Vienna has a long history as a capital city, a cultural center for arts and science, music, and fine cuisine. Ruled by the Hapsburgs from 1278, it was the capitol of the Holy Roman Empire from 1437 to 1806 and today is the governmental capital of Austria.
As a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Vienna retains its gothic, baroque, rococo, neoclassical and Biedermeier styled palaces, governmental buildings, museums, churches, cathedrals, concert, opera and ballet venues in their original settings. It’s as if you could put all the United States cultural and governmental buildings in Vienna’s Museum Quartier.
Susan and I spent 12 wonderful days in Vienna visiting their Christmas markets and fell in love with this beautiful, enticing city. We attended opera, chamber, or an orchestral performance almost every day. Getting around the city to the various museums and concert venues was simple due to an excellent train and tram network. Dining options abound from traditional Austrian or ethnic cuisines with or without an Austrian interpretation.
While Vienna is a modern city, it retains an old-world charm typical of Austria. The people are friendly, yet formal; the local wines delightful, the cuisine is international and innovative, yet it is easy to find the traditional Sacher tort and wiener schnitzel. The museums are among the best in the world and musical options are second to none, set in magnificent palaces and other structures dating from the 18th and 19th centuries.
With so much to enjoy in Vienna, it is a city that we look forward to visiting again soon.
All images were taken with Fuji X100f with 23mm f2.0 lens in RAW format, processed in Adobe Lightroom Classic CC 12.0.1