Vienna City Hall Tour: a Free Suprise

I am always on the look out for free things to do in Vienna. There is never a shortage of activities, but sometimes I don’t feel like doling out Euros right and left. So, when I learned that the Weiner Rathaus (Vienna City Hall) offered free tours every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, I had to check it out.

From the outside, the Rathaus looks more like a giant castle, or maybe a church, not a city hall. The building is huge. It is 152 meters long and 127 meters wide, and one of the biggest city halls in Europe. The inside is just as grand as the outside. The whole building was designed by famous German architect, Friedrich Schmidt. He had designed several other buildings in Vienna before he won the contest to design the new Rathaus. In 1883 he was even made an honorary citizen of Vienna, and he has his own statue in a park outside.

Our tour started in the Arkadenhof (Arcade Courtyard), the largest of seven interior courtyards of the Rathaus. In the summer it is used as a festival ground, and even features a foldout roof, in case of rain.

Then we proceeded up the Grand Staircases. These are two magnificent red-carpeted staircases leading up to the Festival Hall. On either side they are flanked by beautiful stained glass windows. Walking up the stairs reinforces the idea that this is not just any old city hall.

The Festival Hall is an event venue, which in Austria means a ballroom. When it was completed in 1883, it was the largest hall in Austria with 1,450 square meters of floor space. The vaulted ceilings, with their 16 gilded chandeliers lend the room an even greater level of grandeur. Every winter the Ball of the City of Vienna is held at the Festival Hall. And in the summer the lively Life Ball takes place here. The first ball here on February 12, 1890 featured performances by the waltz master himself, Johann Strauss II.

Next we visited the Wappensaal (Coat of Arms Hall), two rooms used for honorary ceremonies and events. They used to be home to a weapons collection, but it has since been relocated to the Municipal Arms Museum. The walls are still decorated with hangings representing the coats of arms of the nine Bundesländer (federal provinces) of Austria and their capitals. Another impressive feature are the 500 and 750kg crystal chandeliers in the two rooms.

Our last stop was the two story Council Chamber. They really pulled out all the stops for this one. The vaulted ceilings are adorned with 22-carat gold. There is a precious wood inlay ceiling, stained glass windows, frescos, and a 3,200kg chandelier. The chandelier was presented by Friedrich Schmidt at the International Exhibition in Paris. It is so heavy that it had to be anchored to the roof with steel cables and the ceiling put in afterwards.

Fresco of Maria Theresa

There was one more cool thing to see before our tour officially ended. Atop the tallest tower of the Rathaus stands Rathausmann. Why is there a statue all the way up there, you may ask? Well, there are two reasons. One, he serves as a metal lightning rod. Two, the law in Vienna at the time stated that no secular building could be taller than a church. The spires of the nearby Votivekirche are 99 meters tall. Naturally, the Rathaus tower is only 97.9 meters high. Except, when you add the 5.4 meters for Rathausmann. So, he was a sneaky loophole.

Can you spot Rathausmann?

The exterior of the Rathaus is quite the sight. Surrounded by parks and the famous Ringstraße, it offers visitors plenty to soak in. But that is only half of the story. I was really surprised by how exquisite and interesting the interior of the Rathaus was. Every room had beautiful decorations and a story to tell. And they are still in use today. That is why visitors have to take a guided tour. There are still government officials conducting business in the building. For me, it was quite an experience to see how a building so connected to Vienna’s imperial past was being translated into its present.

I think the Rathaus tour might be one of Vienna’s hidden gems. I hadn’t heard about it anywhere until I read the small print on my map, but it was a great tour. They offer audio guides in lots of languages, so anyone can go. I highly recommend checking it out.

Let’s Get Down to Business School

This may shock some of you, but I have now completed my first class at WU. I know what you are thinking, classes only started a few weeks ago, how could one be over already? That is the magic of block schedules.

Now that I am getting used to my new classes, I thought it was a good time to share a little about the differences between WU and USC. In a lot of ways it is very different, but of course, there are lots of similarities as well.

