by Taylor Isenberg
Before I left for my study abroad in Vienna in 2018, whenever I told people where I was headed, I was asked a few questions like “Don’t they have Kangaroos there?”
Yes, in Australia, not Austria! Few Americans actually know where Austria is, or even care to learn about the country, and realize that no, Kangaroos do not live in Austria.
So that leads me here, to show you what the capital of Austria, Vienna, has to offer for everyone.
If you love art…
The Albertina museum is right near the city centre and has many famous artist’s artwork, such as Monet and Picasso. The Albertina also has the world’s largest print room in the world with over 65,000 prints.
Vienna also houses many pieces from the famed artist Gustav Klimt, who encrusted gold into his artwork and it became a signature style of his. One of his best-known works, "The Kiss," is housed at the Belvedere art museum.
You’ll also find a whole room of paintings by the famous Dutch artist, Pieter Bruegel the Elder, in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, loving known as The Kunst. Bruegel is famous for the myriad of details he painted in his photos, picturing everyday life for peasants in the 1500s. "The Tower of Babel (1563)" is one of the iconic paintings associated with the Kunsthistorisches Museum. In fact, when I visited the Kunst, a local artist had set up her easel near the famous piece and was re-creating it. It was so fun to watch her work.
The Kunst also boasts paintings by Raphael, Rubens, Vermeer, Rembrandt and many more. There also is a unique collection of Egyptian art and pottery, Roman antiquities, a tapestry from the 1500s, a delicious cafe
. Really, you will need several trips to explore all that the Kunst has to offer.
If you love music…
Mozart himself once called “Wien” home. Here, you can explore his former house, now turned into a museum. Beethoven also called Vienna home, as he spent much of his time here, performing and composing. There’s also “Haus Der Musik” where you can interactively enjoy music through conducting your own orchestra (virtually), or going through the museum itself with various multimedia exhibits.
Also, if you want to live out your “Big” fantasies of playing the piano with your feet, you can pretend your Tom Hanks on giant piano on the ground in the museum. If you love the history of music, a whole museum is dedicated to historical musical instruments at Schoenbrunn Palace, former summer palace of the Hapsburg dynasty.
If you love urban life…
Taking a quick walk around the city centre or hopping on the Straussbahn (street car) is an easy way to see the mix of old buildings and new buildings. Or, take a walk down by the canals of the Danube River. The canals are filled with graffiti done by street artists, and graffiti is legal and cherished along the canal. Purchase spray paint at a local art store and add your own street art to the mix. Vienna also has bike rentals, so if you get tired of walking, rent a bike and pedal your way to look at some of Vienna's sights for a low cost.
Or, spend the day in one of Vienna’s parks. Vienna also has more green space than any other European city. Grab a picnic lunch and enjoy the view on a spring day. Prater Park is a mini-amusement park located in Praterstern. It has so many fun rides and is a great place to spend a half day, enjoying the various rides and games.
Around the University of Vienna and the Musuemquartier, you'll find hip cafes where locals like to sit, grab a coffee, and read a book. One of my favorites is Cafe Phil, which is full of books in German and English. The cafe team play a variety of vinyl records, and are welcoming to students from all over the world.
Vienna has all this and so much more!
Taylor Isenberg is a sophomore mass communication major from Rochester Hills. She studied in Vienna, Austria, in Spring 2018.