Page 102 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Austria

100  VIENNA AREA B Y AREA

Albrecht Dürer, Michelangelo,
Raphael, Peter Paul Rubens,
Leonardo da Vinci, Diego
Velázquez and Titian, symbo­
lizing the timeless value of art.
The Künstlerhaus has been
undergoing renovation work for
several years, during which
exhibitions are housed at
Künstlerhaus 1050 on Sieben­
brunnengasse. It is expected to
reopen in September 2018.
q Musikverein
Bösendorferstrasse 12. Map 5 D1.
Tel 50 58 190. % Karlsplatz. v 1, 2,
62, 71, D. @ 2A, 4A, 59A. Open
guided tours: phone for details; box
office: 9am–8pm Mon–Fri, 9am– 1pm
Sat and 1hr before concerts.
Sunflower motif on the façade of the Karlsplatz Pavilions ∑ musikverein.at
9 Karlsplatz 0 Künstlerhaus Next to the Künstlerhaus is
Pavilions Karlsplatz 5. Map 5 D1. Tel 58 79 663. the Musikverein, headquarters
% Karlsplatz. v 1, 2, 62, 71, D. of the Society of the Friends
Karlsplatz. Map 5 D1. % Karlsplatz. of Music. It was designed by
B Kärntner Ring. v 1, 2, 62, 71, D. @ 2A, 4A, 59A. Open check website
@ 2A, 4A, 59A. Tel 50 58 747­85 177. for opening hours. & ∑ k-haus.at Theophil Hansen between 1867
Open Apr–Oct: 10am–6pm and 1869 and the exterior of
Tue–Sun & public hols. Commissioned by the Vienna the building features terracotta
Artists’ Society as an exhibition statues and balustrades.
Otto Wagner (see p96) was hall for its members, the The Musikverein is the home
responsible for designing and Künstlerhaus (Artists’ House) of the famous Vienna Philhar­
engineering many elements of was completed in 1868. The monic Orchestra. The concert
Vienna’s light urban railway, the society favou red grandiose, hall, seating almost 2,000, has
Stadtbahn, in the late 19th academic styles of painting in excellent acoustics, and the
century. A few of Wagner’s tune with the historicist decor is superb. The balcony is
stations remain to this day – it is Ringstrasse archi tec ture which supported by vast columns;
worth looking at the stations in was also being deve loped the gilded ceiling shows nine
Stadtpark, Kettenbrückengasse around that time. The Artists’ muses and Apollo; and lining
and Schönbrunn, for example – House itself is typical of this the walls are the statues of
but none can match his stylish style. Designed by August various famous musicians.
pair of railway exit pavilions Weber (1836–1903) to look like The most well­known annual
(1898–9) along side Karlsplatz. a Renaissance palazzo, it is event here is the New Year’s
The patina­green copper roofs decorated with marble statues Day concert, which is broadcast
and the ornamen tation of the masters of art, including live around the world.
complement the Karlskirche
beyond. Gilt patterns are
stamped onto the white marble
cladding and eaves, with
repetitions of Wagner’s beloved
sunflower motif. The greatest
impact is made by the buildings’
elegantly curving rooflines.
Today the western pavilion
holds an exhibition devoted to
the architect and urban planner.
It covers his most important
designs including the Kirche am
Steinhof (see p112) and the
revolutionary Stadtbahn, as well
as his theories of design, which
were radical for the time. The
eastern pavilion houses a café. The monumental, historicist façade of the Musikverein
For hotels and restaurants in this area see pp293–4 and pp313–14

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