Showing posts with label Austria. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Austria. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

More from my European backpacking trip - the colorful and unusual Kunst Haus Wien in Vienna

I have really dropped the ball on sharing my images from my 2010 summer backpacking around Europe, so I'm going to try to do it more often. I'll pick up right where we left off, in beautiful Vienna, Austria. I'm sharing with you today the very cool and unusual Kunst Haus Wien, a museum celebrating the work of Friedensreich Hundertwasser.

 A little bit about the house and Friedensreich:

   Hundertwasser's original and unruly artistic vision expressed itself in pictorial art, environmentalism, philosophy, and design of facades, postage stamps, flags, and clothing (among other areas). The common themes in his work utilised bright colours, organic forms, a reconciliation of humans with nature, and a strong individualism, rejecting straight lines. He remains sui generis, although his architectural work is comparable to Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926) in its use of biomorphic forms and the use of tile. He was also inspired by the art of the Vienna Secession, and by the Austrian painters Egon Schiele (1890–1918) and Gustav Klimt (1862–1918). He was fascinated by spirals, and called straight lines "the devil's tools". He called his theory of art "transautomatism", based on Surrealist automatism, but focusing on the experience of the viewer, rather than the artist. via Wikipedia

 The museum ... is designed in typical Hundertwasser style, with wavy, undulating floors and a notable lack of straight lines. Bright, glaring colours are used throughout, and foliage abounds. There is a fountain in the foyer, and a restaurant with abundant plant life reminiscent of a winter garden. An unevenly winding staircase leads to the main part of the exhibition on the upper floors. To keep the rooms flooded with daylight, Hundertwasser, who was said to be fond of sunlight and therefore windows too, had a glass frontage built in front of the facade.via Wikipedia



Hundertwasser designed an apartment building close to the Museum, it also "features undulating floors ("an uneven floor is a divine melody to the feet"), a roof covered with earth and grass, and large trees growing from inside the rooms, with limbs extending from windows." -via Wikipedia

The exterior...

A shot from the staircase.  Notice the curve of the floor where it meets the wall below.

  4 images above via my honey

Below are some shots of the gallery spaces

via Kunst Haus Wien

 Hudertwasser dabbled in almost all forms of 2D and 3D art. He started as a painter but ultimately focused on architecture. Here are some of my favorite works in some of his various mediums:


so beautiful!  Many of his lithographs have metallic gold accents, which makes them especially beautiful, but that aspect doesn't come through well in photographs.
via Hundertwasser.com


My favorite part of so many of his 2D works are the markings he makes on the sides and bottom.
via Art Brokerage

One of his postage stamp designs

via Photobucket

Some of his architectural masterpieces:


A model of the Bad Blumau, a spa


2 images above via Flickr


2 images above are of the Rogner Bad Blumau, in eastern Austria
via Paintings Art Picture


Hundertwasser with another one of his models
via Picasa

I hope you've enjoyed this little glimpse of Vienna and one of it's most cherished artists!



Here's that list again of all my posts from our travels that I've posted -

Spain

•Introduction to my European backpacking trip and a list of places we visited
• Galicia - Baiona and Isle de Cies
• Galicia - the coast, some charming vineyards, and Pontevedra
• Santiago de Compostela and gorgeous hidden beaches
• Gorgeous mountain lakes of Picos de Europa
• Stunning mountains - Picos de Europa
• Bilbao and San Sebastian
• Beautiful Barcelona
• The amazing Sagrada Familia Cathedral in Barcelona
• Art Nouveau dream house by Gaudi in Barcelona

Italy

• Not to miss - the gorgeous rocky coast of Italy's Cinque Terre
• More from my summer traveling Europe - amazing Rome
• From my summer in Europe - amazing Pompeii
• Turquoise ocean and vineyards on cliffs - the amazingly stunning Amalfi coast
• My Summer in Europe: Pictures from lovely Florence, Italy
• Enchanting Siena
Venice
Lake Como, Italy

Switzerland
Jungfrau region, Switzerland, Part 1
Jungfrau region, Switzerland, Part 2

Germany
• One of my favorite cities from my European backpacking trips - Ulm, Germany
• Lake Constance
• Cute HOUSE Overload - the charming medieval homes of Germany's Romantic Road
• Regensburg, Germany, and Salzburg, Austria  

Austria
• Salzburg
• A charming lakeside village, Hallstatt
Beautiful Vienna

Thursday, March 1, 2012

From my summer in Europe, Beautiful Vienna

Vienna, Austria...the country's largest city, deemed the "city of music" because of composers like Beethoven , and the "city of dreams," for being the home of Freud. My favorite part of Vienna was it's beautiful gardens.



