We always look forward to wandering the historic streets of European cities. Vienna was no exception and it was pleasant to visit in Spring before the hordes of Summer tourists.
On the far-flung edges of the Roman Empire, the Danubian Limes marked the border between civilization and the barbaric Germanic tribes. Water alone wasn’t sufficient to protect the Empire; fortifications and manpower were much better deterrents. Accordingly, in the latter part of the first century CE, Rome established a military camp just inland from the banks of the Danubius. Despite multiple incursions by the barbarians, Vindobona held its ground and grew into a thriving community until a variety of external pressures led to the demise of the Roman Empire in 476 CE.
While the Romans abandoned their frontier settlement, the natives stayed and many of the streets in modern-day Vienna follow the original camp roads (Graben, Naglergasse, Tiefer Graben, Salzgries, Rabensteig, Rotenturmstraße), although the name Vindobona fell into disuse. By the 9th century, the settlement was known as Wien (Veen), in reference to the Wienfluss (River Wien) which flowed through the community. The Danube does flow through greater Vienna, but it is the Wien that flows through its historical center and is what caught the attention of the Babenbergs (962-1246), an ambitious family from southeastern Germany who had been methodically increasing their domain. In 1155, Henry II of Austria made Wien his capital. In 1221, it gained “city” status and, most importantly, was granted staple rights – any merchant ship passing the port must stop, unload their goods on the docks, and offer them for sale for several days (generally three) before being allowed to reload their goods to continue along their route.
By the late 13th century, the Babenberg Dynasty had been supplanted by the Habsburgs, whose descendants would rule Austria until 1918. The two World Wars had a profound effect on the political landscape in Europe. In 1945, immediately following the end of WWII, Vienna (like Berlin) was divided into four sections, controlled by the US, the UK, France, and the Soviet Union, although Vienna had a better outcome than Berlin. In 1955, the Austrian State Treaty re-establishing Austria as a sovereign state was signed. The key terms to which the Soviets would agree to such a Treaty were that in return for relinquishing their control of Eastern Austria and Vienna, Austria would declare itself permanently neutral and not become a member of NATO. Those terms remain in place today.
Dollars – Western Europe is a bit tough on our budget, and horrifyingly high when compared with Southeast Asia. Late April, early May is still shoulder season in Vienna which made accommodation rates a bit more palatable; staying out in the suburbs helped too. We ended up being pleasantly surprised at how affordable this city was, although I should note we did not pay for any sightseeing activities.
| Cost/Day (2 people/14 nights) |
What’s Included? | |
|---|---|---|
| Basic day-to-day living expenses | $143/day Canadian ($105 USD / €97) |
Accommodation, groceries, wine, restaurants, and local transportation |
| All-inclusive nomadic expenses | $156/day Canadian ($114 USD / €106) |
Basic expenses above plus: health insurance, data packages, subscriptions (Netflix and other streaming services, website hosting, Adobe Lightroom, VPN, misc apps, etc.) |
Environment – We were thrilled with our Airbnb. It was in the Brigittenau District, one block from the Handelskai transit station and two blocks from the Danube! We thoroughly enjoyed strolling the paved pathway stretching for miles along its banks – we felt like locals. The unit had every convenience we needed and was on the top floor of the building so we weren’t annoyed by heavy-footed neighbours.
Tips, Tricks & Transportation – Vienna has an excellent public transportation network. Buses, trams, and subway lines cover the city so effectively that a car is almost unnecessary. We used the Untergrundbahn, the underground subway, to make our way around the city. The U-Bahn consists of 83 km of track serviced by five lines (U1, U2, U3, U4, and U6). Why is there no U5? In 1966, when the initial plans were drawn up for the subway network, six lines were included. As construction progressed however, the U5 segment was never approved and to this day does not exist. Tickets are good across any of the modes of transport and a single ticket for a one-way, continuous journey (you may change to a different line or mode of transport, but may not pause your journey) is €2.40 / $3.50 CAD.
The Vienna S-Bahn (short for Schnellbahn = rapid railway) is operated by ÖBB Railjet. It is a commuter railway operating within the city but also extending beyond the city limits, in particular, connecting the airport with the Wien Hauptbahnof, Vienna’s main train station, along with a handful of other stations along the U-Bahn. We took it from the airport to the station right near our Airbnb and a single ticket was €3.90 / $5.75 CAD/pp. Depending on where you are in the city you can use the S-Bahn to move around but because the service is “rapid,” and the cars are nicer, tickets are more expensive than the U-Bahn (which we discovered when we accidentally bought them on our first outing), and the time-saving wasn’t worth it. We stuck to the U lines.
