Catacombs and Kunsthistorisches Museum

The cancellation of class gave me the opportunity to visit the catacombs and south tower of St. Stephen’s Cathedral that I did not have the chance to see on my first visit. I’m assuming that the large amount of wine consumed the previous night and the cancellation of class are… mutually exclusive events, but either way I was happy to have the chance to revisit St. Stephen’s Cathedral. The catacomb tour started out extremely interesting but I believe the best word to describe it by the end was shocking. I found that the Cathedral is associated with death nearly as much as it is associated with life. This corresponds with the class lecture on Catholicism with the emphasis the faith has on death being a major part of life due to the afterlife that follows. Since Catholics believe in an afterlife that consists of ideas such as purgatory, heaven and hell, and an ultimate judgment, the placement of the catacombs beneath the church and formerly surrounding cemeteries is fitting. It’s interesting that being buried directly under the Cathedral is reserved for famous figures such as Prince Eugene of Savoy who prevented the alliance between Spanish and French ruling dynasties in the War of Spanish Succession and prominent Habsburgs such as Frederick III. Being close to the relics honoring the various saints of the church is another element of Catholicism reflected from the course material. Commoners were not so fortunate as to be buried within the church. They are mostly in mass graves in the surrounding area and were even, during the times of the plague, thrown into a large hole that functioned as a mass grave in the courtyard surrounding the Cathedral. It seems ironic that with the emphasis that Catholics put on death, as a universal element of the religion, those with special societal status are given special treatment. For instance, those that could afford to buy indulgences were put in better standing for judgment and ultimately, the afterlife. The same principle applies, those with a prominent position in society are put closest to the relics of the saints so that they are in the best position for judgment in the afterlife.

Witnessing first hand this impact of social status and Catholic customs on how people deal with the afterlife allowed me to see first hand the objections the Protestant school of thought had with Catholic customs. The power given to figures within the church like the authorization of indulgences to grant better standing for judgment and the power of saints clashes with directly with Protestantism. The platform of Protestantism is based in the power of scripture alone and thus denounces the ability for clergymen of Catholicism to aid salvation. Seeing firsthand the power of the saints channeled through the clergymen I can understand the objections of Protestantism that I could never really grasp from the reading alone. On the surface the catacombs may just be a mass grave, but it serves to exemplify certain elements of the Catholic Church that were discussed in both lecture and the reading and further how they fueled the discontent of the Protestant reformation.

The next stop proved to be a perfect supplement to both the course material and my previous visit. The art of the Reformation and Counter Reformation serves as a reflection of the ideas and religious schism that was occurring within Christianity. The Kunsthistorisches Museum has a vast collection of fine arts that has been accumulating since being opened by Franz Joseph I in 1891. I found that the artwork of Rubens and Rembrandt served as a prime exhibition for the differences between Counterreformation and Reformation art, respectively. Rubens’ portraits seem to feature various allegorical and mythological subjects while Rembrandt’s portraits and scenes from the Bible convey normal people in everyday life. This speaks to the differences in Catholic and Protestant thought. The emphasis put on lavishness and detail in the Catholic churches of the Counterreformation is reflected in the artwork here in the dress while Protestantism’s focus on scripture would lead Rembrandt to portray scenes of the Bible. This art is linked to the décor in the Karlskirche, which is also very baroque and lavish in a celebration of Catholicism and the Counterreformation. While the art of Rubens and the interior decoration of the Karlskirche are very different elements of art there are certain themes of the Counter Reformation preserved through both styles. Rembrandt really seemed to emphasize the human condition, which would also seem to highlight the importance of the individual in religious life, rather than the figures of the church like the Catholics. This tendency seems to emphasize his Protestant belief set as a more simplistic faith with less emphasis on lavishness than the Catholic Church. These were the major differences in their artwork that defined them as Counterreformation and Reformation painters and functioned as a vehicle for the expression of the two schools of thought.

