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allocated to those who purchase
tickets at the last minute where
they can listen to the concert
standing up. You can also watch
the concert live from the large
screens located in the rear
garden of the opera building. You
can find comfort by participating
in a guided tour during the
day and walking around in the
grandiose halls of the opera
decorated with silk curtains and
paintings.
The Baroque style church located
right across the opera building is
the aforementioned Karlskirche.
The church that was built in the
18th century has an eclectic
architecture for its time. It has
parts from different churches and
historical buildings. The outer
surface has been constructed
with inspiration from the Greek
style Porticus Temple whereas
its two large columns have been
inspired from the Trajan columns
in Rome and the church entrance
from the Roman Baroque style.
Another square right
past Karlsplatz is the
Schwarzenbergplatz. The Soviet
Soldier Monument located here
is one of the few structures that
remind one of the war. Right
behind it, to the left lies the
Baroque style palace Belvedere.
We say ‘lies’ but this is literally
the case. The palace has been
built on a thin and long land
and is made up of two separate
buildings. It has been made by
the architect von Hildebrandt
with orders from Prince Eugene
Savoy who has started his
military career in France and
went onto the Austrian army and
who was rewarded as a result
of his success in the defense
against the Ottoman army. The
Baroque structures made up of
two parts known as Upper and
Lower Belvedere Palace are
connected with wide, wonderful
landscapes, pools and great
statues. The world famous
painting of Gustav Klimt known
as the Kiss is on display at the
Upper Belvedere Palace. The
Belvedere Palace is also very
significant in terms of Austrian
national identity. The treaty on
May 15, 1955 following the end
of the 2nd World War and the
siege of the city was signed with
the allied forces here declaring
the Austrian independence.
The “palace museum” should
definitely be seen with a perfect
art collection including works by
Klimt. We should also remember
the motto of Vienna: “Never
Leave Vienna Without A Kiss”.
The smaller palace located in the
3rd region known as Landstrasse
right next to the Belvedere Palace
is the Schwarzenberg Palace.
This palace is another work of
Hildebrandt and a section of
this palace is used as a five star
hotel whereas another section
hosts the Swedish Embassy.
The second largest green area
following the garden of Belvedere
is also located here. And of
course I refer to it as a garden
but these are all very spacious in
Turkish standards.
I can almost hear you saying
that you cannot get enough
of palaces. Not enough but
yes, I saved the best for last.
If Paris has Varsailles, Vienna
has Schönbrunn. The palace
which is in the World Heritage
List hosts the most important
cultural artwork of Austria and it
is also the most visited location
in the country. Tickets range
between 8,5-18 Euros depending
on which sections of the palace
you wish to see. And of course
it is not sufficient to only make a
payment. I should mention that
I saw the largest queue in front
of this palace. There are two
ways of waiting in this line. First
is purchasing your ticket online
just like we did for other tourist
spots. The other is to go next to
the Mozart replica young people
waiting around the Schönbrunn
subway station. Here, combined
tickets are sold for the palace
and the concert at night. It is
possible to arrange the program
of the night and to save a few
hours from waiting in line and of
course going to a classical music
concert before leaving Vienna;
three birds with one stone. Even
though the palace building does
not seem very spectacular from
outside, the decorations of the
ceilings and rooms are worth
seeing. The complex which has
been built as a summer palace
has immense gardens (this area
has been opened up when the
buildings here were demolished
to strengthen the defense during
the Ottoman siege of Vienna)
and the labyrinth in this garden
along with the oldest zoo known
as Tiegarten should be interesting
for families with kids. The 1775
dated Glorietta located on the
hill right across the palace
garden can be a good target
for those who are confident
in their performance and who
wish to view Vienna from high
