Vienna: Art and History

This beautiful book about Vienna - with the subtitle The Capital of the Habsburg Empire - is published by the Italian publishing house Bonechi, which specializes in picture books in large format about famous places around the world. It is a volume in the popular series called “Art and History.”

Books from Bonechi are published in several languages. I have used an English edition published a few years ago. The English translation is excellent.

This book covers all the major sites, museums and monuments in the Austrian capital with text and illustrations. The text is clear and concise. The illustrations are excellent, as they should be in a picture book. There are more than 300 illustrations in colour – plus a few old drawings in black-and-white.

For reasons of space I can only mention a few examples of the many interesting places presented in the book:

* HOFBURG – 22 pages are devoted to this huge imperial complex, which includes several museums and the imperial apartments.

* STEFANSDOM – 10 pages are devoted to the Cathedral of St. Stephen, which stands in the heart of the old city. A three-dimensional drawing the cathedral is placed on the front cover of the book (surrounded by ten smaller pictures of other persons or places) in order to show that this monument is the most important symbol of Vienna.

* KUNSTHISTORISCHES MUSEUM – 12 pages are devoted to the Museum of Art History, which holds four collections: (a) the ancient collection with an Egyptian and a Roman section; (b) the picture gallery; (c) the treasure chamber; and (d) the coin collection. The presentation includes an amazing story about the theft and recovery of a masterpiece, Cellini’s Saliera (salt cellar). In 2003 this item was stolen from the museum. In 2006 it was found again. Fortunately, the item was still intact.

[For more information about this museum, I can recommend the official museum guidebook (edited by Elisabeth Herrmann Fichtenau), which is available in several languages. Here is a link to the English version of the book published by Prestel Verlag in 2007: The Museum of Art History in Vienna.]

* BELVEDERE – 8 pages are devoted to this complex (built by Prince Eugene of Savoy), which comprises two palaces and a large garden.

* SCHLOSS SCHÖNBRUNN – 12 pages are devoted to this imperial complex, which was inspired by Versailles just outside Paris. The Schönbrunn palace comprises the main building, a huge park and - at the end of the park - a small monument known as the Gloriette. In addition, there is a palm house (which contains a large number of exotic plants) and a zoo,

* PRATER - 2 pages are devoted to the famous district for entertainment and relaxation. The presentation includes the giant Ferris wheel (known in German as Riesenrad), which was first built in 1897. A large picture of the giant Ferris wheel is placed on the back cover of the book in order to show that this monument is the second symbol of Vienna.

Separate sidebars give background information about persons and topics, which are important for anyone who wants to understand what Vienna is all about. Among the persons I can mention the following: 

** Prince Eugene of Savoy

** Franz Joseph I and Elisabeth of Habsburg

** Gustav Klimt, the artist
** Johann Strauss, the composer

** Maria Theresa of Austria
** Otto Wagner, the architect

** Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the composer  

Among the topics I can mention the following: 

** The coffee houses of Vienna

** The Lippizans, the famous horses

** The Sachertorte, the famous Austrian cake
** The Viennese waltz  

On the inside flap of the front cover there is a map which shows most of the city. On the inside flap of the back cover there is a map which shows the city centre. This map is so detailed that individual monuments are clearly marked, e.g. the Museum of Art History and the Cathedral of St. Stephen. In addition, there is a map of the subway system, known in German as die U-Bahn.

If you are interested in the art and history of Vienna, this book is highly recommended.

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Vienna: Art and History,
Bonechi, 2008, 128 pages

 

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