The German word of the day is Beantworten and it means ‘to answer’

Klosterneuburg

My expectations were mixed for our excursion to Klosterneurburg, but it turned out to be an incredible experience and without a doubt the best day yet. Upon our arrival I learned that we would be taking the guided tour of the winery and then doing some wine tasting before our tour of the abbey. Drinking wine before going on a tour of a religious center seemed a little out of place to me, but little did I know wine consumption with religious figures would be a major part of the day. The winery is the oldest and largest Austrian winery still in production today and has been producing the wine to finance the abbey since the 12^th century. The tour of the winery was extremely interesting, but the thing that caught me were the similarities and differences between wineries in the United States and Austria. Perhaps most of the differences can be attributed to the age of the winery, but I also feel that Austrian culture may play a significant role. The winery itself is in great condition for the age of the monastery (around 900 years old!). The inside has obviously gone through various renovations and modernizations over the years, but much of the original structure remains the same. The main thing that I noticed that differentiated the Austrian winery from the United States was the presence of large amounts of mold on the walls. In the U.S., if wineries let mold grow on their walls they would be shut down for health issues, especially in a tour area! I see it as a manifestation of tradition in the winery. I’m sure that mold has grown there for hundreds of years and the wine has been just as good all along. Americans are constantly consumed with sterilization and modernization so much to a point that tradition can sometimes be forgotten. Perhaps it comes from our lack of history, for instance, this winery itself was over 3 times older than the United States! Whatever it may be I see the mold on the wall as a microcosm for many of the differences between European and American culture. While Europe may have modernized just as the United States has, Europe is blessed with a rich and extensive history that enriches their customs and culture in a way that we can only try to understand.

The tour of abbey and subsequent visit to a wine garden were undoubtedly my favorite part of the trip so far for being both extremely interesting and entertaining. The abbey was founded in 1114 and Canons were brought there in 1133. The monastery has functioned continuously since that time except for the four years they were shut down during the occupation by the Nazis and the abbey is also the resting place of various Habsburg family members. The buildings have been renovated over the centuries, but still have much of the original structure with obvious modernizations. Father Clemens, our tour guide, was not only insightful into the history of the abbey, but was easy to talk to and very entertaining. Being a New Yorker, our group was able to relate to him like no other tour guide and of course his mastery of the English language combined with the absence of a heavy Austrian accent was greatly appreciated. I feel like his background as an American in Austria really helped us relate to each other. While he obviously has much more extensive experience in Austrian culture than we do, being a Canon here for roughly seven years, he can understand that we are trying to immerse ourselves in a new culture and it seemed like he tailored his tour to our orientation. He gave us the extended tour and I think he may have appreciated our company as much as we appreciated his. I got the impression he was as happy to interact with us as we were to interact with him. It’s clear that he is really enjoying his time here in Austria, but also that he doesn’t get many American visitors. While he’s immersed himself in the Austrian way of life, just as we are doing here to a lesser extent, its comforting to be able to revert to what we know at times to give us balance and perspective on not only how different, but how similar the Austrian way of life is to our own.

The wine garden was a deeply cultural experience, to say the least. This was the first time I had ordered food in Austria and didn’t know what any of it was, so I was slightly scared I was going to get something very strange to eat. I ended up really enjoying everything I ordered (I’m still not totally sure what everything was) and the wine, which provided a great ending to a very long, but exceptional day. Father Clemens coming out and having wine with us, in street clothes I might add, was a pleasant surprise and furthered my belief that he values little injections of American culture into his stay in Austria just as much as we do. Father Clemens was able to break some stereotypes many of us had about Austrian monks and religious figures in general. He showed us that not all monks have to be so dry and consumed with religion that they have to censor themselves in life in not only talking about their religion, but in daily life as well. Father Clemens was able to show us that people that have given their lives to their religion, no matter how strongly tied to the church, can still makes jokes, have a good time, and most of all not forget they are members of society just as they are members of their denomination. I know that Father Clemens truly changed my perspective on clergymen and perhaps I can sum it up in one idea. He showed us that religion and its figures do not have be so distantly place on an altar (no pun intended). If the people that represent their faiths can be approachable not only in a religious, but also an everyday setting I think it can do a lot for the acceptance of religion on the whole.