The gardens of the Belevedere Museum are not to be missed.


Me enjoying the lovely weather in the gardens

We thought this advertisement for a souvenir shop was hilarious

One of the highlights for me of the entire summer was seeing the adorable and gorgeous Lipizzaner mares and their babies at the Spanish Riding School.


Inside St. Stephan's Cathedral

A busy tourist street

The Judenplatz Holocaust Memorial, commemorates the more than 65,000 Austrian Jews killed by Nazis between 1938 and 1945.  It is very poignant.

"The outside surfaces of the volume are cast library shelves turned inside out. The spines of the books are facing inwards and are not visible, therefore the titles of the volumes are unknown and the content of the books remains unrevealed. The shelves of the memorial appear to hold endless copies of the same edition, which stand for the vast number of the victims, as well as the concept of Jews as "People of the Book." The double doors are cast with the panels inside out, and have no doorknobs or handles. They suggest the possibility of coming and going, but do not open." -via Wikipedia

Anyone been to Vienna or hoping to go one day?

As always - thanks to my boyfriend Chris for these gorgeous photos.

Here's that list again of all my posts from our travels that I've posted -

Spain

•Introduction to my European backpacking trip and a list of places we visited
Galicia - Baiona and Isle de Cies
Galicia - the coast, some charming vineyards, and Pontevedra
Santiago de Compostela and gorgeous hidden beaches
Gorgeous mountain lakes of Picos de Europa
Stunning mountains - Picos de Europa
Bilbao and San Sebastian
Beautiful Barcelona
The amazing Sagrada Familia Cathedral in Barcelona
Art Nouveau dream house by Gaudi in Barcelona

Italy

Not to miss - the gorgeous rocky coast of Italy's Cinque Terre
More from my summer traveling Europe - amazing Rome
From my summer in Europe - amazing Pompeii
Turquoise ocean and vineyards on cliffs - the amazingly stunning Amalfi coast
My Summer in Europe: Pictures from lovely Florence, Italy
Enchanting Siena
Venice
Lake Como, Italy

Switzerland
Jungfrau region, Switzerland, Part 1
Jungfrau region, Switzerland, Part 2

Germany
One of my favorite cities from my European backpacking trips - Ulm, Germany
Lake Constance
Cute HOUSE Overload - the charming medieval homes of Germany's Romantic Road
Regensburg, Germany, and Salzburg, Austria 

Austria
Salzburg
• A charming lakeside village, Hallstatt

Thursday, February 9, 2012

A charming and magical lakefront, mountainside village in Austria

The village of Hallstatt, in the Salzkammergut region of Austria, was an amazing day trip Chris and I took while we were in Austria. The village is built almost vertically onto the mountain, and seems as though it might almost slide into the lake.

Hallstatt has some amazing history, which explains the village's precarious perch: "...this secluded and inhospitable landscape nevertheless counts as one of the first places of human settlement because of the rich sources of natural salt, which have been mined for thousands of years, originally in the shape of hearts owing to the use of an antler pick.[3] Some of Hallstatt's oldest archaeological finds, such as a shoe-last celt, date back to around 5500 BC. In 1846 Johann Georg Ramsauer discovered a large prehistoric cemetery close by the current location of Hallstatt. Ramsauer's work at the Hallstatt cemeteries continued until 1863, unearthing more than 1000 burials.... In addition, one of the first blacksmith sites was excavated there. Active trade and thus wealth allowed for the development of a highly developed culture, which, after findings in the Salzberghochtal, was named the Hallstatt culture. This lasted from approximately 800 to 400 BC." via Wikipedia


We arrived at the town via ferry

from the ferry

Town square





A view from the cemetery

Tiny cobbled paths lead you up the mountain

Like most good views, it'll cost you a bit of a hike...but it's worth it!


The cemetery

The Beinhaus (“Bone house”), Hallstatt, Austria – Because there is limited space in the town cemetery, people are only buried for 10-15 years. After that, they are removed from the grave, the skulls left out in the sun to bleach, were painted by the family and stacked in the bone house, therefore opening up space in the cemetery.  Now that cremation is an accepted practice, the Beinhaus serves mainly as a tourist attraction and important piece of history.

It dates back to the twelfth century AC. There are over 1200 skulls in the chapel, of them 610 have been painted in flowery designs, they are neatly stacked in rows along with next of kin and have the date of death written on them.  This tradition began in 1720 AD. The last skull to go into the Beinhaus was in 1995. It is directly beside the cross. The woman died 1983; it was her last request to be stored in the Beinhaus (Bone house).




Not a bad view, right?