I’ll start with the campus. Both schools have beautiful campuses, but WU’s is much smaller. This is because the university only offers majors and courses of study in business and related topics. Anyone studying art, history, science, or engineering goes to another university entirely. Therefore, they need fewer buildings. They also don’t offer on-campus housing, medical care, and there is only a small sports facility.

In South Carolina, the campus is designed to function as a city within a city. You don’t ever need to leave. Here, you go to campus mostly just for classes. It’s nice because it encourages the students to interact with the city more, but I find myself missing the convenience and atmosphere at Carolina sometimes.

No Historic Horseshoe this semester
                                                 "University of South Carolina Horseshoe" by Dfscgt21 - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons                                                                                                                                                                   

Since this campus is entirely new, however, it does have some pretty cool futuristic technology. Like you get to lock your stuff up at the library in lockers that use your ID card as a key. And all of the rooms have electronic signs that tell you which class is meeting there. It is pretty cool to see the new advancements.

WU's brand new campus

The classes are also different. Although I haven’t found the actual content to be too radical a departure from what I am used to. The focus is on case studies, practical applications of concepts, and group work. Class time is divided between lectures and discussions. All of that feels very familiar. I have seen the resurgence of what I thought to be a long-lost technology though: the flipchart. We use them mostly for group discussions. It’s just a different way for us to present our ideas, but I haven’t used one in a long time.

We did have one unusual class session, however. My diversity management class meets in blocks, and our latest lecture was about disability in organizations. To help us have a more in-depth understanding of what living with a disability is like, our lecturer provided us wheelchairs and had us try to go around campus. It was a very eye-opening experience!

Since I am taking my classes in English, many of the other students I'm meeting are also international students. And not just from Canada and the US, from all over the world. While there have been international students in my classes at USC, there have never been this many. Getting to hear everyone’s diverse perspectives has been one of my favorite parts of taking classes here at WU.

If there is one way that school is completely different here, it is scheduling. At USC classes usually meet twice a week for an hour and a half or three times a week for 50 minutes. Here classes usually meet once a week for three hours. That is, if you sign up for classes that meet regularly. I’m only taking one course with a regular schedule. The rest are some variation of a block. One meets some, but not every Friday for a month and a half for five hours. Another meets every day in a week for five hours. That’s the one I am already finished with. In general, block classes meet a total of five times and other classes meet about eight. So, it feels like I‘m in class less than back at USC. But the content is interesting and the professors are engaging, so I still feel like I am learning a lot.

So far I have enjoyed my classes at WU. Most of the courses I am taking cover topics that don’t have their own class at USC, so it offers me a chance to explore new areas of study. Plus, with my irregular class schedule I have plenty of time to get out and explore the city. It all feels very laid-back. I sometimes worry that I will have trouble re-adjusting to round-the-clock classes at USC.  

 

Each way of conducting classes has its strengths and weaknesses. I doubt that I will ever be able to confidently say that I prefer one way to the other. For now, I want to focus on taking full advantage of my new classes and diverse peers, as well as the many travel opportunities my irregular schedule affords me.

The great secret I have been hiding is that I’m not even in class right now. After one whole month, it was time for Easter break. All classes and activities have been put on hold for two weeks, so I am traveling. My trip will take me through Bavaria to Prague, with stops in Munich, Stuttgart, and many famous castles. I will try to write posts about all of that and more very soon! And not to worry, I still have plenty to talk about from my time in Vienna as well. Bis bald! (See you soon!)

A Brief Tour of Beautiful Bratislava

One of the great things about Vienna is how close it is to so many other places. Not that you would ever run out of things to do in Vienna, but if you want to explore elsewhere, there are lots of options nearby. The closest city for a day trip is Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia.

Formerly known as Pressburg, Bratislava has a long history. It has been part of the Hapsburg Empire, the kingdom of Hungary, and Czechoslovakia. Bratislava has been a seat of power on the Danube for centuries. 

The city's coat of arms

Today the prominent language in the city is Slovak. I was grossly under-prepared for this, and didn’t recognize one word. For my own education, I am going to try to list landmarks in Slovak and then in English in this post.

