Our recommendations

- St. Stephen's Square

- visit to the cathedral tower

- Naschmarkt

- town hall square

- Hofburg palace complex

What is worth eating?

- Wiener Schnitzel, which is a breaded veal cutlet similar to our pork schnitzel

- Tafelsplitz, which is equivalent to our "broth meat," that can also be served with horseradish sauce

- Semmelknödel (bread dumplings stuffed with onions and herbs) served as a side to meat dishes and sauces

- Kaiserschmarrn (shredded fluffy pancake served sweet)

- dumplings with minced pork and herbs

- potato salad

- Apfelstrudel (a dessert like "apple pie" with vanilla sauce)

- beer (with everything)

Innsbruck, Vienna

2011 - 2023

The famous Prater is starting to feel a bit outdated. There are still a few souvenir shops left, but the amusement park is a nostalgic relic compared to modern theme parks.

The main building of the polytechnic dates back to the early 19th century. It educates about 30,000 students across 8 faculties and ranks among the top 400 higher education institutions in the world.

We end the day at Maria Theresa Square, located between the buildings of the Natural History Museum and the Museum of Art History. Both twin buildings facing each other were constructed in the late 19th century for the purpose of housing museums. The decision to fund them was made by Emperor Franz Joseph I in 1858, and they were opened in 1889 and 1891, respectively. A significant portion of the collections consists of private collections of the Habsburgs gathered over the centuries.

The central feature of the square is the statue of Empress Maria Theresa. The six-meter tall statue weighing 44 tons has been seated on its throne since 1888.

The park between St. Charles Church and the Vienna University of Technology is the site of another market from where you can walk to Maria-Theresien Platz.

St. Charles Borromeo Church was built in 1737 to commemorate his contribution to treating the population affected by the last plague of the bubonic plague. Very characteristic are the two bell towers on the front modeled after Trajan's Column in Rome (similarly adorned with spiral reliefs). Antonio Vivaldi died in the nearby hospital, and although his grave has been lost, regular concerts dedicated to the master's work are held in the church.

If you want to eat cheaply and shop in Vienna, you should head to Naschmarkt. Here you will find over 120 stalls, ranging from food to souvenirs and popular restaurants among the youth. On Saturday evenings, it is a meeting place to spend leisure time enjoying good food and music played by DJs.

The neo-Gothic town hall was opened for use in 1883. It closely resembles the town hall in Brussels. At the top of the main tower, which is 98 meters high, there is a steel figure of a knight over 5 meters tall, which has become one of the symbols of the city. The building does not appear that large from the front, but it contains 2987 rooms. Tours are only available with a guide on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 1:00 PM. They are free, but you must collect a ticket at the city information center between 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM. The group of visitors is limited to only 50 people.

In the park between the town hall, the parliament building, and the national theater, there was probably the prettiest market. An artificial ice rink was also built here in the form of narrow paths winding between the trees.

The first building of the national theater was opened in 1741. It hosted premieres of Mozart's operas and Beethoven's symphonies. The new theater building on the Ring dates back to 1888. It suffered greatly due to bombing by American aircraft during the war and a subsequent fire. Its reconstruction was completed in 1955.

Walking along the Graben promenade, we will pass the "Plague Column" erected in 1693 at the site where the dead were hastily buried during the plague epidemic. The top of the column is adorned with the Holy Trinity, and the base features the coats of arms of Austria, Hungary, and the Czech Republic, symbolizing the unity of the Habsburg monarchy with the Catholic faith.

As we walk through St. Michael's Square, we come directly in front of the Hofburg Palace. In truth, it is a complex of several buildings from different eras surrounding Heldenplatz - the largest square in Vienna. The construction of the oldest parts (the Swiss Courtyard, the Augustinian Monastery, Amalienburg, the Leopold Wing, the Old Palace) was completed in the 17th century. The library, the Albrecht Palace, the August Wing, the Imperial Chancellery, and the riding school were added in the 18th century. The most magnificent new palace, the orangery, and St. Michael's Wing were completed at the end of the 19th century. In Heldenplatz, we will find three monuments: the statue of Emperor Francis I and the mounted figures of Prince Eugene of Savoy and Archduke Charles I.

Prince Eugene, who was not accepted into the French army, became a prominent commander in the Austrian army and participated under the command of Stefan Batory in the Battle of Vienna. Archduke Charles I contributed to Napoleon Bonaparte's first defeat at Aspern.

Around the cathedral square, we will find the most souvenir shops. We can also take a look at the Lotto lottery office established in 1752 - as it turns out, games of chance are not a 20th-century invention.

The left corner of the square is adorned by the most beautiful tenement in the city. Helbling House owes its name to its owner, about whom I could find little information other than that he lived here at the beginning of the 19th century. Rococo stuccoes decorated the building 100 years earlier.

