VIENNA
- Alex P
- Dec 18, 2025
- 4 min read
Vienna, the federal state and capital of Austria. Famous for its imperial palaces, including Schönbrunn and Hofburg, Vienna was home to such great composers as Mozart and Beethoven.
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VIENNA: ICONIC LANDMARKS
One could speak at length about Vienna, in detail, and with a slight air of exultation — but we'll begin more modestly. We'll limit ourselves to the Ringstrasse, that ceremonial ring where Vienna, in the second half of the 19th century, decided to showcase itself in all its glory.
Here, the city gathered its greatest ambitions and arranged them in a circle: the Vienna State Opera, the Hofburg Palace, the Parliament building, the Rathaus, the University, the Burgtheater, and the impressive museums — the Kunsthistorisches Museum and the Museum of Natural History — standing opposite each other like two exemplary students.
The Ringstrasse is not just a street, but a carefully crafted showcase of empire, where each façade references past eras and slightly competes with its neighbors. A stroll along it is like a crash course in Viennese history: without dates or lectures, but with columns, domes, and a very confident sense of self-worth.
Vienna is best described in poetry. For example, from Spanish poet and playwright Federico García Lorca's 1930 poem "Little Viennese Waltz":
In Vienna I will dance with you
in a costume with
a river's head.
See how the hyacinths line my banks!
I will leave my mouth between your legs,
my soul in a photographs and lilies,
and in the dark wake of your footsteps,
my love, my love, I will have to leave
violin and grave, the waltzing ribbons.
VIENNA: COAT OF ARMS' HISTORY
In short, Vienna grew out of a military camp. The Roman settlement of Vindobona guarded the northern border of the Roman Empire, and after its departure, the site didn't fall into disuse — it proved too convenient. In the Middle Ages, Vienna became the residence of the Babenbergs, then passed to the Habsburgs, who transformed it into the political and cultural center of Central Europe.
The city survived Ottoman sieges, religious wars, the heyday of the Baroque, and the Age of Enlightenment. By the 19th century, Vienna had become the capital of the multinational Austro-Hungarian Empire, where officials, composers, and conspirators all rubbed shoulders. After the collapse of Austria-Hungary, it lost its imperial scale, but not its habit of thinking big. Today's Vienna is a careful union of old forms, a turbulent history, and an ability to transform the past into a way of life.
On Vienna’s earliest known seals, only an eagle appeared — a standard medieval choice for any city eager to look important. The seal most likely followed the heraldic fashions of Austria’s first dukes.
In 1461 Vienna received a new coat of arms featuring the imperial double-headed eagle, proudly declaring its status as a capital of the Holy Roman Empire.
The celebration was short-lived: merely two years later the city lost the right to display the eagle after a series of political missteps and bouts of disloyalty during wartime.
The furious emperor transferred the honour to the tiny town of Krems an der Donau which, to its credit, has carried that privilege ever since with modest dignity." By the way, Krems is particularly known for the cultivation of a specific, high-quality apricot called the Wachauer Marille. These apricots are so special that they have protected status, meaning only apricots grown in this region can carry that name. So, welcome, if you are apricot fan.
By the late 14th century, the white cross on a red field had become part of Vienna’s heraldry, a direct nod to the Crusades, in which Viennese knights enthusiastically participated. The colours echo the banner of the Hospitaller Order — those gallant warriors who famously saved souls, though sometimes at the expense of a few or more bodies.
Today, this white cross is Vienna's "Small" coat of arms — simple, recognizable, and far more peaceful than the imperial birds. And Vienna's "Great" coat of arms after having undergone a turbulent history, has returned to the visual image of its firstborn.
VIENNA: THE FUN FACTS
Modern Vienna consists of 23 districts (locally known as Bezirke), which are in turn divided into 94 parishes. One day, a certain heroic enthusiast decided to collect all 94 coats of arms in a single image.
The result is impressive – a veritable kaleidoscope of symbols, lions, towers and eagles, in which you can get lost, just like in the Vienna metro itself. However, those prone to migraines and epilepsy would be better off viewing this masterpiece in moderation — historical education should be beneficial, not hazardous to health.
Vienna's Schönbrunn Zoo is the oldest in the world. It opened in 1752 and was privately owned. For a long time, it was the personal menagerie of Emperor Franz I, and only members of the Habsburg family were allowed to see the animals.
When the zoo first opened to the public in 1779, a curious problem arose: the animals didn't know how to behave! Historians say that the lions and peacocks, accustomed to silence and stately receptions, were so shocked by the shouts of commoners and the noise of the crowd that they initially hid in the farthest corners. Special keepers had to be assigned to teach the public proper behavior — that is, silence and reverence. After all, even the animals in Vienna knew what court etiquette was!
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