The Ringstrasse in Vienna

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The Ringstrasse in Vienna

• The European City Transformed in the Late 19th
  century

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The transformation of the city of Vienna from
mid- to late-19th century exemplifies ideas and
attitudes brought about by a changing political
climate, growing industrial economy, and the need
to make the city a larger urban organism rather
than an old walled center divided from its newer
surrounding suburbs. Emperor Franz Josef
sponsored a competition in 1858 to lay out a new
band of public and private buildings on the
territory formerly occupied by the fortifying
walls of the Austrian capital. This very wide
boulevard, with its provision for monumental
cultural and government buildings interspersed
with parks, ringed the old town and therefore
gained the name Ringstrasse (lit. ring
street). The project was underwritten by the
sale of a substantial amount of the land
comprising the ring district to private
developers in order to create the funding for the
public buildings.
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Volksgarten (Public Park) by Ludwig Remy, 1819-23
with the Theseus-Tempel by Peter Nobile
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The Volksgarten (or Public Park) antedates the
Ring project but was incorporated into it.
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The Theseus-Tempel (1820-23) by Peter Nobile in
the Volksgarten is a Greek revival monument
intended to display a statue of Theseus carved by
the Italian neo-classical sculptor Antonio Canova.
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Äusseres Burgtor (Outer Castle Gate), by Peter
Nobile, 1821-24
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The Outer Castle Gate, by Peter Nobile, 1821-24,
is another Greek Revival addition to the imperial
castle in Vienna prior to the Ring project.
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Votivkirche (Votive Church), by Heinrich von
Ferstel, 1856-79
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The neo-Gothic Votivkirche (Votive Church) by
Heinrich von Ferstel, 1856-79, commemorates the
Emperor Franz Josefs escape from death by a
Hungarian would-be assassins attempt on his
life. It was built by public contributions as a
sign of the solidarity between the people of
Austria and the imperial house.
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Main portal (left) and Chevet
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Former Hofoper (Court Opera House), now
Staatsoper (State Opera House) by August von
Siccardsburg and Eduard van der Nüll, 1861-69
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The State Opera (formerly Court Opera) on the
Ring, by August von Siccardsburg and Eduard van
der Nüll, 1861-69. The design was scaled to the
public space of the Ringstrasse with porticoes at
two levels from which opera-goers could see the
pedestrian and carriage traffic of the boulevard
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French renaissance detailing provided another
kind of revivalism at the outset of the Ring
project.
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Burgtheater (Castle Theatre) by Gottfried Semper,
1874-88
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Principal (west) façade of the Burgtheater.
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Burgtheater viewed from the Volksgarten
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Rathaus (City Hall) by Friedrich von Schmidt,
1872-3
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Friedrich von Schmidt, the architect of the
Vienna City Hall, worked on the project to finish
the Cathedral of Cologne before coming to Austria.
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View of the Rathaus (City Hall) from the
Volksgarten. The series of parks along the
Ringstrasse serve as a context that connects the
various monuments together.
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View of the Theseus-Tempel with the City Hall in
the distance
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Parlamentshaus (Parliament Building) by Theophil
Hansen, 1874-83
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The Parliament with the City Hall, University,
and Votive Church in the background.
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Theophil Hansen, the architect of the
Parlamentshaus (Parliament Building), was a
Danish neo-classicist who based his design of
this structure on both Roman and Greek models.
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Political rally for the Austrian Socialist Party
on May Day
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Neue Hofburg (New Castle) and Museum district by
Gottfried Semper and Karl von Hasenauer, 1873ff
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Heldenplatz
Maria-Theresia-Platz
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The Neue Hofburg (New Imperial Castle) by Karl
Hasenauer, 1881ff, viewed from Heldenplatz
(Heroes Square).
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The garden façade of the Neue Hofburg (New
Castle) as seen from the Hofgarten.
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Heldenplatz is on axis with Maria-Theresia-Platz,
seen through the colonnade of the Outer Castle
Gate.
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Maria-Theresia-Platz focuses on a monument by the
sculptor Zumbusch to the beloved 18th-century
Hapsburg Empress Maria Theresia, mother of Marie
Antoinette and grandmother of Franz Josef.
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Competition 1866 Construction 1872-81
The Art Historical and Natural History Museums
are a matched pair by Gottfried Semper and Karl
van Hasenauer. They face each other across
Maria-Theresia-Platz.
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