Innenstadt | Fotoeins Fotografie

24T69 One final full day in Vienna

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Travel day 69, and day 35 in Vienna: the final full day in the grand city for this crazy ride. Another hot humid day in the books further emphasized my wish to travel/visit “small and close.” I managed to return to some of my (new) favourite places, and to consciously see everything I possibly could in “one last light.”

After 3 consecutive summers and over 100 days in stay, Vienna is very much now a part of me, although I seriously doubt the reverse is true. The city’s reputation is justified: people here can be grumpy and “unfriendly,” but I’ve gotten to know a few people and I’ve seen many different beautiful charming sides to the city across all 23 districts. I’ve no regrets, but what’s bittersweet is I don’t know when I’m coming back.

*In Rathauspark: #Wienliebe / #ViennaLove.*

*Heldenplatz: at what is Archduke Carl looking in the distance?*

*He’s looking northwest at buildings now related to the Federal Chancellery. At left in the background is the Minoritenkirche.*

*Inside the church is a grand copy of “The Last Supper” which Napoleon tried but failed to deliver back to Paris.*

2nd time here this visit, once again for their weekday lunch specials. I read a copy of today’s “Kurier” print newspaper, completed a couple of postcards for Canada, and checked online my travel plans beyond Vienna. Eating at a cafe or restaurant is neither rapid nor rushed.

*One last look at this part of the Innenstadt.*

*One last look towards Leopoldstadt, from Schwedensbrücke.*

Discovered many years ago on a visit to Berlin, Buchhandlung Walther König (WK) is one of my favourite bookstores. With a location in Vienna’s MQ (Museums Quartier), the shop is full of books on art, architecture, design, arty and artful looks at Vienna, and, naturally, photography.

*Seen in the MQ. “Steadily grumpy, but content” is the way I feel about this past month in Vienna. Nods to the fine actor Danny Trejo.*

*One last look at Ringstrasse architecture, with late-day light on the Natural History Museum, from Volkstheater.*

I made all photos above with an iPhone15 on 15 Jul 2024. This post composed with Jetpack for iOS appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com.

24T63 Vienna: one two three

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I’m into my 5th and final week in Vienna. With the return of some summer heat and humidity, I start bright and early, but the pace is slower than usual to account for refreshment and cooling breaks. The title today reflects various dives into the city’s first three districts.

1. Innenstadt

“Bonbons”

2. Leopoldstadt

“No Sleep Till Leopoldstadt”, by Xan Padrón, 2024. Brooklyn x Leopoldstadt collaboration project

*“Wollte nie dass du gehst: sorry. Hab immer an uns geglaubt.” / I never wanted you to go: sorry. I always believed in us.” (unrelated graffiti)*

3. Landstrasse

“Morse Alphabet” neon sculpture by Brigitte Kowanz, for Österreichische Post, 2017.

*A to Z, in Morse code from top to bottom.*

I made all photos above with an iPhone15 on 9 Jul 2024. This post composed with Jetpack for iOS appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com.

24T62 Austria’s Parliament, from inside 🇦🇹

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Both city and country encourage citizen and visitor alike to visit the national Parliament building with free-of-charge building tours in German and English. I’m curious to see what’s inside the recently renovated building, originally designed by renowned Vienna architect Theophil Hansen in the neo-classical Greek style and inaugurated next to the Ringstraße in 1883.

There are displays not only about the construction of the building, but also about the road from monarchic imperial rule to an independent democratic republic, and the country’s entry into the European Union. Function and form play attractive visual clues in grand rooms and spaces, but ultimately, I’m drawn to the parliamentary library and its books: a strong reminder of what I want and need to read, in both languages.

*Oberes Vestibül / Upper Vestibule: anteroom preparing visitors for the Colonnade Hall next.*

*Säulenhalle / Colonnade Hall: event- and interview-space measuring 40 metres by 24 metres, with marble columns*.

*Bundesversammlungssaal / Federal Assembly Hall: formerly used to assemble House of Deputies (representatives) in the Austrian-Hungarian monarchy.*

*Nationalratssaal / National Council Chamber: with a giant eagle on the wall, over the flags of Austria and the European Union.*

*Quiet cup of coffee on the terrace for Restaurant Kelsen im Parlament.*

*Bibliothek / Library. Ideas, the immense variety of language and the diverse culture of writing, and all those books: together, as building blocks for good participatory governance.*

*One of the library’s lounge areas, with many books available from the shelves to read.*

*A selection of available graphic novels.*

I made all photos above with an iPhone15 on 8 Jul 2024. This post composed with Jetpack for iOS appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com.

24T61 1st Sunday of the month, free art!

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The first Sunday of the month means free entry for a number of museums, including many under the Wien Museum umbrella. With Secession as the temporary exhibition at Wien Museum Karlsplatz, I learned about different figures of the early 20th-century arts movement, which was not only in Vienna, but also sprung up in Berlin and Munich. Later, I meandered over to Wien Museum MUSA to discover the work by Vienna photographer Elfriede Mejchar.

“Secessionen”

*“Pallas Athena”, by Gustav Klimt (Vienna Secession), 1898.*

*“… heads turn to meet her; steely eyed …”*

*“Houses on Montmartre,” by Maria Slavona, 1898.*

*Self-portrait, by Teresa Feodorowna Ries, 1902.*

*Self-portrait by Käthe Kollwitz, 1904. Full member of Berlin Secession, 1901. 1st woman artist elected to Berlin Secession board, 1912.*

*“Cherry Harvest”, by Dora Hitz, before 1905.*

*“Tilla Durieux as Circe”, Franz von Stuck, c. 1913.*

Elfriede Mejchar (1924-2020)

In post-war Austria, Vienna photographer Melchar pointed at the ordinary and seemingly uncomplicated; and what Austria discovered instead was extraordinary and complex, and something the national scene had not seen as much about themselves. I think she raised important (existential) questions in the late post-war period about who Austrians thought they were, and who they wanted to be.