You only see what you know (Goethe)
Mirabell Palace (Schloss Mirabell) on the left side is especially known for its marble hall as wedding location. By the way Mirabell Gardens was also a set in the movie “Sound of Music”. On the picture above one can see the hindquarters of the Winged Horse (Pegasus) where Maria and the children danced around.
Lower Belvedere Palace (Unteres Belvedere) and Upper Belvedere Palace (Oberes Belvedere) constitute an ensemble near Vienna Main Railway Station (Hauptbahnhof). Both palaces are venues of a museum and gallery named Belvedere. Next to the Lower Belvedere one also can visit art exhibitions in the former Orangery and the Palace Stables of the ensemble.
Looking at the sculptures decorating the courtyard of Schallaburg Castle (Schloss Schallaburg), you may discover the ‘Hundefräulein‘. This is a sculpture showing a lady with a dog’s head. Schallaburg Castle is a Renaissance castle located in Lower Austria and houses notable exhibitions every year.
Two beauties of Graz: The landmark of Graz named Uhrturm in the background and the Franciscan Church (Franziskanerkirche) in the foreground. The church is part of the oldest monastery in the city. Sometimes I walk through the hidden cloister for relaxing from the hurly-burly of the shopping streets in Graz.
This Baroque abbey still offers the remains of a medieval monastery in its basement, one can reach by an elevator. The complex also includes a theme garden dedicated to the different world religions located not far away from the monastery.
The monument to the Austrian writer Franz Grillparzer (1791-1872) was built in 1889 and displays scenes from his works. It is located in a public park of Vienna named Volksgarten, which is worth a visit, especially during the heyday of roses.
The Sebastian Cemetery (Sebastiansfriedhof) was built in the style of an Italian Campo Santo at the end of 16th century. You find here the graves of Mozart’s widow and Paracelsus, founder of the discipline of toxicology.
The estate in the Vienna Woods was first mentioned in the 13th century. In 1887, the Austrian Crown Prince Rudolf converted the facility into a hunting lodge (Mayerling Castle). On January 30, 1889, Rudolf and his mistress Baroness Mary Vetsera died here under circumstances that were not completely solved.
The Counts of Gorizia built Bruck Castle (Schloss Bruck) in the 13th century. In the chapel, the frescoes of late Gothic artist Simon von Taisten are worth seeing. The castle museum displays a collection of works by the local painter Albin Egger-Lienz.
A pair of griffins seen at a bollard in the historicist Vienna Ring Road (Wiener Ringstraße). Though I don’t believe in fabulous creatures I always love to come across depictions of them on my urban walks. In Rostock, you can even see them on manhole covers.
The inscription “Ora et Labora” refers to the motto of the Benedictines. It translates into “Pray and Work”. The depiction is located on a chimney of Seitenstetten Abbey (Stift Seitenstetten). This is a large Benedictine monastery in the Austrian region of Mostviertel.
The castle in Wels is generally known as the Castle (Die Burg) or as the Wels Castle (Die Welser Burg). It was first mentioned in 776. At that time, the site was just a wooden building with palisades. The construction in stone took place in the 12th or 13th century.