As we leave the town via Ferry As always - thanks to my boyfriend Chris for these gorgeous photos.

Here's that list again of all my posts from our travels that I've posted -

Spain

•Introduction to my European backpacking trip and a list of places we visited
Galicia - Baiona and Isle de Cies
Galicia - the coast, some charming vineyards, and Pontevedra
Santiago de Compostela and gorgeous hidden beaches
Gorgeous mountain lakes of Picos de Europa
Stunning mountains - Picos de Europa
Bilbao and San Sebastian
Beautiful Barcelona
The amazing Sagrada Familia Cathedral in Barcelona
Art Nouveau dream house by Gaudi in Barcelona

Italy

Not to miss - the gorgeous rocky coast of Italy's Cinque Terre
More from my summer traveling Europe - amazing Rome
From my summer in Europe - amazing Pompeii
Turquoise ocean and vineyards on cliffs - the amazingly stunning Amalfi coast
My Summer in Europe: Pictures from lovely Florence, Italy
Enchanting Siena
Venice
Lake Como, Italy

Switzerland
Jungfrau region, Switzerland, Part 1
Jungfrau region, Switzerland, Part 2

Germany
One of my favorite cities from my European backpacking trips - Ulm, Germany
Lake Constance
Cute HOUSE Overload - the charming medieval homes of Germany's Romantic Road
Regensburg, Germany, and Salzburg, Austria

Thursday, January 26, 2012

More from my European summer 2010 trip..Regensburg, Germany, and Salzburg, Austria

Yikes! It's been a long time since I've posted images from my Summer 2010 trip around Europe, and I still have a lot to go! Today I'm sharing some pics from Regensburg, Germany, and Salzburg, Austria. Unfortunately it was raining most of the time we were in both cities, so our pictures aren't that great. Regensburg is located in the region of Bavaria. Saying that it's a charming medieval city is an understatement. The city has seen it's fair share of history, in fact the first settlements found in the city date back to the Stone Age. Radasbona, the Celtic name, was the oldest name given to a settlement near the present city. In 1135–1146 a bridge across the Danube, the Steinerne Brücke, was built. This stone bridge opened major international trade routes between Northern Europe and Venice, and this started Regensburg's golden age as a city of wealthy trading families. Regensburg became the cultural centre of southern Germany and was celebrated for its gold work and fabrics. (via Wikipedia)


An amazing Baroque church we happended to stumble into.  The exterior was very unassuming.


Talk about a window seat.  How beautiful is that?

The stain glass windows in the gothic Dom Cathedral were gorgeous



Salzburg is probably best known these days for the setting in "The Sound of Music." However it was also the hometown of Mozart, boasts amazing Baroque architecture, and is framed by the amazing Alps.

We probably got the worst weather of our whole trip in Salzburg.  It more or less was a steady hard rain throughout the whole day.


The three above view are from the hike up to Hohensalzburg Castle



Views from inside the Salzburg Cathedral (you can see it's green domes in the above city view images)
I thought the capital detail was really unique.

Mirabell palace
Amazing gardens abound

 Possibly one of the world's most elegant McDonalds

Closer to the cathedral

St. Peter's Cemetery and Catacombs is a really special site.  You can see the catacombs built into the rock face.

A few of the Cathedral from within the catacombs.

St. Peter's, the Cemetery, and the Cathedral as seen from the catacombs.


You can read more about Salzburg here. As always - thanks to my boyfriend Chris for these gorgeous photos.

Here's that list again of all my posts from our travels that I've posted -

Spain

•Introduction to my European backpacking trip and a list of places we visited
Galicia - Baiona and Isle de Cies
Galicia - the coast, some charming vineyards, and Pontevedra
Santiago de Compostela and gorgeous hidden beaches
Gorgeous mountain lakes of Picos de Europa
Stunning mountains - Picos de Europa
Bilbao and San Sebastian
Beautiful Barcelona
The amazing Sagrada Familia Cathedral in Barcelona
Art Nouveau dream house by Gaudi in Barcelona

Italy

Not to miss - the gorgeous rocky coast of Italy's Cinque Terre
More from my summer traveling Europe - amazing Rome
From my summer in Europe - amazing Pompeii
Turquoise ocean and vineyards on cliffs - the amazingly stunning Amalfi coast
My Summer in Europe: Pictures from lovely Florence, Italy
Enchanting Siena
Venice
Lake Como, Italy

Switzerland
Jungfrau region, Switzerland, Part 1
Jungfrau region, Switzerland, Part 2

Germany
One of my favorite cities from my European backpacking trips - Ulm, Germany
Lake Constance
Cute HOUSE Overload - the charming medieval homes of Germany's Romantic Road