Schloss Schonbrunn Gardens.

Imperial Vienna possibly at its most imposing.

Schloss Schonbrunn.

Having circumnavigated the centre of Vienna exhaustively for five days, by last Saturday it was time for change.

Schloss Schonbrunn is one of the palaces built by the Hapsburgs beyond the constraints of the original city. The scale of the building is breath takingly gigantic, set amongst beautiful formal drives and parkland, however the building exudes the feeling of a stage set and its sheer size means its detailing only works at a distance with the building as part of a wider ensemble. On closer inspection the buildings details are austere and quite minimal; possibly due to a desire to create maximum impact for as little money as possible.

Gasometers.

These C19th Gasometers in Romanesque 'fancy dress' are located on the outskirts of Vienna City; along the U3 underground line. Something the Viennese seem to be unafraid of and very accomplished at executing is the reuse of existing buildings, adding new contemporary additions and extensions without compromising the integrity of the existing.

Architecture School.

The entrance to the architecture school at the TU Wien on Karlplatz. Founded in 1815 as the Imperial Royal Polytechnic Institute, it currently has about 17,600 students, eight faculties and about 4,000 staff members.

Sketchbook 03.

Sketchbook 02.

Sketchbook 01.

My sketchbook can probably politely be best described as being in a state of organised chaos. It is a physical record of a specific thought process with no concern for overall presentation or organisation. This means the drawings lose some of their character when they are scanned in and reformatted.

This series of posted images will be the opposite; a chronologically ordered set of copies of each completed original sketchbook page.

Jesuitenkirche.

Images of the high baroque interior embellished with marble, gold and trompe l'oeil frescos by Pozzo. This elaborate and indulgent approach to architecture was only adopted by the Jesuits during the middle of the 17th century. Initially their buildings were austere, whitewashed preaching spaces. The large and easily accessible layout in this church remains. However the confidence and exuberance of the Catholic Church during this era, after the threat from Protestantism had passed, has clearly been fully embraced by the order here.

Jesuitenkirche.

Redesigned between 1703 and 1705 by the Jesuit architect Andrea Pozzo. The facade dominates its square, a bold statement, which reflects the Jesuits role as one of the principle forces behind the C16th Catholic Reformation. The facade is a typical Germanic Baroque creation with a symmetrical ABABA rhythm.

Hofburg sketches.

Pen and ink sketches.

Stallburg.

The Stallburg was constructed in the C16th as a royal residence. It was converted into stables to serve the Hofburg and now accommodates horses from the Spanish Riding School.

The Hofburg.

The range of different building styles enclosing the Hofburg's principle courtyard.

The Hofberg.

The Hofburg represents seven centuries of architectural development; as a result it ranges from Gothic to late C19th Neo-classicism in style. It is the physical embodiment of the Imperial power and control of the ruling Hapsburg dynasty. The above images are of the Michaelertrakt facade dating from 1893.

Medieval to Renaissance Vienna

The above image from the Nuremberg Chronicles depicts Vienna in 1493. After the dark ages the Babenburg dukes expanded and developed Vienna into a centre for trade. Hapsburg rule established itself in Vienna in the 13th Century and endured until 1918. From 1452 to 1806 the Hapsburg rulers were invariably elected as Holy Roman Emperors, allowing Vienna to transform into a grand Imperial capital. During the C16th and the Renaissance Vienna begain to establish itself as a center for the arts, however the threat of Turkish invasion and the plague intermittently inhibited this development.

C17th Vienna.

The above image depicts the defeat of the Turks in 1683. This event was a decisive point in the history of Vienna and central Europe as it extinguished the prospect of Ottoman rule.

The late C17th saw the development of the Baroque style in Vienna, with architects such as J B Fischer von Erlach designing palaces and churches for the Hapsburg dynasty. The centre of Vienna to the present still retains a predominantly Baroque, classical character.

C18th Vienna.

A view of Vienna by Caneletto in 1758/61. Stephensdom is visible in the centre; still contained behind the city walls. With the threat of Turkish invasion extinguished baroque churches, museums, and palaces started to appear outside the constraints of the central city. The Karlskirche can be seen on the far left of the image and the foreground scene depicts the Belvedere Palace and its formal gardens.

C19th Vienna.

Vienna in 1853. The walls were partially demolished by Napoleon after his defeat of Austria; he was overthrown in 1814. Vienna managed to maintain its reputation and status as a cultural centre through the 19th Century through composers such as Beethoven and Strauss as well as the development of the Beidermeier style of Architecture.

Modern Vienna 2010

The extents of modern Vienna. The historic city centre is still clearly visible in the centre of the image. Enclosing this is the Ringstrasse; followed by layers of radiating residential suburbs.

Geschichte.

Vienna is the capital of the Republic of Austria, it fosters a population of around 1.5 million and covers an area totaling 160 square miles.

Originally a Celtic settlement on the Danube river it developed into the garrison town of Vindobona under the Romans. However its location on the edge of the Hungarian plains meant the city was vulnerable to attack; a reoccurring threat throughout much of its history that has dictated the rate of its growth.

In the 10th Century the city came under the control of the Babenburg dynasty and developed into a major trading centre. This was continued under the rule of the Hapsburg family who acquired the city in the 13th Century, however the continued threat from the Turkish limited the expansion of the city due to its containment behind an elaborate set of defensive walls.

With the defeat of the Turks in 1683 meant expansion was possible and by the 18th Century Vienna had evolved into a major cultural and imperial centre; particularly apparent in its fostering of composers such as Haydn and his pupil Mozart as well as the construction of grand baroque buildings beyond the original city walls. During the 1880s the defensive walls were removed and replaced with a a circular boulevard; the Ringstrasse. This linked existing and new cultural initiations including churches, museums, opera houses and theaters. All of this was achieved despite the dwindling power of the Hapsburgs. They were overthrown in 1918 during a period of intellectual ferment in Vienna. Artists such as Gustav Klimt and architects such as Otto Wagner created revolutionary new styles manifested in the Jugendstil and the Secession. Vienna was also the base of Sigmund Freaud and the writer karl Kraus.

Vienna has retained its status as a major cultural centre despite major upheavals during World War II only regaining its independence, along with the rest of Austria, in 1955.

Anfang.

This blog is intended as a record of a semester spent studying at the TU Wien Fakultat fur Architektur in Vienna, Austria. It will cover general experiences regarding Viennese architecture as well as specific projects undertaken at the school of architecture.