Franz Joseph took power as Emperor of Austria in 1848. His ascendency and rule paralleled the growth of Vienna and construction of the Ringstrasse. The Ringstrasse is a collection of buildings where, for the most part, the historical architectural style mirrors the function of the building. Leading up until 1848, the bourgeoisie and the Biedermier style dominated Viennese art and culture, but the Ringstrasse represented a clear departure from this culture, as it was very upper class oriented. The class of new industrialists ascended during this period, but did not have the prestige of the industrialists of England. This lack of prestige caused them to try to emulate the aristocratic lifestyle of the English in the Ringstrasse. The changing structure of Vienna, marked by the demolition of the old medieval walls, allowed the new public Ringstrasse buildings to be built.
On my tour of the Ringstrasse by streetcar, I photographed (see attached) the buildings that were erected during the Ringstrasse era and in particular the ones whose architecture reflected their function. The first stop was the Opera House, erected in 1869, that was built in the Venetian Renaissance style. It was built in this style because the Renaissance was a period where the classic Greek drama was revived and the opera can be seen as a stage performance reminiscent of the Greek drama. Personally, I disagree with critics that condemned the style of the opera house. It is a massive spectacle that is absolutely stunning, particularly at night when it is lit up. While I can understand the objection that it looks like a train station because of the basic structure, it is far too lavish and extravagant to seriously be compared to a train station.
The second major building on the tour is Parliament that was built in the neo-classical style from 1874-1884. The neo-classical style is meant to symbolize democracy as ancient Greece is credited with inventing the first democratic system of government. The building is appealing to us as Americans as the style is seen throughout our capital city of Washington D.C. Parliament here seems to look like a combination of our Supreme Court and Library of Congress buildings.
The Rathhaus is another building with architecture that mirrors its function as it is the city hall in the neo-gothic style. This building that was completed in 1873 is symbolic of the ascendency of the city as a whole during the gothic period, such as when St. Stephen’s Cathedral was built in the twelfth century in conjunction with the rise of the Babenberg dynasty. I think this building fits extremely well into the Ringstrasse because it provides a good balance to the many other styles present and serves as a good connection to Viennese architecture of the past.
The Renaissance style architecture of Kunsthistorisches and Naturhistorisches Museums are another spectacle of the Ringstrasse where the architecture reflects the function of the building. Both of these buildings, being museums, were built for the promotion of learning and the Renaissance was the rebirth of learning and classical study. It’s interesting how these are an art and natural history museum respectively since the Renaissance was specifically centered on a revolution in artistic style with the development of linear perspective and a rebirth in the learning of classical theory and history.
The Hofburg palace was fittingly constructed in the neo-baroque style and was the residence of many members of the Habsburg family who ruled the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The building exhibits just as much pomp and excess as the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries yet was not constructed in the original baroque period. The palace housed the Habsburg family members who have one of the longest histories of absolute monarchy in the world. The neo-baroque style seems fitting since the era of the baroque mirrored the period of history dominated by absolute monarchies in Europe.
Personally I like the Ringstrasse architecture, but I can understand why the Secession artists would object to the style dominating Viennese architecture. It serves as a reminder of past architectural styles and the influences on certain buildings from different eras. I think often times city planners and architects get too caught up in making everything look the same in order to be consistant within styles, but the variation provides a good balance and serves as a marker of the influences of different European cultures and time periods on this history of the city. I can understand why the Secession artists would disagree, however. Artists are constantly creating, as no two pieces of art are exactly the same. While the Ringstrasse buildings are not exact replicas of other buildings from different time periods, the imitation of other art styles would discourage innovation and expansion. The objections of the Secession artists are understandable, but unfortunately are short sighted and too consumed with innovation rather than honoring the styles of the past.
Arnold Schoenberg was a composer of the expressionist movement during the first half of the twentieth century. Before his move to the United States, his music was branded as part of the “degenerate art” designed by the Nazi party. He was a painter, but what I find most interesting was his work as a music theorist. His work with the twelve-tone technique was extremely influential on developing a method for the manipulation of all twelve notes in the chromatic scale. I have listened to some samples of this music and to be perfectly honest I can’t stand it. I don’t like it because there is just simply too much going on all at once to keep up with, it just sounds like a random assortment of notes with little correlation. However, I can understand why people would like it. Personally I am not used to hearing such a manipulation of all 12 notes so it seems strange to me because the music I listen to is much different. If had grown up being familiar with the style and accustomed to understanding the technique I could see it being a very interesting musical form.
The Biedermeier style dominated Austrian artistic style from 1815 to 1848 and the memory of this period is preserved in buildings and artifacts still in the city today such as the the Stadttempel, which functions as the main synagogue here in Vienna. Strangely it was constructed in the middle of an apartment district, but it would make sense because Joseph II only allowed Catholic Churches to have facades in large public areas. The Biedermeier style is evident in the building as it is very simple, yet elegant. It’s interesting that the Biedermeier style might have actually saved the synagogue during the Kristallnact because its style essentially hid the purpose of the building unlike the Catholic Churches that are extremely obvious. The Nazis would have probably destroyed the Stadttempel if it had more recognizable architecture as a normal synagogue. The art discussed in depth in the Wien Museum section of the blog serves as artifacts of the Biedermeier movement and style still remembered today in Vienna.
Modernism and modernity in Viennese architectural culture was essentially everything built in the Historicist period in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It served as a response to the Ringstrasse era that preceded it where Vienna really had no architectural culture of its own, it merely copied the styles of other cultures. So essentially modernism in Vienna was an attempt to develop a unique style while trying to combine the fine and design arts as exhibition of the break from the Ringstrasse culture. Artists such as Klimt, Wagner, and Schiele led this Secession movement that advocated the modernity of the period in artistic expression.
The Jugendstil buildings in Vienna represent modernism in architecture and are evident around the city. The Secession that began in 1897 by Klimt, Moser, Hoffman, Olbrich, Kurzweil, and Wagner acted as the vehicle for the Jugendstil or Art Nouveau buildings to be erected. The most prominent Jugendstil buildings that I found in Vienna are the Secession building that Wagner quoted as “to the time it’s art, but to art it’s freedom”. The Stadtpark stop on the subway also shows influence of the Jugendstil. This seems very fitting that Wagner was the architect of the city railway so his influence still remains today. Wagner also designed the Karlsplatz Stadtbahn station; it has steel framework and large amounts of marble on the exterior and serves as an excellent example of the Jugendstil style. I feel like the most important thing about Jugendstil is its modernity and originality as it sets itself apart from the many other styles of the city that were simply imitations of other cultural styles. These buildings serve as a marker of the modernization of the city that took place as a whole during the time and now serve as a monument to the era.
The German for the of day is Offen and it means ‘Frank’
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