The German word of the day is bereit and it means ‘ready’

Counter Reformation and Karlskirche

The discussion of the differences between religion and magic was an extremely interesting way to start the lecture on the Counter Reformation. I enjoyed the discussion because I had actually been presented the same question in an American Studies class concerning religion in America. Strangely enough, many of the responses from the class here in Vienna were closely related to those in my discussion section in Davis. Personally I think the two are closely related as they both involve elements of life that cannot be explained yet magic creates more uncertainty while religion attempts to offer explanations and comfort for the uncertain elements of life. Such a discussion served as a perfect bridge into Professor Stuart’s lecture on the Counter Reformation. While the Counter Reformation by the Catholic Church served to counteract the Protestant Reformation begun by Martin Luther in 1517 with the posting of his 95 theses, it had much broader implications. I find it extremely interesting that one of the foundations of Protestantism is the attack on Catholicism as being magic. While Protestantism tries to veil its “magical” elements through principles like sola scriptura and denouncing practices like indulgences and such, it is undeniable that both religions attempt to define what is magic and what is religion. Whether it is by teaching or by scripture both denominations offer a system of guidance and belief for man to understand what is religion and what is magic. While the substance of the belief set may change, the principle is the same. While the Reformation and Counter Reformation were extremely important to the religious world in Europe and beyond, the two movements would have profound implications on the Habsburgs and Holy Roman Empire in the Thirty Years War. I find the relationship between the division of religions and the formation of statehood to be extremely interesting and influential on the formation.

Its amazing the impact that the Reformation and Counter Reformation had on European politics from the 17^th century through the 20^th century. While on the surface it was merely a division of religious orientation for the masses of Europe, the political impact on the Holy Romans Empire and greater Europe was huge. I see the siding of France during the 30 years war with the Protestant forces of Sweden and the Bohemian estates against the Habsburgs as an extremely significant impact of the Protestant Reformation. This showed how the French were willing to cross religious lines in favor of the political balance of power in Europe. I see this as not only a huge turning point for the religious dominance of state affairs, but an exposition of the move towards state building that France would embrace in the coming centuries. While religion still obviously played a large role in state affairs, its amazing the impact that the split of Christianity had political alliances in the 30 years war and beyond.

That afternoon we visited the Karlskirche, or St. Charles Church, which offered an opportunity I had not yet seen anywhere else in Vienna. The church was constructed under the rule of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI beginning in 1716 in honor of the emperor’s patron saint Charles Borromeo. The architecture is extremely baroque and has both Greek and Roman influence in the central façade and two columns, respectively. Personally, my favorite part of the church is the ability to take an elevator and then stairs up to the very top of the dome. This is something that I haven’t seen offered in any other church. I appreciated the opportunity to be able to see paintings on the inside of the dome close up and enjoy the amazing view from the top of the Church. The paintings seemed to reflect the purpose behind the construction of the church as Charles Borromeo is featured and seen healing with the support of the Virgin Mary. Since the church was built following the last outbreak of the plague, this would reflect the intervention of St. Charles healing those impacted by the epidemic. On the whole, the church was extremely interesting for its baroque architecture and ability to get up close to the beautiful paintings on the dome; I’m really excited to see more churches of that style.

The German word of the day is bereit and it means ‘ready’

Early Austria and St. Stephen's Cathedral

The second day of class was briefer in terms of lecture than the first day, but the walking tour offered an effective supplement to the class and reading material. The early/post Roman history of Austria and the Holy Roman Empire seems to parallel the formation of Vienna itself. In the era immediately following the fall of the Roman Empire, Vienna was no major city or cultural center (it wasn’t even mentioned until over 600 years later!) just as the Holy Roman Empire did not start to grow until the installation of the Babenbergs in the mid tenth century. It seems that as the Empire grew, so did Vienna. This was obviously aided by the city being designated as Heinrich II’s residence and the accompanying installation of religious centers like St. Stephen’s Cathedral and the Schottenstift monastery. Being that the middle ages or rather the Age of Faith was dominated by religious faith it would seem that these religious centers would work to lay the foundations for early growth and the subsequent rise of Vienna.

I found it intriguing that so much of the groundwork for the ascension of Vienna to a major city and cultural center was laid during the pre-Habsburg era. Not only did the Babenburgs provide the religious basis for the city’s expansion, but Ottokar, the King of Bohemia, provided a base for the future cultural complexity of Vienna before Rudolph would defeat him and begin the Habsburg dynasty.

