TravelswithCharie

The Promenade on Lake Constance Summer may be the best time to visit Bregenz for the Bregenz Festival but fall by the lake has its irresistible charms like the golden leaves of the season and the quieter, more laid back atmosphere that calms the soul. After the rain Heavy clouds drifted across the sky in early October and I had to wait patiently for the rain to go away. When it did, I took a leisurely walk around the city center to the lakeside promenade which was suffused with autumnal light from the late afternoon sun. Sense of humor? Weinstube Kinz This wine bar is in the center of the city at Kirschstrasse 9. According  to Bregenz Tourism,  it has been featured in postcards since 1808.  Fountain on Leutbühel and the Seekapelle green dome in the background Seekappelle (Lake Chapel) The Lake Chapel was rebuilt in the Baroque style in 1698/99. It is dedicated to St. George and the Mother of God. It’s located next door to the Rathaus. Rathaus (City Hall) Bregenz boasts ma...

Hauptplatz (Main Square) It was a pleasant day in May as I strolled around the third biggest city in Austria. But I found few people in the streets and the commercial district was quiet. I guess people go home when the shops are closed. Trinity Column You’ll find a Trinity column in many cities in Europe. This 20-meter high plague column is made of Unsterberg marble and is an offering of gratitude from the Emperor Charles VI and the townspeople for having evaded the worst of the plaque in the 17th century, the attacks of the Ottoman Empire and the War of the Spanish succession. Hauptplatz Pastel painted buildings and terrace restaurants surround the main square of Linz. Hauptlatz Newly planted spring flowers are a sight for sore eyes.  Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (New Cathedral) The Immaculate Conception is the largest church in all of Austria. It can accommodate 20,000 people. Completed in 1924, it has been undergoing restoration to replace its “crumbling sandstone” and...

Friedensreich Hundertwasser, an Austrian painter, graphic artist and environmental activist, conceptualized Hundertwasserhaus. Together with the architect, Joseph Krawina, his ideas were realized with the creation of Hundertwasser House in Vienna’s 3rd District.  Hundertwasserhaus is a 52-unit apartment building owned by the City of Vienna.  Hundertwasser shunned straight lines. He thought they were “godless” and “is something cowardly drawn with a rule, without thought or feeling; it is a line which does not exist in nature.” Notice the uneven lines drawn across the façade of the building and how colorful paint defines each floor within the lines resulting in a wave of colors.  Tenants are allowed to decorate or alter their own windows. Hundertwasser believed buildings should coexist with nature.  Nowhere is it more evident than in this rooftop garden. The apartment building also has its own dome.       “Tree tenants” add to the natural landscape in a...

Prunksaal or State Hall of the Austrian National Library In the 18th century, Emperor Charles VI commissioned the construction of the court library in the Hofburg. It was built between 1723-1726 from the design of Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach, the court architect. This Baroque library has 200,000 volumes which date from 1501-1850. The 15,000 volume collection of Prince Eugene of Savoy is part of this collection. It includes valuable manuscripts and books from France and Italy. They are bound in red, blue and yellow Moroccan leather and can be found in the central oval of the library. Together with Google, this historic and copyright-free collection was digitized by the Austrian National Library and is available at www.onb.ac.at. The statue in the center of the oval is of Charles VI portrayed as Hercules Musarum. It was “allegedly” sculpted by Antonio Corradini in 1735.  Behind him are statues of Spanish and Austrian Habsburg rulers sculpted by the Strudel brothers, Peter, Pau...