We added another store to our growing list of preferred grocery stores in Europe. ALDI is a family-owned chain of discount supermarkets operating in 18 countries – they are the parent company of the Trader Joe’s chain in the US. In Austria, they operate under the brand Hofer and we were really impressed with their prices – some things were about a third less than a nearby competitor – and the wine selection wasn’t too shabby either.
There are many things about European culture that we think are superior to North America. Smoking is not one of them; it is ubiquitous. I was stopped in my tracks one afternoon when I registered we had just passed a cigarette vending machine on a street corner – pretty sure I haven’t seen one of those since my bar-hopping days in the 80s! Funnily enough PEZ candy, a breath mint (the PfeffErminZ) that was marketed to adults as an alternative to smoking cigarettes was invented in Vienna in the 1920s. And weirdly when they introduced the dispenser in 1948, they designed it to resemble a lighter.
Out and About – The weather was near-perfect during our visit. We had one day of rain, including some ear-splitting claps of thunder, but mostly it was sunshine with daytime temperatures never exceeding 25°C / 77°F – heavenly. We embraced those conditions and walked and walked and walked, soaking in the ambience of this elegant, centuries-old city.
These are just a few highlights:
In 2001, UNESCO added the historic center of Vienna to its list of heritage sites. This designation acknowledged that the architectural style and urban planning of the city reflects three significant eras in European cultural and political development: the Middle Ages (500-1500); the Baroque period (1660-1750); and the Gründerzeit (the period immediately preceding the stock market crash of 1873). At the very center of this beautifully preserved city is the Stephansplatz and the magnificent Stephansdom (St. Stephen’s Cathedral), one of the tallest churches in the world with a spire measuring 136.7 m / 448 ft. Construction began in 1137 and the cathedral was completed in 1578. The twin bell towers flanking the front entrance are called the Heidenturme (Roman Towers) because pieces of the original wall surrounding “heathen” camp of Vindobona were incorporated into their construction. An additional bit of ancient material is supposedly visible above the north entrance – a mastodon bone that was unearthed during construction work in 1443. We tried in vain to spot it. The highly visible, brightly coloured ceramic tiled roof replaced the original wooden roof which burned during WWII.
Diagonal from St. Stephan’s on what was once called the Stock-im-Eisen Platz (Staff in Iron Square) is the Palais Equitable building. Encased in glass on one corner of the building is the mid-section of an old Nagelbaum (nailing tree). The practice of pounding a nail into a tree trunk was meant to bestow good luck on the traveler – the reason being that iron was highly valued and “sacrificing” such an expensive commodity should reap a reward. This particular tree remnant dates from the early 1400s and found its current resting spot in 1548 when the owner of the original home on this square put the chunk of wood on display. Variations of the practice continued into the 19th century and nail trees can be found in many of the countries of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire. They were the inspiration for the “Nail Men” used as fund-raisers in Germany and Austria in WWI (for a small donation you can hammer a nail into a wooden knight in armour).
On the first Sunday of every month, several museums in Vienna have free entry for the day. Never one to pass up an opportunity to learn something new about the Romans, we spent a little bit of time in the Römermuseum. It’s not huge, but is well organized and provides an interesting overview of Vindobona’s history from its early days as a military camp founded in 97 AD up to the 5th century. The museum has been built around the remains of two buildings (thought to be officers’ quarters) discovered in 1948/49 under the Hoher Markt – we could hear cars and carriages on the street above us as we toured this lower section. Based on the archeological evidence unearthed in the city, Vindobonians led a fairly comfortable lifestyle.
The second museum we popped into on “free” day was the Neidhart Frescoes. If you didn’t know what you were looking for you’d never find this museum. There is only a small plaque beside a nondescript door, that tells you to ring the bell for entry. In the early 1400s, a wealthy textile merchant purchased this building. He renovated the home to showcase his prominence in the community, which included having the walls of the ballroom completely covered with elaborate murals. Over the centuries the building was sold and remodeled numerous times with the paintings only re-emerging as a happy accident during a 1979 reno! They are the oldest secular mural paintings in Vienna and quite remarkable in detail.
On the edge of the city is the Schönbrunn Palace, the summer residence of the Habsburgs. Schönbrunn means “beautiful spring” and this complex is definitely showstopping. The land on which it sits was purchased in 1569 and over the next 300 hundred years the palace and the gardens were designed and redesigned to reflect the personal tastes and aspirations of successive Habsburg monarchs. The palace today has 1441 rooms and I confess the interior of these buildings really don’t call to me, so we didn’t cough up the €32 / $47 CAD/pp entry fee, and contented ourselves with the gardens, which are awe-inspiring.
