The beautiful city of Vienna is a magnet for lovers of music, the arts and amazing architecture. There is one attraction that dominates a spacious part of the city’s skyline. This is the Wiener Riesenrad, the world famous ferris wheel located at the entrance to the Prater. The history of the Wiener Riesenrad creates as much of the wonder of this particular feature of Wien as the immense size of the structure. At night, the Wiener Riesenrad fairly lights the entire city with its glowing illumination.

The History Of The Riesenrad

The Austrian nature, though reserved, also leans toward a unique kind of gayety and love of festivity. In Vienna, there is always a festive atmosphere to be found. Perhaps, this is why the Wiener Riesenrad became the world’s first ferris wheel. It lies in the Viennese district of Leopoldstadt and claims title to the most popular amusement in the Prater. To celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Emperor Franz Josef in 1897, the Viennese erected the Riesenrad as a tribute. At the time of its premier in Vienna, it became the largest ferris wheel in the world, standing at more than 200 feet high with 30 gondolas for patrons of the Prater to enjoy.

The Destruction of The Riesenrad

Sadly, as a result of damage incurred during World War II, the Wiener Riesenrad was slated for demolition. The beloved structure was to experience an odd twist in its history. Due to lack of funding for the demolition, the mighty Wiener Riesenrad would surmount its fated destruction. When the city of Vienna began restoration of the Riesenrad, the number of gondolas was reduced from 30 to 15 and an entirely new mode of operation was upgraded with more durable steel materials to assure safety.

The Glorious Wiener Riesenrad

On a bright, sun-filled Vienna day, tourists are enamored by the sight of the Wiener Riesenrad as much for its photographic assets as for the unusual history. It may be said that the gift to Emperor Franz Josef remains one of Vienna’s most outstanding gifts to Austria and tourists of the world. The Wiener Riesenrad is a sight that has to be seen in daylight and at night in order to fully appreciate the wonder of it. Viewing Vienna from the top of the Wiener Riesenrad gondola is a unique experience tourists should not miss.

The Hellbrunn Palace

Hellbrunn Palace is more of a manor than a castle. The palace is three stories tall and rectangular with a large pavilion nestled in the courtyard. Hellbrunn Palace is home to a nearby zoo, the beautifully manicured “pleasure garden” with its peaceful ponds adorned with a collection of statuary and an assortment of water fountains designed to play tricks on visitors. The grounds host a Christmas Market in the winter and in the summer tourists flock to the gardens for the infamous water games of the many trick fountains.

Trick Fountains

The palace grounds host a sophisticated series of trick fountains originally built for the purpose of amusing the Archbishop. One of the best examples of the trick fountains is the marble table with ten marble seats in the courtyard, often used by the Archbishop for dinner parties. Etiquette demanded that no guest in the presence of the Archbishop should ever rise from their seat as long as their host was seated, but the Archbishop had a surprise for each guest that would make that impossible. Built into the marble seats, with the exception of the Archbishop’s chair, was a hidden fountain that shot a single stream of water up into each seat. The marble table and chairs were surrounded by trick fountains that shot up a single stream of water behind each guest. To this day, history records these trick fountain events as water games.

Mechanical Theatre

The mechanical theatre was built in 1750 by Lorenz Rosenegger and has nearly 200 intricate water-driven figures busy toiling at their occupations like hammering, sawing, and other activities. Meticulous attention to detail and movement depicts life in a small Baroque city, and it is completely water driven. The movement of the characters is controlled by the beat from a completely water driven organ. The mechanical theatre is a masterful work of art and design making it one of the most popular tourist attractions at the Hellbrunn Palace.

Sound of Music

The extraordinarily successful motion picture from 1965, “The Sound of Music”, was filmed in and around the Salzburg area. One of the most memorable scenes from the movie was filmed on the grounds of the Hellbrunn Palace, in the garden. It is the scene where Liesl (Charmian Carr) danced with Franz (Gilchrist Stuart) and sang “Sixteen Going on Seventeen” inside the glass gazebo, in the rain. To this day, the glass gazebo is one of the most popular attractions on the Hellbrunn Palace grounds.

The original property was home to a mansion called Katterburg, which remained in use and untouched for almost a century after being acquired by Maximilian II.  It wasn’t until the wife of Ferdinand II, Eleanor Gonzaga, was bequeathed the property after her husband’s death and added the palace to the existing mansion in the mid 1600’s, that the name “Schoenbrunn” was mentioned.  Over the next three centuries, various new styles of architecture and decoration were introduced until 1918, when the newly formed Austrian Republic took over the property and preserved it as a cultural museum piece.  Since then, it has been open to the public and is a major tourist attraction for those visiting Austria and Vienna.

More than a palace – Schoenbrunn is synthesis of style and function

The Schoenbrunn Palace itself is only a small part of what the grounds have to offer.  Other notable attractions include:

• Tiergarten Schoenbrunn – widely considered as one of the oldest Zoos in the world.
• Palmenhaus – a large greenhouse containing plants from around the world that was originally built in 1882.
• Wuestenhaus – built in 1904, this is the newest of the botanical houses and offers visitors a desert exhibit that has been open since 2004.
• Wagenburg – the museum of carriages and vehicles used by the imperial household.

Beyond these main attractions, visitors can also visit the large outdoor gardens, the Roman Ruins and a variety of other interesting sights.

The history and culture of Austria contained within these famous walls

No trip to Austria, specifically Vienna, is complete without a visit to Schloss Schoenbrunn.  To find out more information about how to reach the palace grounds, its hours and ticket prices, visit the official website of Schoenbrunn Palace.  You can even book tickets today to experience this marvellous piece of Baroque style architecture coupled with additional architecture styles utilized throughout the years by Schoenbrunn’s varied occupants.