VIENNA
- Alex P
- Nov 4
- 2 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
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: THE MOST INTERESTING
Vienna is famous for its coffee house culture and world-class museums, but 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: HISTORY OF THE COAT OF ARMS
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.
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