institutions. Vienna has regained a part of its former international relevance by hosting such international organizations as the United Nations (UNIDO, UNOV, CTBTO and UNODC), the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
Taken from:
Zamek Hohenzollernów, Burgwiesen, Sigmaringen, 2 lipca 2019 r.
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Castle of the Hohenzollern family, Burgwiesen, Sigmaringen, July 2, 2019
The Belvedere is a baroque palace complex built by Prince Eugene of Savoy in the 3rd district of Vienna, south-east of the city centre.
After buying the plot of land in 1697, Prince Eugene had a large park created. The Schloss Belvedere began as a suburban entertainment villa: in 1714 work began to erect what is now called the Lower Belvedere, not as a palace but as a garden villa, with an orangerie and paintings gallery, with suitable living quarters. The architect was Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt, one of the most important architects of the Austrian Baroque, who produced in the complex of buildings his masterwork. He was assisted by the Venetian sculptor Giovanni Stanetti, who had been brought to Vienna by Prince Eugene, with his atelier of assistants; now he also provided properly Italianate sculptural details, such as the figures along the balustrade and garden sculptures. The Lower Belvedere was finished in 1716. The ceiling of its central Marmorsaal ("Marble Hall"), painted by Martino Altomonte, celebrates Prince Eugene as a new Apollo, leader of the Muses. The room also contains an Apotheosis of Prince Eugene sculpted by Balthasar Permoser.
Altomonte's trompe l'oeil architecture in the Marmorsaal
Altomonte's trompe l'oeil architecture in the Marmorsaal
To the west lies a State Bedroom (Paradeschlafzimmer) suitable for levées, a room with delicate grottesche in the manner of Jean Bérain, painted by Jonas Drentwett, the marble-gallery stucco-decorations and figures by Domenico Parodi. The inner marble-room with ceiling-paintings by Giacomo del Po from 1720. The Donnersaal has ceiling frescos by Altomonte and feigned architecture by Gaetano Fanti (1716). To the east is a State Dining Room.
A cabinet de verdure at the Belvedere
A cabinet de verdure at the Belvedere
The garden was laid out, enclosed by clipped hedging, even as the Belvedere was building, in the formal French manner with gravelled walks and jeux d'eau by Dominique Girard, who had trained in the gardens of Versailles as a pupil of André Le Nôtre. Its great water basin in the upper parterre and the stairs and cascades peopled by nymphs and goddesses that links upper and lower parterres survive, but the patterned bedding has long been grassed over; it is currently being restored.
In 1720-1723, the Upper Belvedere was built, originally intended simply to provide a suitable end to the main garden axis. The architect was again Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt. Once again there is a central Marmorsaal—the site of the signing of the Austrian State Treaty, that formed modern Austria, May 15, 1955—but the Schloss was soon enlarged to provide the main summer residence of Prince Eugene. Its painted ceilings are by Carlo Carlone, with an altarpiece in the chapel by Francesco Solimena.
The complex was sold in 1752 to Maria Theresa by the prince's heiress. Maria Theresa first named the Schloss "Belvedere". Under the Habsburgs it was further extended. Since 1775, the Belvedere has housed the imperial picture gallery on behalf of Joseph II, and in 1806 the collection of Ambras Palace was moved to the Lower Belvedere as well. Both were transferred to the Museum of Art History (Kunsthistorisches Museum) in 1890. The last to reside here was Archduke Franz Ferdinand.
Since World War I, the Austrian Gallery museum resides in the Belvedere.
The building suffered heavy damage during World War II. The Gold Cabinet burnt out and had to be reconstructed.
The building is currently being given a facelift, with the beautiful restored garden already finished. The work is scheduled to be complete by 2008.
Georg Rafael Donner coin
Georg Rafael Donner coin
The Belvedere palace is so popular and famous, that it was the main motive one is the most famous gold euro coins: The sculpture coin issued in November 13, 2002. The obverse has a portrait of Georg Rafael Donner, with the palace in the background. This palace currently contains much of Donner’s work.
Taken from:
The Belvedere is a baroque palace complex built by Prince Eugene of Savoy in the 3rd district of Vienna, south-east of the city centre.
After buying the plot of land in 1697, Prince Eugene had a large park created. The Schloss Belvedere began as a suburban entertainment villa: in 1714 work began to erect what is now called the Lower Belvedere, not as a palace but as a garden villa, with an orangerie and paintings gallery, with suitable living quarters. The architect was Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt, one of the most important architects of the Austrian Baroque, who produced in the complex of buildings his masterwork. He was assisted by the Venetian sculptor Giovanni Stanetti, who had been brought to Vienna by Prince Eugene, with his atelier of assistants; now he also provided properly Italianate sculptural details, such as the figures along the balustrade and garden sculptures. The Lower Belvedere was finished in 1716. The ceiling of its central Marmorsaal ("Marble Hall"), painted by Martino Altomonte, celebrates Prince Eugene as a new Apollo, leader of the Muses. The room also contains an Apotheosis of Prince Eugene sculpted by Balthasar Permoser.