In the old town alleys, we can find plenty of souvenir shops and small restaurants. Some interiors have been taken over by chains like Pizza Hut, McDonald's, or NordSee, so we can grab a bite to eat quite cheaply.

It is worth reaching the banks of the Inn River, along which picturesque colorful tenements stand, with the snow-capped peaks of the Alps visible behind them.

The palace bay window, adorned with a golden roof, was built at the end of the 15th century to provide the imperial family with a view of the tournaments and festivals taking place in the square below. The roof is covered with 2,657 gilded copper tiles.

To the right of the palace stands the town hall with a 51-meter tall tower. At a height of 31 meters, there is an observation platform that has been used for centuries until 1967 by city guards. Their duty was to announce the hours and warn the public of dangers. We ascend the tower via 148 steps, and the entrance ticket costs 4.5 Euros.

The main axis of the old town is the Maria-Theresa promenade running from the "Golden Roof" towards the triumphal arch. The arch was built in 1765 to celebrate the wedding of the imperial son. Shortly after the celebrations, the husband of Empress Maria-Theresa died, which forced the designers to modify the structure. On the northern side, the bas-reliefs are dedicated to the young couple. From the south, they were replaced with motifs related to the emperor's death.

Vienna

Vienna obtained city rights at the beginning of the 13th century. It developed quite rapidly after the Habsburgs took power, who declared the city the capital of the Holy Roman Empire. Over the centuries, it was plagued by fires, Turkish invasions, and the plague epidemic in 1679 claimed over 100,000 residents. The "Golden Age" in the city's history only began in the early 18th century, and most of the monuments date from this time.

In 1867, it became the capital of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, and after its fall, the capital of the Republic of Austria. Following Austria's annexation to the Third Reich, it briefly lost its significance and was treated as a provincial city until the end of World War II.

Personally, Vienna is primarily associated with classical music, where the following composers created Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Schubert, Franz Liszt, Johannes Brahms, Johann Strauss (father), Johann Strauss (son). The accumulation of so many famous names is truly impressive. It is no wonder that events at the Vienna opera and philharmonic attract crowds of fans.

Similar to Berlin, our route through the city was marked by the locations of Christmas markets. We started our sightseeing at St. Stephen's Square and the cathedral named after him. The original Romanesque structure was completed in 1263, but its reconstruction into the current Neo-Gothic shape lasted until the early 16th century. The architecture bears many similarities to St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague, as the main architects knew each other and were inspired by one another. It is worth climbing the 343 steps to the southern tower, which stands 136 meters tall. The ticket costs 6.5 Euros and can only be purchased at the cathedral's ticket office in cash. In addition to the magnificent city panorama, the roof covered with 230,000 ceramic tiles makes a huge impression.

Innsbruck

The city has hosted the Winter Olympic Games twice, and one of its landmarks is the Bergisel ski jump. It recalls the successes of Poles in the World Cup and the Four Hills Tournament. Adam Małysz was a record holder here twice, but he was not the first Pole to achieve this. In 1964, the hill record was set by Józef Przybyła, who jumped 95.5 meters.

Innsbruck Airport is considered one of the most challenging in the world due to its narrow and steep approach path and wind gusts between the mountains. Only certified pilots who have completed additional training at this location can use it. Large aircraft land just above the rooftops of the old town, drowning out other sounds, and the largest allowed model is the Boeing 767.

The route through the Brenner Pass connecting northern Europe with Italy contributed to the rapid development of the city in the Middle Ages, which became the capital of Tyrol (the Tyrol flag is the same as Poland's).

Austria - some practical information

Similar to Germany, visits to Austria are primarily ski trips. On this occasion, we managed to spend some time in Innsbruck and Vienna along the way.

Driving by car requires purchasing a vignette, which costs about 23 Euro (for a period of 10 days). Currently, we can do this through several websites and will receive the electronic vignette via email. We do not exceed the allowed speeds because the police are not lenient with Polish drivers and there is no tolerance for a few kilometers over the limit.

At gas stations, we will always find something inexpensive to eat. Fuel prices are comparable to ours, so it’s not worth filling up in advance.

An interesting fact for us may be the coat of arms of Austria. The black eagle holds a sickle and hammer in its claws, and a broken chain hangs between its talons. For us, it has unappealing associations, but for Austrians, its symbolism is entirely different. The flag on the eagle's chest replaced the coat of arms of the Habsburg dynasty in 1915. In 1919, after the establishment of the republic, the scepter was replaced by the sickle - a symbol of farmers. Instead of a sword, a hammer appeared as proof of industrial development. The crown on its head is shaped like city walls, representing the bourgeoisie. The broken chain was added in 1945 as a symbol of liberation from Nazi dictatorship.