Vienna by Phil Hypes

“Vienna is an elegant ball in the Hofburg.
Vienna is a 50 kg girl wrestling a bass violin onto a streetcar.
Vienna is hearing five languages at once at the refrshment stand at the opera.
Vienna is a poster for a motorcycle show partially obsuring a special exhibit poster for the Art History Museum.

Vienna is people from every continent waiting to get into a concert at the Malteserkirche.
Vienna is a neoclassical building, a 1950s concrete box, and a ruthlessly modern building all on the same block.

Vienna is a state library that makes Hogwarts’ magical library look like a comic book collection.
If I had to sum it up in one word, I’d say Vienna is elegance.

Photos copyright: Phil Hypes

“I’m an American; I remember living in Germany as a child, and that experience enriched my outlook on life considerably.  So when I got the chance to move to Vienna for a few years, I jumped at the chance.  I wanted my children to experience Europe the way I did.

I honestly didn’t know much about Vienna when the opportunity arose to work and live there.  Pretty much the only association I had with the the word was “waltzes,” despite having seen the Lippezanners with my grandfather when I was a child living in the midwestern United States.  But I knew where it was in Europe, and had heard fantastic reports about the quality of life, so the idea of moving there didn’t require much convincing.  My first visit to Vienna was in a particularly cold November.  The cold did nothing to cool my enthusiasm for the city that was soon to become my home for two years.  The contrast between this Imperial capital and the small desert town I was coming from could hardly have been more marked.  Any randomly selected block in Vienna has more restaurants than my entire county.

And the variety is remarkable; my favorite restaurants in Vienna include Greek (Achilleus), Iranian (Cafe Pars), Chinese (Asia Pavilion – best duck I’ve ever had outside Beijing) and of course Viennese (Bretzl Gwolb).  I really miss the free refills on drinks that you get in the US, but the quality and variety in Vienna are outstanding.

The museums of Vienna are an inexhaustible resource.  The Kunst Historisches Museum is one of the cultural poles of my personal world.  The Opera House is another.  Both of these institutions helped me to develop an appreciation of fine art that I may never have developed without Vienna.  We lived about a ten or fifteen minute walk from the KHM, and got annual passes.  I used to pop in on occasion just to spend a few minutes contemplating one or two of my favorite paintings.  We made a few attempts at the Opera while living in Vienna, but it never worked out.  On a recent trip back to Vienna, I learned about the standing areas.  I was more than willing to give opera another chance.  For three or four Euros, why not?  I was hooked.  The view was excellent, and the artistry was captivating.  On a recent visit, I went to the opera five times.  Once or twice, it was even on the spur of the moment; “why not go to the opera tonight?”

Having a lifelong interest in history, living in Vienna added considerably to my knowledge of European history.  I toured the palaces and museums, bought books and read them, and visited the various resting places of the Hapsburgs, somewhat surprised to see flowers and Mexican flags by Emperor Maximilian of Mexico.  He once ruled the area I now live in, and he was born in Schonbrunn.  Even having known about his reign, the extent of Hapsburg dominion was brought home, so to speak, when I visited a museum in Albuquerque on my first trip back to New Mexico.  There on one of the suits of armor in the museum was the Hapsburg crest, thousands of miles from Vienna, in the state I’d lived in for years.

It’s fairly common for visitors and tourists to see more of a city or area than residents.  I lived in Kentucky for a few years, and never saw Mammoth Cave or the Corvette factory.  I never found a single distillery on the Burbon trail.  I was determined not to let this happen in Vienna.  I got to know the city well enough that I was asked to put together ‘must-see’ lists or itineraries when colleagues were entertaining visitors.  It’s not easy to plan a short visit in Vienna.

There’s too much to choose from; it really depends on your interests.  For history buffs, the list starts with the Herresgeschlichtes Museum (Archduke Ferdinand’s car could stake a reasonable claim to being one of the most historically significant objects of the last hundred years), various Roman ruins tucked around the city, and the Hofburg.  Music lovers can add the residences of numerous composers to the obvious spots like the Opera house, and of course there’s also the composers’ section at the Zentral Friedhof.  Architects will want to see Stephansplatz, the Hundertwasser Haus, and the Ringstrasse buildings like the Rathaus and Burgtheater.  A few of my other favorite spots include the Jesuitenkirche, the Naschmarkt, and the smaller streets all over the first district.  Any visit shorter than two weeks is greviously abbreviated.  Vienna is just that full of sights.  The best thing I can do is suggest a guide book; the Eyewitness guide to Vienna is the best guidebook I’ve found.

My favorite time of year in Vienna is Christmastime.  I like cold weather, and bundling up for a walk to a Christmas market is a fantastic way to spend an evening.  The lights on the bigger streets are a beautiful backdrop.  And the Christmas markets are a wonderful reward for a good long walk.  The Rathaus and Schonbrunn markets are my favorite for food.  I have a serious sweet tooth, and my favorite pastry is the Brandteigring.  You can get them at the Rathaus market.  Picture a large donut (kruller, if that kind of donut is familiar to you) sliced in half and filled with brandy-flavored whipped cream.  Then its put back together, and white icing is poured on top.  It’s probably a good thing that you only get them at Christmastime in Vienna.  The Karlsplatz market is the best I’ve found for handmade crafts, like turned wooden bowls and one-of-a-kind ceramics.  After a couple of hours in a Christmas market, it’s a nice change to find a cozy restaurant and warm up with a bowl of soup or some hot tea.

There are other amazing cities on Earth, of course, and in Europe.  What makes Vienna special is that the benefits of an Imperial Capital, like the Opera and museums and an amazing variety of restaurants, come in a package that doesn’t have the endless concrete jungle feel of a huge city like New York or London.  Using your own vehicle or public transportation, you can get out of Vienna and into the countryside in less than an hour.  Try that in London or Tokyo.”

United Nations Information Service: UNIS Vienna

Lectures by UN staff members on the UN in general and the Vienna-based Organizations can be arranged for groups of 20 or more participants. Please note that lectures can only be requested in combination with a guided tour, and such arrangements must be made in advance by writing (minimum six weeks prior to the requested date) to:

If you would like to have detailed information about admission fees, opening times and reservation, please do not hesitate to contact:

A valid identification document (passport or driving license) is required!

For individuals and small groups
(10 people or less) :
Monday – Friday: 11.00 a.m. and 2.00 p.m.
Summer Special: during June, July and August also at 12:30
(no reservation needed)

For groups :
With prior registration

Please note that the Vienna International Centre is closed on the following UN and public holidays: 1 January, 2, 5 and 30 April, 24 May, 10 September, 26 October, 16 November, 24 and 27 December 2010

How to reach us with U-Bahn:
http://www.unis.unvienna.org/unis/en/visitors_service.html

Take the underground line U1 in the direction Kagran, alight at “Kaisermühlen/Vienna International Centre” and proceed to the main entrance/Gate 1. Buses are allowed to park in the side street of Wagramer Straße. Parking for private vehicles is available, in limited numbers, at a public garage next to Gate 2. The VIC is accessible to persons with disabilities.

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