!!!Innere Stadt
Innere Stadt, (Inner City) 1%%sup st/% district of Vienna, area
2.88 km%%sup 2/%; pop. 18,002 (1991); central part of Vienna;
bounded by the southernmost branch of the Danube (Danube Canal), the
lower reaches of the Wien river, by Vienna´s magnificent city
boulevard, the Ringstrasse and the number 2 tram line. The most
important public offices are located in the Inner City, Vienna´s
centre of cultural, ecclesiastic, scientific and social life and
business. Important buildings located in the First District are the
Hofburg imperial palace, the most important museums and numerous other
sites of cultural interest (State Opera House, Burgtheater,
Musikverein (concert hall), the University of Vienna, Art
Universities). The First District of Vienna is also the banking and
commercial centre (Kaerntner Strasse, Graben, Kohlmarkt, Wollzeile,
Rotenturmstrasse, Wipplingerstrasse; textile trading firms between
Stock Exchange and Franz-Josefs-Kai).
\\
The nucleus of the city centre dates back to the former Roman
castellum of Vindobona (Roman ruins have been found under the Hoher
Markt and on Michaelerplatz squares). When the former Roman camp was
transformed into a medieval city the north-eastern section of the
fortification (near Hoher Markt and St. Ruprecht´s church)
remained the city´s core; the south-eastern section of the Roman
camp near St. Peter´s church was settled immediately
afterwards; in the 11%%sup th/% century the area near the
south-eastern gate of the fortification (today Baeckerstrasse) was
settled; at the beginning of the 12%%sup th/% century the area around
St. Stephen´s Cathedral outside the ancient Roman wall was
settled. In 1156 the Austrian dukes made Vienna their capital and
erected their castle on the square called Am Hof ("at court"). New
city walls were required around 1200, and several consecutive periods
saw a rapid extension of the city centre to almost as far as the
present Ringstrasse with its numerous monumental 19%%sup th/% century
buildings; the bastions erected after 1529 as well as the glacis were
replaced by the Ringstrasse which finally became Vienna´s city
boulevard.
\\
Roman ruins have been found under the Ruprechtskirche
(St. Ruprecht´s church, dedicated in 740),
St. Stephen´s Cathedral and Michaelerkirche.
\\
There are only a few Gothic masterpieces in the First District: Saint
Stephen´s Cathedral; Burgkapelle (chapel of the Imperial
Palace); Michaelerkirche (choir and spire around 1327-1350; parts in
late Romanesque style from between 1220 and 1250; Classicist
façade); Maria am Gestade (church of St. Mary on the
Banks, "Maria Stiegen"; probably before 1137, certainly before 1177;
rebuilt in 1398); situated on the steep escarpment of the River
Danube; interior with stained-glass windows dating from the
14%%sup th/% and 15%%sup th/% centuries; sarcophagus of
St. C. M. Hofbauer, who performed pastoral duties there;
Minoritenkirche (church of the Minorite order; Italianate church since
1784; first documented mention in 1251; rebuilt in Gothic style before
1339; porch dating from around 1350); paintings by B. and A. Altomonte
and by D. Gran; organ dating to late Baroque. Neidhart frescoes (House
of Tuchlauben 19), oldest profane frescoes of Vienna (around 1400).
\\
Remains of the Renaissance period after the first siege of Vienna by
the Turks: Imperial Stables (around 1558); interior and porch (1571)
of the Lower Austrian Landhaus (Herrengasse); Schweizertor gate in the
Imperial Palace (1552); porch of the chapel of St. Salvator (Old
Catholic church; first documented mention in 1301; porch around 1520;
located in Salvatorgasse); and parts of the Franciscan church
(1603-1611).
\\
After the Turks had finally retreated, Vienna indulged in an orgy of
Baroque building: Josefsplatz square with National Library; churches:
Am Hof; Jesuitenkirche (Jesuit church of the University; was redone
in Baroque style between 1628 and 1631 and between 1703 and 1705);
Kapuzinerkirche (Capuchin church built between 1622 and 1632);
monastery (paintings dating from the 17%%sup th/% and 18%%sup th/%
centuries) and Kapuzinergruft; Dominikanerkirche (Dominican church,
built between 1631-1634); Deutschordenskirche (church of the Teutonic
order, established before 1249; Baroque decorations added between 1720
and 1725); considered the best example of church Baroque in Vienna
from the 18%%sup th/% century (Gothic winged altar dating from the
16%%sup th/% century); Peterskirche (St. Peter´s church,
allegedly of late Roman origin; according to legend established by
Charlemagne in 792; first documented mention in 1137; present building
by Gabriele Montani; completed by J. L. von Hildebrandt between
1702 and 1715); entrance portal and gallery by A. Galli-Bibiena;
murals by J. G. Schmidt (around 1715); altar-pieces by M.
Altomonte and L. Kupelwieser (1836); grave of W. Lazius (1586). Other
churches: Annakirche with wooden Anna-selbdritt-Gruppe (around 1510;
allegedly by Veit Stoss) and Augustinerkirche (church of the
Augustinian Order, 1330-1339); served as court parish church between
1634 and 1783; with marble tomb of Archduchess Marie Christine (by A.
