Schönbrunn Palace (Schloß Schönbrunn) is a former imperial summer residence in Vienna, Austria. One of the most important cultural monuments in the country, since the 1960s it has been one of the major tourist attractions in Vienna. The palace and gardens illustrate the tastes, interests, and aspirations of successive Habsburg monarchs.
Following the downfall of the monarchy in 1918 the newly founded Austrian Republic became the owner of Schönbrunn Palace and preserved, as a museum, the rooms and chambers.
After WWII and during the Allied Occupation of Austria (1945-1955) Schönbrunn Palace, which was empty at the time, was requisitioned to provide offices for both the British Delegation to the Allied Commission for Austria and for the Headquarters for the small British Military Garrison present in Vienna.
Later it was used for important events such as the meeting between John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev in 1961.
UNESCO cataloged Schönbrunn Palace on the World Heritage List in 1996, together with its gardens, as a remarkable Baroque ensemble and example of synthesis of the arts (Gesamtkunstwerk).
Tags: Austria Österreich Vienna State Vienna Wien Bécs Schönbrunn Palace Schloß Schönbrunn Bundesland Wien Europe Europa UNESCO World Heritage Sites UNESCO European Union Evropská unie Europese Unie Union européenne Europäische Union Európai Unió Unione europea Unia Europejska Uniunea Europeană Európska únia Evropska unija Central Europe Европейски съюз Europska unija Den Europæiske Union Euroopa Liit Euroopan unioni Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση An tAontas Eorpach Eiropas Savienība Europos Sąjunga Unjoni Ewropea União Europeia Unión Europea Europeiska unionen A Palace and Gardens of Schönbrunn Republic of Austria Republik Österreich
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The glory of St. Stephen's Cathedral is its ornately patterned, richly colored roof, 361 feet long, and covered by 230,000 glazed tiles. Above the choir on the south side of the building the tiles form a mosaic of the double-headed eagle that is symbolic of the empire ruled from Vienna by the Habsburg dynasty. On the north side the coats of arms of the City of Vienna and of the Republic of Austria are depicted. In 1945, fire caused by World War II damage to nearby buildings lept to the north tower of the cathedral and went on to destroy the wooden framework of the roof. Replicating the original bracing for so large a roof (it rises 38 meters above the floor) would have required an entire square kilometer of forest, so over 600 metric tons of steel bracing were used instead. The roof is so steep that it is sufficiently cleaned by the rain alone and is seldom covered by snow.
Tags: Austria Österreich Vienna State Vienna Wien Bécs Bundesland Wien Churches Europe Europa UNESCO World Heritage Sites UNESCO European Union Evropská unie Europese Unie Union européenne Europäische Union Európai Unió Unione europea Unia Europejska Uniunea Europeană Európska únia Evropska unija Central Europe Cathedrals Европейски съюз Europska unija Den Europæiske Union Euroopa Liit Euroopan unioni Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση An tAontas Eorpach Eiropas Savienība Europos Sąjunga Unjoni Ewropea União Europeia Unión Europea Europeiska unionen A Historic Centre of Vienna Kirche Kirchen Republic of Austria Republik Österreich
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Tiergarten Schönbrunn (literally, Schönbrunn Zoo) or Vienna Zoo is a zoo located on the grounds of the famous Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, Austria. Founded as an imperial menagerie in 1752, it is the oldest zoo in the world. Today Tiergarten Schönbrunn is considered and regards itself as a scientifically administered zoo which sees its main purpose as a center for species conservation and general nature conservation as well as in the fulfillment of the education mandate given to it by the legislation. The still preserved buildings of the baroque era, which have been complemented in the last years by elements of modern zoo architecture, convey still a good impression of the 18th century menagerie-buildings after the Versailles model.
Tags: Austria Österreich Vienna State Vienna Bécs Wien Bundesland Wien Europe Europa European Union Evropská unie Europese Unie Union européenne Europäische Union Európai Unió Unione europea Unia Europejska Uniunea Europeană Európska únia Evropska unija Tiergarten Schönbrunn Schönbrunn Zoo Zoos Central Europe Европейски съюз Europska unija Den Europæiske Union Euroopa Liit Euroopan unioni Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση An tAontas Eorpach Eiropas Savienība Europos Sąjunga Unjoni Ewropea União Europeia Unión Europea Europeiska unionen A UNESCO UNESCO World Heritage Sites Palace and Gardens of Schönbrunn Republic of Austria Republik Österreich
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All Austrian license plates have a coat of arms on them signifying the state in which each vehicle is registered. This is the coat of arms for the state (or Bundesland) of Vienna (or Wien auf Deutsch).
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The church Maria vom Siege is a historicist building in the 15th district of Vienna, Fünfhaus, not far from the Westbahnhof station. It is a dark brick building with a very large, central cupola that is easily spotted from the Gloriette hill of Schloss Schönbrunn Palace.
The name "Maria vom Siege" ("Mary of the Victory") is derived from a painting that depicts a nativity scene. It was damaged in the 30-Years-War by Protestant troops. Imperial Catholic units had carried the painting into battle and when they were victorious, the Imperial forces donated money towards the construction of a church in Rome. This became "Santa Maria della Vittoria", the model for the church Maria vom Siege in Vienna.
The Viennese Maria vom Siege church was designed by Friedrich Schmidt, the architect who has also designed buildings like the Rathaus city hall or the Akademisches Gymnasium. Friedrich Schmidt was a popular architect of the Ringstraßen-Style, recycling styles of various periods in decorative elements on buildings. Maria vom Siege was built between 1868 and 1875 on a site that had previously been mostly agricultural lands. The area of Fünfhas had become a prospering working-class suburb with a rapidly increasing population and needed a bigger church.
Tags: Austria Österreich Churches Vienna State Vienna Bécs Wien Bundesland Wien Europe Europa European Union Evropská unie Europese Unie Union européenne Europäische Union Európai Unió Unione europea Unia Europejska Uniunea Europeană Európska únia Evropska unija Central Europe Европейски съюз Europska unija Den Europæiske Union Euroopa Liit Euroopan unioni Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση An tAontas Eorpach Eiropas Savienība Europos Sąjunga Unjoni Ewropea União Europeia Unión Europea Europeiska unionen A Kirche Kirchen Republic of Austria Republik Österreich
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