LLEI D'ART 14

Baroque and theGründerzeit (or Founder Epoch – aperiod of the 19th century thatmarked thebeginningof important economic changes in the region). The so-calledMuseumQuarter was home to the court stables and is currently an immense cultural complex opened around 15 years ago that is home to the Leopold Museum, theMUMOKMuseumofModernArt and the Vienna LudwigFoundation. There are alsomoremulti- disciplinary spaces such as theViennaKunsthalle, where ongoing temporary exhibitions of contemporary art are organized. The Leopold – a cubic, lime-whitebuilding – is home to theprivate art collectionof Rudolf andElisabeth Leopold, and alsohas an impressive collectionof works by the great Austrian Impressionist EgonSchiele and his friendGustav Klimt. Thewhole of the old centre canbe seen from its terrace vantagepoint. TheMUMOK is a greatmuseum that also has interestingworks from theModernist period in a strikingbasalt-cladbuildingby theAustrian architects Ortner &Ortner. One of its uniquepoints is its collectionof art related to the so-called ‘VienneseActionism’, apolemical avant-gardemovement from the 20th centurywhosemain preoccupationwas to take art into theworldof action. The atmosphere of the area is rather varied: awell-executed marriagebetween the old and faultlessly innovative, and alsodottedwith traditional picturesque cafés. It’s quite the task to resist an aromaticViennese coffeewith a slice of Sachertorte for chocoholics, or apieceGugelhupfmarble sponge: Vienna’s cafés areplaces of worshipnot only for foodies, but all Viennese. TheKunsthalle, on the other hand, is focusedon educational programmes that link artistic practice and theoretical reflection, encouragingdiscussion and experimentation aswell as promoting culture in all its forms. TheHistorical ArtMuseum (KunsthistorischesMuseum), also known as the FineArtsMuseum, is home to theworld’s best collectionof Rubens’ andhis contemporaries’ works alongwith theMuseodel Prado, aswell as several of Velázquez’smost essential portraits. It displays almost the entire collectionof art amassedby theHabsburgs over the centuries. Thebuilding it occupies is exactly the same as theNatural HistoryMuseum, as the twoweredesigned as museums from the outset in1891. Not very far from this area, amere 15-minutes easy stroll away on the other side of theRingstrasse (RingBoulevard) – a 3-mile-long avenue that joins some of the city’smost emblematic andmagnificent buildings that I recommend you visit by tram – is theAlbertina, the residential palace for the Habsburgs in the city. Located closed to the famousSpanish RidingSchool, famed for their Lipizzaner horses, and the National Library, theAlbertina is home toworks from the 15th century to thepresent. Right in themiddle of the heart of Vienna, it brings together themagnificent atmosphere and greatmasterpieces that call the gallery home. Vienna is amarvellous citywhere evenbutterflies have their home. Behind the Library there is apark, theBurggarten, where hundreds of different species flutter around in a small ecosystem that simulates a rainforest. Should youwish to make abrief stopon your way, opposite theAlbertina and close to theHofburgmuseums (the heart of theAustro- HungarianEmpire), there is theMozart Café, opened in 1794, famed as the epicenter of artists and intellectuals. Aftermany renovations and vicissitudes, it was reopened in 1929 and redecorated in the 1980s. If there’s anything it’s good at, it’s definitely theViennese applepastry (a kindof apple strudel). Close to theOpera, we can find theSecessionpavilion, erected in 1898 to house exhibitions of theViennese modernistmovement (also known as Jugendstil or Secession). It is a rectangular block crownedwith a goldendomewith an interwoven leaf pattern. The famous BeethovenFrieze, createdbyGustavKlimt in 1902 is the modern and experimental collection’s best-known artwork. Closeby, theMusikverein concert hall is home to the Philharmonic’s annual NewYear Concert. The city, with its small population, is verywell-structured, urbanistically speaking. Themajority of buildings of interest are a stone’s throw from eachother. Furthermore, the streets are largely pedestrianised, whichmakes a simplewalk a ravishing and unforgettable aesthetic experience. 131