Canova, 1798-1805) and Georgskapelle (St. George chapel,
dedicated in 1341) with cenotaph of Emperor Leopold II (1799) and
tombs of Abraham a Sancta Clara, Count L.J. Daun and G. van
Swieten; Herzgruft (silver urns containing the hearts of the Habsburg
rulers) in the small Loreto Chapel; monastery and church (1631) of the
Schotten.
\\
The most important Baroque palaces were built by J. B. Fischer
von Erlach and J. E. Fischer von Erlach (former Bohemian Court
Chancery - now the constitutional and administrative courts; town
mansion of Prince Eugène - now the Ministry of Finance;
Lobkowitz Palace - now the Oesterreichisches Theatermuseum; National
Library; Schoenborn-Batthyány Palace; Hungarian Embassy;
sections of the Imperial Palace) and by J. L. von Hildebrandt
(Privy Chancellery of the Dynasty, Court and State, today Federal
Chancellery; Daun-Kinsky palace, today auction house; Reichskanzlei
tract of the Imperial Palace.) Other Baroque buildings: Archiepiscopal
Palace (from 1632; houses the Diocesan Archive); Mollard-Clary palace
(after 1689; between 1924 and 1997 provincial museum of Lower
Austria); Starhemberg palace (after 1650; at present houses the
Federal Ministries of Science and Transport and of Education and
Cultural Affairs); former armory (16%%sup th/% century and 1731/32,
today central office of the Vienna fire brigade, Am Hof);
façade of the Old Town Hall. Most important Baroque monuments:
Pestsaeule (Holy Trinity or Plague Column, Graben), Providence
Fountain (Donner or Providentiabrunnen, Neuer Markt); Column dedicated
to the Virgin Mary (Am Hof) and Vermaehlungsbrunnen, showing the
marriage of Joseph and Mary (Hoher Markt).
\\
The Old University building ( Aula) is one of the first buildings in
early French Classicist style.
\\
The Schoenlatern, Seitenstetten, Schotten and Rauhensteingasse
streets, Fleischmarkt, Seilerstaette, etc are dominated by buildings
in the Josephinian, Empire and Biedermeier styles. Monumental
buildings on the Ringstrasse, in various historicist styles which
nevertheless form a homogeneous whole, date from the 2%%sup nd/% half
of the 19%%sup th/% century.
\\
The city centre also played an important role in turn-of-the-century
modern architecture (Postsparkasse Post Office Savings Bank built by
O. Wagner between 1904 and 1906; "Loos-Haus" on Michaelerplatz square,
erected between 1909 and 1911; Secession building erected by J. M.
Olbrich between 1897 and 1898). New buildings were erected in those
parts of the city centre which had been destroyed in massive air raids
in 1944 and 1945 (Opernringhof buildings, 1956; built on the site of
the former Heinrichhof; Ringturm tower, erected between 1953 and
1955). From 1955 pedestrian underground passages were built beneath
busy crossings on the Ringstrasse (passage near the State Opera house
and near the Albertina museum; Babenberg, Bellaria, and Schottentor
passages). Important new buildings erected since 1970: Law Faculty
building (1974-1984); Hotel Marriott (1984/85); Haas-Haus (1987-1990)
and Ringstrassengalerien shopping malls (1990-1993).
\\
The First District of Vienna is encircled by parks and gardens:
Stadtpark with Kursalon cafe and numerous monuments (F. Schubert, J.
Strauss the Younger, H. Makart, A. Bruckner, F. Amerling, E. J.
Schindler); Volksgarten (monuments to Empress Elisabeth and
Grillparzer; Greek Theseus temple, monument to J. Raab); Burggarten
(monuments for Emperor Franz I, W. A. Mozart, Emperor Franz
Joseph I); park in front of the New Town Hall (monuments to J.
Strauss the Elder and J. Lanner, F. G. Waldmueller, E. Mach, J.
Popper-Lynkeus, A. Schaerf, K. Seitz, T. Koerner and K. Renner; the
square in front of the Town Hall is lined by eight statues of
important men in Vienna´s history). Impressive monuments on
Heldenplatz square: equestrian statues of Prince Eugène and
Archduke Karl; between the Kunsthistorisches Museum* and the Museum of
Natural History is the grand monument to Empress Maria Theresia;
monuments to the Austrian Republic and to Anzengruber on
Schmerlingplatz square; monument to Karl Lueger on Luegerplatz square;
Schwarzenberg monument on Schwarzenbergplatz square; memorial for the
victims of war and fascism in front of the Albertina.
\\
A steady decline in population had been observed in the city centre
(popularly referred to as "die Stadt"/the city) until 1987, there has
been a reverse trend recently and the district is increasingly
becoming Vienna´s administrative, shopping (especially luxury
articles) and recreational centre (numerous cafes, bars, nightclubs,
cabaret and revue theatres, cellar theatres, etc); there are no trams
in the city centre, of which increasingly larger parts have been
turned into pedestrian zones since 1971; extension of underground
transit system since 1978.
!Literature
R. Messner, Wien vor dem Fall der Basteien, 1958; F.
Czeike, Wien Innere Stadt, Kunst- und Kulturfuehrer, 1992; idem,
Historisches Lexikon Wien, 5 vols., 1992-1997.
%%language
[Back to the Austrian Version|AEIOU/Innere_Stadt|class='wikipage austrian']
%%
[{FreezeArticle author='AEIOU' template='Lexikon_1995_englisch'}]
[{ALLOW view All}][{ALLOW comment All}][{ALLOW edit FreezeAdmin}]