I started my trip with the one-hour train ride from Vienna to Bratislava. Tickets are only eight Euros each way, and the trains run every hour. Once I got to the Hlavná stanica (train station) in Bratislava, I took bus 93 to the historic city center.

My handy map

A helpful local told me to get off as soon as I saw the castle, but my brain didn’t process that. We stopped by the castle, and there I sat. Next thing I know, we’re trundling over the bridge across the river. I had to get off and take the bus one stop the other way. It was my first lesson in how compact Bratislava really is.

The view of the castle from over the bridge

By the time I made it to the city center, it was time for lunch. I wandered the streets, admiring the beautiful architecture and hunting for the right café. Eventually I landed on one targeted at students, so they had great prices. Eager to taste the regional specialties, I ordered Bryndzové Halušky, potato dumpling with sheep’s cheese and bacon. It was a very hardy meal, and quite tasty.

With my hunger satisfied, I set off to see Bratislava hrad (castle). It’s up on a hill, so you have to climb up about 100 steps to reach the top. It’s not too bad. On my way up I had the good fortune to meet some fellow travelers from Macedonia and Poland. They were very friendly and told me about the city and the castle. It was once owned by the famous Hapsburg empress, Maria Theresa. We walked all around, admiring the building and the view, and then back through old town. It was really fun to hear stories of their travels through the years, and stories just about their lives. Everyone always says that traveling alone is the best way to meet interesting people, and that was definitely the case in Bratislava.

The stairs up to the top of the hill

The view

One of the castle gates

We eventually split up, and I walked down to see Grassalkovičov palace (Grassalkovich palace). Built around 1760 for the Earl of Grassalkovich, it is now the seat of the Slovakian president. I didn’t realize that meant the public was not allowed in, so I promptly tried to waltz right past the guards. Luckily, I wasn’t arrested. There is a public park in the back that I walked around.

The front

The back, with the park

Next, I decided to visit the Stará radnica (old town hall) where the city museum is housed. The building was built by Mayor Jacobus II, but was eventually joined with several surrounding buildings to create the town hall. Over the years it has served a variety of city administrations and undergone several renovations. The exhibits inside went into great detail about the history of the building. What I found that I was more interested in was seeing the rooms. The rooms where the court used to meet were stunning. Unfortunately, no photographs were allowed of the inside.

The back of the city hall, where the museum is

The city hall from the front

A bonus attraction of the museum is the tower. You get to climb to the top, and there are great views of the city center along the way. I think over the rooftops of the main square of the city was one of the most beautiful sights I saw all day.

Check out that view!

My next stop was Kostol svätej Alžbety (The Church of St. Elizabeth) or as it is more commonly known, Modrý kostolÍk (the blue church). Built in 1908, it reflects the Hungarian secessionist, Art Nouveau style. And the whole building is blue! I don’t know why I thought that was so cool, but I was in love with this church. It isn’t very big, so it is adorable, different, and beautiful. I stood outside just staring at it for a long time. The doors were locked, so I didn’t get to go inside.

According to Wikipedia, the inside is blue too!

I meandered around the city center some more after that. Usually strolling around a city and taking pictures is not my travel style, but it was such a nice day, I couldn’t stop myself. The historic center of Bratislava is cozy and stuffed to the gills with famous landmarks, exquisite churches, and regular buildings that take your breath away.

The State Opera

 

Michael's Gate

After I had thoroughly traversed the city center, I stopped to rest at a hidden café I had found. It was in a courtyard behind the Primaciálny palace (Primate’s palace), which is the office of the mayor. At first, I thought it was some kind of fancy zoo. The café had vaulted ceilings and a suite of armor inside.

The Primate's Palace

The sun was setting on my day in Bratislava, however. I made my way slowly back to the train station, taking one last opportunity to drink in the sights.

When I’d arrived in Bratislava, I had a plan for how my day was going to look. I ended up not following my plan at all, and having an amazing time. The wonderful atmosphere of Bratislava just invited me to enjoy myself.