austria

Bregenzer Festspiele :: Bregenz, Austria

June 4, 2010 By Chris Blecha Leave a Comment

Started in 1946, the Bregenz Festival (Bregenzer Festspiele) is an amazing performing arts festival held every year in July and August in Bregenz, Austria. The festival presents a wide variety of musical and theatrical events in various venues throughout the city. The plays of Shakespeare and the music of Beethoven, Bach are just a sampling of what awaits at this wonderful arts festival. Quite the popular celebration, In 2009 the Bregenz Festival set a record for visitors with 259,084 people attending the festival effectively selling 98% of the tickets available. [Read more…] about Bregenzer Festspiele :: Bregenz, Austria

Hofburg Palace :: Vienna, Austria

May 2, 2010 By Chris Blecha Leave a Comment

Throughout the years Hofburg Palace in Vienna has been home to some of the most powerful people in Austrian history including the Habsburg dynasty who used it as their main winter residence (Schönbrunn Palace was their preferred summer home). Today, the palace serves as official residence of the President of Austria and is one of the country’s most popular tourist attractions. Since 1279 the Hofburg area has been the seat of government for a variety of empires and republics. Hofburg Palace has been expanded throughout the years to include various residences, museums, a chapel, the Imperial Library, the treasury (Schatzkammer), the national theater and even a riding school and horse stables. The palace faces Vienna’s historical Heldenplatz plaza which features [Read more…] about Hofburg Palace :: Vienna, Austria

Schatzkammer Museum :: Vienna, Austria

April 28, 2010 By Chris Blecha Leave a Comment

The Schatzkammer Museum in Vienna, Austria is a dream vacation tour for the both the wealthy and the underprivileged. Even the world’s richest people could not ever afford the many treasures therein any more than the pauper as each piece is priceless. Art renderings in portrait (or in precious metal and precious stone) were gathered for centuries through acquisitions by marriage and gifts to the empire. Pretty understandable why it’s called “Schatzkammer” (Schatzkammer is German for treasure vault). This guarded vault chamber was the place where the rulers of old, much as affluent people today, protected their wealth and more expensive items. The Imperial Treasury of the Hapsburg Rulers is located in Hofburg Palace and houses a collection so vast it encompasses over 1000 years of [Read more…] about Schatzkammer Museum :: Vienna, Austria

Schönbrunn Palace :: Vienna, Austria

January 17, 2010 By Chris Blecha Leave a Comment

Schönbrunn Palace is major tourist destination and also one of the most important cultural monuments in Austria. Placed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1996 due to its importance as a work of Baroque art, it is a wonderful monument featuring fountains, statues and even a zoo. With a history dating back to medieval times, the land was originally owned by Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II and held a mansion named Katterburg. The area was fenced and filled with game to serve as the court’s recreational hunting ground. Over the following centuries the property was transformed into a manorial estate. In 1569 the Habsburg’s came into possession of the estate from [Read more…] about Schönbrunn Palace :: Vienna, Austria