Here is the Townhall (German: Rathaus) from the front. A very impressive building which was constructed in 1885 in the growing town. The old city of Vienna is one of the UNESCO world heritages. From the photos you will see why.

The "Burgtheater" is the theater of Vienna and located opposite to the townhall square. The theatre is one of the most famous in the German language region.

Between the theatre and the "Hofburg" (more or less the castle of Vienna) there is a nice park. It is called the people's garden (Volksgarten). Fortunately it was warm enough to sit down on one of the hundreds of benches and write down a few ideas coming to my mind for work. Not a bad place for thinking over future plans.

Not far from the townhall and always visible from the Volksgarten is the Austrian Parliament. In the Parliament building (from 1873) the meetings of the Austrian National Council and Federal Council take place since 1918.

An elegant carriage, a driver with a bowlerhat and two beautiful horses: that´s what makes a Fiaker and the most traditional and romantic way to discover Vienna. You can drive through the Inner City just like in the old times of the Empire. You will move quickly but still slowly enough to relish all the sights on your way. But I did not try it out. ;-)

The "Hofburg" of Vienna as seen from the place of heros (Heldenplatz). The Imperial Castle in the inner city was for more than six centuries the seat of the rulers of Austria. From here the Habsburgs ruled until the end of the First World War in 1918. From here Empress Maria Theresa carried out her policies and bewailed the military defeats against Prussia’s Frederick the Great. It was here that Joseph II introduced his progressive reforms and Franz Joseph ruled for 68 years until the downfall of his empire.

Karl Hasenauer and Gottfried Semper were charged with the task of drawing up plans for two splendid museums, the Kunsthistorisches Museum and the Naturhistorisches Museum. Between 1871 and 1891 they erected the vast pair of buildings which form the left and right-hand sides of Maria-Theresien Platz. Though the state was close to bankruptcy, the architects were under instructions not to make economies, and they were able to use expensive materials and commission highly-rated artists with the decoration of the interior. I did not visit the museum of art history but the Naturhistorisches Museum. Just change with me to the next gallery and have a look inside ... click here.