Altomonte's trompe l'oeil architecture in the Marmorsaal
Altomonte's trompe l'oeil architecture in the Marmorsaal
To the west lies a State Bedroom (Paradeschlafzimmer) suitable for levées, a room with delicate grottesche in the manner of Jean Bérain, painted by Jonas Drentwett, the marble-gallery stucco-decorations and figures by Domenico Parodi. The inner marble-room with ceiling-paintings by Giacomo del Po from 1720. The Donnersaal has ceiling frescos by Altomonte and feigned architecture by Gaetano Fanti (1716). To the east is a State Dining Room.
A cabinet de verdure at the Belvedere
A cabinet de verdure at the Belvedere
The garden was laid out, enclosed by clipped hedging, even as the Belvedere was building, in the formal French manner with gravelled walks and jeux d'eau by Dominique Girard, who had trained in the gardens of Versailles as a pupil of André Le Nôtre. Its great water basin in the upper parterre and the stairs and cascades peopled by nymphs and goddesses that links upper and lower parterres survive, but the patterned bedding has long been grassed over; it is currently being restored.
In 1720-1723, the Upper Belvedere was built, originally intended simply to provide a suitable end to the main garden axis. The architect was again Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt. Once again there is a central Marmorsaal—the site of the signing of the Austrian State Treaty, that formed modern Austria, May 15, 1955—but the Schloss was soon enlarged to provide the main summer residence of Prince Eugene. Its painted ceilings are by Carlo Carlone, with an altarpiece in the chapel by Francesco Solimena.
The complex was sold in 1752 to Maria Theresa by the prince's heiress. Maria Theresa first named the Schloss "Belvedere". Under the Habsburgs it was further extended. Since 1775, the Belvedere has housed the imperial picture gallery on behalf of Joseph II, and in 1806 the collection of Ambras Palace was moved to the Lower Belvedere as well. Both were transferred to the Museum of Art History (Kunsthistorisches Museum) in 1890. The last to reside here was Archduke Franz Ferdinand.
Since World War I, the Austrian Gallery museum resides in the Belvedere.
The building suffered heavy damage during World War II. The Gold Cabinet burnt out and had to be reconstructed.
The building is currently being given a facelift, with the beautiful restored garden already finished. The work is scheduled to be complete by 2008.
Georg Rafael Donner coin
Georg Rafael Donner coin
The Belvedere palace is so popular and famous, that it was the main motive one is the most famous gold euro coins: The sculpture coin issued in November 13, 2002. The obverse has a portrait of Georg Rafael Donner, with the palace in the background. This palace currently contains much of Donner’s work.
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The Danube is Austria's principal river and the longest in Europe after the Volga. Although barely more than 300km/185mi of the river's total course of some 2,900km/1,800miles - from its source in South Germany to its outflow into the Black Sea in Romania - lie within Austria, the names of Austria and the Danube are so closely linked that it is difficult to think of the one without the other. As the only major European waterway flowing from west to east, the Danube has for thousands of years played an important part in the history of the many peoples through whose territory it flowed. It marked out the route of the great military highway which ran from the Rhine to the Black Sea; the Romans built a series of fortified camps such as Vindobona and Carnuntum along the valley; the legendary Nibelungs came this way; and here, too, passed the Celts, Charlemagne's Franks, Frederick Barbarossa's Crusaders and finally Napoleon. In the opposite direction, going upstream, Attila led his Huns towards France and the Avars and Hungarians pressed into western Europe. Great battles which decided the fate of Europe have been fought on the banks of the Danube: twice the West withstood Turkish assaults at Vienna, and at Aspern (now within the city limits of Vienna) Napoleon suffered his first defeat in 1809. The Danube and the regions along its banks have become threatened by attack from chemical waste and by the power stations which affect the water-balance. As a result, in recent years the idea of making the area below Vienna a protected national park has attracted considerable support; however, the problem of finance is as yet unsolved. Between the German frontier at Passau and the Upper Austrian town of Linz the Danube describes a series of great loops in the forest-fringed valley between the Mühlviertel to the north and the Innviertel to the south. Below Linz lies the Strudengau, a wooded defile between Ardagger and Ybbs, and beyond this, extending to Melk, stretches the Nibelungengau, with the conspicuous pilgrimage church of Maria Taferl. The best-known stretch is perhaps the Wachau, with a series of ancient little towns between Melk and Krems. Just beyond this, through the Tullner Basin, lies Vienna, and the low-lying area which extends eastward to Hainburg and Bratislava (the Czech Republic) begins to take on the aspect of the Hungarian puszta.
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