After a quick stop-off at Ulm Munster to climb the 768 steps to the top of the World’s tallest church, we halted in Munich, the lavish capital of Bavaria. We visited two large churches whose interiors could not be more different. The plain interior of the late Gothic red brick cathedral (Frauenkirche), with its famous two towers, stands in stark contrast with the baroque and richly decorated St Michael's Church. After these ecclesiastical palaces we paid homage to a worldly palace: the exclusive metal clad boutique shopping arcade Fuenf Hoefe by Herzog and de Meuron. A network of yards (Hoefe) are connected by narrow passages with luxurious shops on each side. Each of those spaces have a very different three dimensional feel which is reinforced by ceilings with suspended plants and lights on long metal chains. The highly ornamental Rathaus (Townhall) and its surrounding square was left in the hands of enthusiastic Asian tourists taking selfies on the smartphone selfie stands- the latest rage in European street furniture.
From Munich we headed east towards Austria where we spent a few days on the picturesque Wolfgangsee in the Austrian Alps. We went up the famous historic red train leading to the Schafsberg and swam in the cool Alpine lake, as well as taking tea in the famous Wiessen Roessel Hotel. At a short stopover in Traunkirchen we visited the lavish Baroque church where our friends got married. The 'Fisherman's pulpit’ takes the form of a gilded fishing boat.
Next stop: Vienna (Wien), still my favourite city, which I have visited many times after my first Interail stopover there, and where I studied at the Technical University. Vienna is for me the most beautiful city in the world, combining Roman ruins, medieval buildings, baroque glamour, ornate and richly decorated Jugenstil buildings and early modernist buildings; all held together and connected by a fantastic transport system pioneered by Otto Wagner. Many visitors are astounded at the sheer size and spread of the centre of Vienna: it was after all capital of the huge Austro-Hungarian empire which covered half of Europe until 1914, and is a city on a par with London and Paris in terms of variety, scale and ‘edge’.
Follow me on an eclectic mix of the best of Vienna:-
Lets start with Vienna's beloved landmark Stefansdom, nicknamed 'Steffl'. This magnificent Gothic cathedral with it trademark multicoloured chevron roof tiles and a large tower which offers breathtaking views over Vienna. The interior of the cathedral is gloomy, majestic and very spiritual.
Leave the cathedral and you are within the hustle and bustle of Vienna's main poshest shopping mile: pompous Kaerntner Strasse meets the even more upmarket Graben, studded with extravagant and highly ornamental Gruenderzeit and Jugendstil houses. It gets progressively more exclusive the closer it gets to the Hofburg Palace, with many shops still sporting the K&K label (Kaiser and koeniglich- the equivalent of "By Appointment to the Emperor"). Nip into one of the narrow little side streets and you can immerse yourself into the fin-de-siècle literati atmosphere in Cafe Hawelka, one of the original Viennese Kaffeehaeuser. Graben turns soon into the Kohlmarkt. The Hofburg, the Habsburg palace becomes now visible at the south end. Worth a visit is the famous Cafe K&K Cafe Demel which delivered its opulent cakes to the Habsburgs. You now stand at the Michaelerplatz with the Adolf Loos Haus to you right. This building "without eyebrows" caused an uproar when it was built in 1910. It was joked that it was modelled on the Viennese gully lids. It is actually one of the fore-runners of Modernism. Next stop the Hofburg, the famous residence of the Habsburg family. It is a huge Baroque complex housing the "Spanish Riding School", the Kaiser's apartments and the National library. It is nice to relax and refresh oneself in the cafe Palmenhaus with a view towards Hofburg and Burgarten. Studded around the Ring Strasse are Vienna's most prestigious buildings like a string of pearls. The Wiener Staatsoper is on of the best opera houses in the world and I have witnessed many star studded performances from the cheap standing places during my time as a student. Manoeuvre over the unwieldy Karlsplatz (subject of numerous town planning student projects and still not resolved) towards Linke Wienzeile. Soon the gilded dome of the Secession building by Joseph Maria Olbricht becomes visible. The Beethoven Frieze by Gustav Klimt is here on permanent display. The Nashmarket opposite beckons with it's numerous pavilions and stalls which sell Austrian, Arab and Eastern delicacies. The prices drop the closer you get towards the tube station Kettenbrueckengassl. This station forms part of the low level U4 network designed by Otto Wagner. Head back towards Mariahilfer Strasse, climbing steps which lead through some trendy courtyard with shops and cafes. Back on the Ring you can take tram number 1 taking you around the Ring. Stop at Otto Wagner's Postsparkasse: one of the earliest modernist buildings and full of sparkling glass.
It is worth cycling around around Vienna to take in some of the sites further afield. The Zentralfriedhof (Cemetery) is a must for every Vienna visit and you can soak up Vienna's morbid side. (Try and listen to Wolfang Ambros' song" Es lebe der Zentralfriedhof" as an introduction). It is larger than the entire Innere Stadt and has more ‘inhabitants’ than Vienna has above ground. It has even got it’s own bus network. Beethoven, Strauss and Schubert are buried here, although Mozart's memorial takes centre stage (he is famously buried elsewhere somewhere).
The 13th Bezirk, Hietzing, is full of historic architectural gems: ranging from the vast Schoenbrunn Palace to the Wiener Werkbund Siedlung: a showcase 1920s housing estate with houses by Richard Neutra, Hugo Haering, Joseph Hofmann and Adolf Loos.
The Wortruba Kirche in Wien Mauer is also worth a visit. The church which was built in 1976 and consists of 160 randomly stacked concrete cubes. A stylish private house nearby with plenty of Corten steel is worth a peep over the Corten steel gate.
The Gasometer City in the 3rd Bezirk is an interesting project: four gas towers were converted and connected into a new living quarter which includes shops, restaurants, offices and flats.
No trip to Vienna is complete without a trip to the beautiful Wachau region on the River Danube. Cycle from Krems to Spitz or Willendorf (to visit the Venus) along vineyards; visit gorgeous little villages and sample the local wine or stronger Marillen schnapps on offer in every hamlet.
After Vienna we headed east towards the Neusiedler See (a huge, shallow natural lake), stopping at Carnuntum which was one of the largest Roman settlements in Austria. During my stay in Vienna I designed a landscape scheme connecting the various local Roman sites such as the Heidentor and two amphitheatres. A museum with reconstructed Roman houses has been erected recently, but a concept for the entire site is still missing.
From the Neusiedler See we cycled to Sopron in Hungary, which boasts a beautiful town centre.
Heading northwest we stopped at Regensburg, a beautiful German medieval cathedral city on the Danube. Despite it’s immaculate facades and polished shops the city somehow lacks spirit and felt slightly dull after the hip, weathered glamour of Austria and Hungary. For a bit more flair we drove east to Marianske Lazne in the Czech Republic, which is a beautiful fin-de-ciecle spa resort where you can still sample the various waters from porcelain cups with long beaks.
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