About a 30-minute walk from our Airbnb was the Augarten public park, the oldest Baroque park in the city, dating from the early 18th century. Juxtaposed with the lush greenery, children-filled playgrounds, and well-used walking/biking paths are two grim reminders of Austria’s past. After RAF raids on Berlin in 1940, Hitler ordered the construction of Flak Towers to protect against future air attacks. Over the next five years, eight towers were built: three in Berlin, two in Hamburg, and three in Vienna. These behemoths, with 3.5 m (11.5 ft) thick walls of reinforced concrete rising 54 m (177 ft) into the sky, were capable of firing 8,000 rounds per minute with a range of 14 km (8.7 miles) in a full 360-degree field of fire. Despite this firepower, nearly 20% of Vienna was irreparably damaged during the war. The government has determined the costs to rehabilitate or raze these towers are prohibitive so they have deliberately been left as memorials to an unpleasant past.
Another memorial to that unpleasant past is May 8th – Victory in Europe Day (VE Day). Celebrating Germany’s unconditional surrender in 1945, much of Europe observes it as a public holiday; Germany and Austria do not. However, twelve years ago Vienna began marking the day with a music festival to commemorate “Austria’s liberation from Nazi rule and remembering the millions who were prosecuted and murdered by the Nazis.” The Festival of Joy is a free evening concert performed by the Vienna Symphony Orchestra on the Heldenplatz in front of the Hofburg Palace. While there are a few speeches, the uplifting music is the star and isn’t that appropriate in a city that has been home to more classical composers than any other city in the world (Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Strauss (father and son), Haydn, and many, many more).
Us – Vienna was one of several cities in which I’ve found myself saying very quickly “I could live here.” It is so clean, although I recognize that after Southeast Asia, and most recently India, our standard for cleanliness is fairly low, but truly there was no garbage littering the gutters and not a single dump of dog poop anywhere – that’s impressive. It was a pleasure to walk the streets where pedestrians have the right of way and the sidewalks are not a jumble of broken concrete waiting to claim another twisted ankle. Green spaces, top-notch public transportation and, oh, the architecture. Off to the Czech Republic!
Restaurants – Wiener Schnitzel (Viennese cutlet) is likely one of the best-known specialties in Viennese cuisine and is one of Austria’s national dishes. Austrian law requires that it be made of veal and if it is not that distinction must be clear ie: Wiener Schnitzel vom Schwein (wiener schnitzel from pork) or Schnitzel Wiener Art (Viennese style schnitzel). The veal (or pork) is lightly pounded to a 4 mm thickness (1/16”), slightly salted then rolled in flour, whipped eggs, and bread crumbs. It is critical that the bread crumbs not be pressed into the meat so that as the cutlet is deep-fried the coating may “souffle” (puff up) around the meat. And the Schnitzel must “swim” in fat to ensure even cooking. While french fries or rice are becoming typical accompaniments, potato salad is more traditional. We enjoyed schwein schnitzel (twice) from Gasthaus Kopp, just down the street from our Airbnb. a family business that has been serving home-cooked fare to the neighbourhood since the early 1960s.
In 1932 the Hotel Sacher began serving a dense chocolate cake with an apricot jam filling, enrobed in a chocolate glaze. It soon became world famous, and for chocolate lovers the Sacher Cafe is the must-go spot for a slice. I’ve made traditional Sacher Torte and frankly found it very dry. Funnily enough a number of the reviews for the Sacher Cafe made the same comment so we opted to save the €22.50 / $33 CAD (which did include a cup of coffee) and Howard spent some of his chocolate budget on two Zotter chocolate bars (€4.50/$$6.60 CAD each) from Schoko Company in the Naschmarkt. Josef Zotter is Austria’s version of Willy Wonka and is renowned for his ethical fair trade practices and flavour experimentation – the dark chocolate coconut marzipan bar was rich and smooth and creamy, quite delectable.
Speech – Officially the national language of Austria is Standard German. It is used in media, schools, and formal announcements. Austrian German is simply a variation. As one language website put it: “Austrian German is to Standard German what American English is to British English.” Most Austrians easily slip between the two, and an impressive 73% of the population also speaks English. That high a percentage of English speakers often makes us lazy in utilizing local language, but we did try to pepper our interactions with some of these basics:
- Guten Morgen or Morgen – Good morning or morning (used before 10 am);
- Hallo – Hello; supposedly if you really want to impress someone you could try Groos Gott – the literal translation of which is Greet God. It is considered “very” Austrian; no German would ever use this greeting;
- Dang-ke – Thank you;
- Bit-teh sheun – You’re welcome;
- Ee vas net – I don’t know;
- Yo – Yes;
- Nah – No;
- Entschuldigung – I’m sorry/Excuse me.