The walking tour immediately following class proved to be a great supplement to the day’s lecture material as we got to see the Schottenstift monastery first hand, but unfortunately couldn’t go inside. Along the way our group learned that the buildings in Vienna, especially those close to the Habsburg palace that have red flags and accompanying plaques were owned by the aristocracy or lords that were welcome by the Habsburgs. This layout of the city can say a lot about how the Habsburg dynasty operated in terms of relations with its subjects. Since the Habsburgs were constantly consumed with attaining re-election the title of Holy Roman Emperor I would assume they would keep the members of high society close to them in order to keep the aristocracy in favorable relations. Even if these lords that lived close to the palace weren’t part of the electors, its reasonable to assume that keeping the aristocracy on good terms in general could only help relations with the electors on the whole. Of course this is just speculation, but it would seem to be a very Habsburgian way of getting what they want. The dynasty was exceptionally good at territorial expansion without excessive warring and I would assume that this ability for clever accomplishment would extend beyond solely marriages and into the realm of seeking re-election within the dynasty.

My visit to St. Stephen’s Cathedral today was both extremely interesting and disappointing. The cathedral itself is amazing, the gothic architecture is not only evident by the exterior but the dark lighting and accompanying interior architecture preservers the gothic style. The tour that I paid 4.5 Euros for was rather disappointing both for its brevity and lack of coverage. I wasn’t aware that you have to pay more in order to see the catacombs and upper level so I will have to revisit the Cathedral another day. Besides the disappointing structure of the tour, its substance was very interesting. The remodeling that took place after the fire during the Second World War is notable by the slight color change for historical reference, but preserves the gothic architecture amazingly well. Perhaps my favorite part of the Cathedral was the tomb of Frederick III. The area of the church and tomb itself is stunning for how elaborate the woodcarving and structure of the tomb. I only wish there were a way to go up and see the top of the tomb instead of being forced to see the picture, but oh well. I can’t believe the tomb itself weighs 45 tons! But it would make sense that it would be elaborate for the Habsburg that started the line of Emperors that would last for the better part of the next 400 years! I thoroughly enjoyed the Cathedral, but I will have to return another day to see the catacomb and upper level.

The German world of the day is Wahrscheinlich and it means probably

First Day of Class, Bus Tour, Lost with Professor Stuart

The first day of class was both adventurous and extremely educational. The early history of Austria and the ascension for the Habsburgs to power are not easily understood though the textbook alone. In my reading I had attained a basic understanding of the formation of the Habsburg dynasty, but the complexity of their ruling methods and preservation of their dynasty is something that needed further exploration through lecture. Professor Stuart’s film and accompanying lecture really inspired an understanding of how the Habsburg dynasty was distinguished from the other monarchies of Europe during the era. The main differences that separate the family, and personally what I think makes it significantly more incredible that they were able to extend their rule so long, are the election of rulers and sheer size of the empire they controlled. The simple fact that the 7 electors of the Holy Roman Emperor could have voted down the Habsburgs in any election and thus ended their rule makes their ability to sustain their power for more than 3 centuries incredible. This really goes show what extensive political control and monetary wealth the family had in order to ensure election and at times bribe the electors when needed.

The territorial acquisitions through the dynastic marriages to Mary of Burgundy, Juana of Castile, and Anna of Bohemia-Hungary made the empire progressively larger by huge proportions. The Habsburgs gained land in the north, west (and new world), and east respectively through these marriages at the height of expansion. Not only did they gain land in these acquisitions, but also a great deal of money. Mary of Burgundy was extremely wealthy and the Spanish colonies in the New World brought in tremendous amounts of gold and silver that made the Habsburgs extraordinarily wealthy. This wealth seemed to be able to offset the major problems of having an empire that spanned most of the known world. The flow of money was able to sustain the Hapsburg re-election to the Emperorship and finance the costs of maintaining the empire, while allowing the family to beautify and expand their personal properties and way of life. While this money did not solve all the problems of ruling a vast empire, it undoubtedly aided the maintenance of their control over the Holy Roman Empire

After class we took an exceptional bus tour narrated by Dr. O and later I was fortunate enough to be able to take some of Professor Stuart’s advice, but not in the way I was expecting. Professor Stuart had advised us to get lost, while this sounds ridiculous I actually see it as an excellent way to see parts of the city I wouldn’t have otherwise known about. It also forces oneself to be immersed in new aspects of Viennese culture. I was expecting, well assuming, that I would get lost at least once while I was here, but I certainly wasn’t expecting it to be with the person who gave me that advice! In my few days here I have gathered that Professor Stuart is very knowledgeable of the city and culture so when she told us to board a train with her I assumed she knew where we were going. Little did we know, we would be thoroughly lost in minutes. Luckily we were able to board another train and find our way back to where we were trying to go, but I am definitely glad I got lost for my first time in Vienna with someone who is fluent in German and knows how to navigate the city well. I cautiously look forward to more adventures in the city where I don’t necessarily know where I’m going. I see it as a chance to do and see things I wouldn’t have otherwise done and thus expand my horizons. It speaks to my greater goals of this trip as a whole, to get out of my element and try new things. I think the worst thing I could do while I’m here is stay constricted to my comfort zone and only follow a guidebook around. One of the great things about Vienna is the availability of a vast public transportation system and I intend to use it as much as I can to see the city in ways I wouldn’t on a tour. Perhaps this will give me the best opportunity to understand Austrian culture and what truly makes Vienna the great city it is.

German word of the day is Meistens that means 'mostly'

Orientation, Walking Tour, and Hot Weather

My first full day in Vienna was marked by two main activities: the beginning of cultural adjustment and excessive sweating. This is my first time in Europe and I had developed somewhat of an idea of what the culture would be like from the media and descriptions from friends, but actually experiencing Vienna is really the only true way to understand the differences from my American background. Most of what I had heard about Europe and specifically the Viennese turned out to be very true such as a large portion of the population does speak basic English and that the people, in large part, are extremely friendly. Witnessing the kindness and helpfulness of the Viennese really made me wonder: what makes them so friendly to foreigners? I’m aware that Americans aren’t the most popular of people abroad for various reasons revolving around our foreign policy so the acceptance by the Viennese led me to evaluate where this might have come from. I considered that the Viennese might in fact just be naturally nice people, but I feel like there is some external influence that plays a major role. Perhaps it is the presence of the United Nations. Having one of major UN centers here in Vienna would prompt a huge influx of visitors from all different cultures and countries which would seem to force an acceptance of outsiders. These visitors being here for the UN would most likely be peaceful and friendly as that orientation is the backbone of the organization. This is a possible explanation, but another observation I made today could also play a major role. It seems that the area of town in which our apartments are located is relatively empty which made me think that the Viennese may do a lot of travel during this time. This suspicion was confirmed by Professor Stuart and its logical to assume that a fair portion of Viennese would travel to the United States for both the cultural differences and opportunities and the strength of the Euro compared to the dollar. Perhaps the travel would allow the Viennese to witness first hand that the negative stereotypes about Americans aren’t necessarily true and allow for a more accepting atmosphere than in other places that do not have the opportunity for exposure to American culture. There is no way to know the true cause of the kindness and helpfulness of the Viennese towards Americans, but I feel strongly that these two factors have a significant impact…but then again they just might be really nice people

I had heard many reports that Vienna has very mild and pleasant weather and, well, for today at least, that couldn’t be further from the truth! This morning I woke up sweating and really didn’t stop until about an hour after the sun went down. I never saw a thermometer, but it was very hot and very humid which made for less than ideal touring conditions. While I thoroughly enjoyed our first tour of the city, it was definitely marked by excessive sweating and a lack of shade. It’s amazing how there is nothing historical in this city in the shade. This coupled with Professor Stuart's very brisk walking pace made for a tiring yet interesting day. It became apparent that I will need to constantly have a bottle of water, sunglasses, and a good pair of shoes on anytime we are walking around outside for an extended period of time.

The topic of our tour that caught my attention the most would have to be the monument against war and fascism. Its really interesting the parallels that exist here between the Austrian perception of fascism and the American perception of communism. While the monument was erected to commemorate Jews that were killed in a bombing during World War II, the monument is named for an opposition to fascism, not Hitler, Germany, the Third Reich, etc. It seems that the Viennese have developed a hatered for fascism in general rather than for the acts carried out in its name. This seems directly related to the unpopularity of communism in America, not necessarily for its ideology, but because it was associated with the hated USSR during the twentieth century. It’s fascinating how people both in Europe and America can associate an ideology, an ideology with no specific harmful intentions, with unfavorable actions that have been carried out in its name. This seems extremely unfair to the ideologies, but it does seems to be an easy distinction to make. I’m curious to see not only what other prejudices are ingrained into the city’s history and culture in my stay here, but also what similarities in this sense exist with American culture.

The German word of the day is Verdienen that means 'to learn'

Sentence: I sure wish I knew some more German so I could use Verdienen in a sentence! J