The Stadtpark (City Park) in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, Austria is a large municipal park that extends from the Ringstraße in the

Innere Stadt The Innere Stadt (; Central Bavarian: ''Innare Stod'') is the 1st municipal district of Vienna () located in the center of the Austrian capital. The Innere Stadt is the old town of Vienna. Until the city boundaries were expanded in 1850, the I ...

first district up to the Heumarkt (Hay Market) in the Landstraße third district. The park is divided in two sections by the

Wienfluss The Wien is a river that flows through Austria's capital Vienna. Geography The river Wien is long, of which are within the city. Its drainage basin covers an area of , both in the city and in the neighbouring Vienna Woods. Its source lies in ...

(Vienna River), and has a total surface area of 65,000 square metres (28 acres). Scattered throughout the park are statues of famous Viennese artists, writers, and composers, including Hans Canon,

Emil Jakob Schindler Emil Jakob Schindler (27 April 1842 – 9 August 1892) was an Austrian landscape painter. His eldest daughter was the author and composer, Alma Mahler. Life He was born to a family of cotton spinning-mill operators that had been established in ...

Johann Strauss II Johann Baptist Strauss II (25 October 1825 – 3 June 1899), also known as Johann Strauss Jr., the Younger or the Son (german: links=no, Sohn), was an Austrian composer of light music, particularly dance music and operettas. He composed ove ...

Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wo ...

, and

Anton Bruckner Josef Anton Bruckner (; 4 September 182411 October 1896) was an Austrian composer, organist, and music theorist best known for his symphonies, masses, Te Deum and motets. The first are considered emblematic of the final stage of Austro-Ger ...

. The opulent Kursalon building on Johannesgasse, with its broad terrace that reaches into the park, is the site of popular waltz concerts.

History

Hotel Intercontinental Vienna August 2006

Even as early as in the Biedermeier period, the

glacis A glacis (; ) in military engineering is an artificial slope as part of a medieval castle or in early modern fortresses. They may be constructed of earth as a temporary structure or of stone in more permanent structure. More generally, a glacis ...

before the ''Karolinenstadttor'' (Caroline City Gate) was a popular site of entertainment. During the demolition of the

city walls A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications with towers, bastions and gates ...

and the creation of the Vienna Ringstraße in its place, the

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

at that time, Andreas Zelinka, promoted the project of creating a public park on the territory. The park was designed in the style of English gardens by the landscape painter Josef Selleny, while the plans were made by the city gardener Rudolf Siebeck. On 21 August 1862 the park was opened, becoming the first public park in Vienna. On the southern shore of the '' Wienfluß'', the so-called ''Kinderpark'' (Children's park) was created in 1863, which is today still used mainly as a

playground A playground, playpark, or play area is a place designed to provide an environment for children that facilitates play, typically outdoors. While a playground is usually designed for children, some are designed for other age groups, or people ...

and for

sports Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, ...

. The ''Karolinenbrücke'' (Caroline Bridge), which was built in 1857 (since 1918 it is known as ''Stadtparkbrücke'' - City Park Bridge) connects it to the Stadtpark proper on the northern side of the river. After the

regulation Regulation is the management of complex systems according to a set of rules and trends. In systems theory, these types of rules exist in various fields of biology and society, but the term has slightly different meanings according to context. ...

of the Wienfluss, the whole river area was rebuilt by Friedrich Ohmann and Josef Hackhofer between 1903 and 1907, with a gate out of which the river flows, pavilions and stairs to its shorts. The architecture, together with the U-Bahn station by Otto Wagner, is among the sights of the park.

Sights in the park

The Kursalon

At the water glacis, a spa pavilion was built, in which mineral water with healing properties was served. The current Kursalon building was built between 1865 and 1867 according to plans of

Johann Garben Johann, typically a male given name, is the German form of ''Iohannes'', which is the Latin form of the Greek name ''Iōánnēs'' (), itself derived from Hebrew name ''Yochanan'' () in turn from its extended form (), meaning " Yahweh is Graciou ...

. The opulent building in the historicist style of the Italian

renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ide ...

is located next to the ''Johannesgasse''. A wide terrace reaching into the park is attached to it. After it was opened on 8 May 1867 amusements were originally prohibited. However, since that concept was not accepted, it was changed, and

gave his first concert here on 15 October 1868. The Kursalon thus became a popular place for

concert A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or band. Concerts are held in a wide var ...

s and for

dancing Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoi ...

, especially during the era of the Strauss brothers. Today, after undergoing some renovation, it is still used for balls, concerts,

nightclub A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music. Nightclubs gen ...

events and

congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

es. There is also a

Café A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non-c ...

Restaurant A restaurant is a business that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appearan ...

inside it.

Monuments

The

gilded Gilding is a decorative technique for applying a very thin coating of gold over solid surfaces such as metal (most common), wood, porcelain, or stone. A gilded object is also described as "gilt". Where metal is gilded, the metal below was tradi ...

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids suc ...

monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, hist ...

Johann Strauß II Johann Baptist Strauss II (25 October 1825 – 3 June 1899), also known as Johann Strauss Jr., the Younger or the Son (german: links=no, Sohn), was an Austrian composer of light music, particularly dance music and operettas. He composed ove ...

, is one of the most known and most frequently photographed monuments in Vienna. It was unveiled to the public on 26 June 1921 and is framed by a

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. Marble is typically not foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the term ''marble'' refers to metamorphose ...

relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term '' relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...

made by Edmund Hellmer. The gilding was removed in 1935 and laid on again only in 1991. There are several other monuments, e.g. of

, Franz Lehár, Robert Stolz and

Hans Makart Hans Makart (28 May 1840 – 3 October 1884) was a 19th-century Austrian academic history painter, designer, and decorator. Makart was a prolific painter whose ideas significantly influenced the development of visual art in Austria-Hungary, Ger ...

; the ''Stadtpark'' is the park with the largest number of monuments and sculptures in Vienna. Schubert-m.JPG, Franz Schubert Monument Stadtpark Schubert 514.JPG, Closeup of Franz Schubert statue Monumento a Johann Strauss, Stadtpark, Viena, Austria, 2020-01-31, DD 95.jpg, Johann Strauss Monument Robert Stolz bust in Stadpark Vienna.JPG, Robert Stolz bust Stadtpark Vienna August 2006 003.jpg, Andreas Zelinka Monument Franz Lehar Denkmal.jpg, Franz Lehár Monument

The ''Meierei''

The former milk drinking hall was erected as part of the installations surrounding the Wienfluß according to plans of Friedrich Ohmann and Josef Hackhofer during the years of 1901 to 1903. After suffering heavy damage during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, the building was extended during reconstruction. Today, with another annex having been built, there is a restaurant in the ''Meierei''.

Plants

The

flora Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring ( indigenous) native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' gut flora'' or '' skin flora''. ...

in the park is characterized by a wide range of species, planted to bloom in all seasons. A parkway bordering the Ringstraße reduces the impact of noise and emission on the park. Some groves are natural protection zones, including ginkgo, honey locust, Pyramid Poplar, and Caucasian wingnut.

External links

Official site

ZoomVienna: Photo of Stadtpark Gates

ZoomVienna: Photo of Strauss Statue in Stadtpark
{{coord, 48, 12, 17, N, 16, 22, 50, E, region:AT-9_type:landmark, display=title Innere Stadt Landstraße Parks in Vienna Monuments to composers 1862 establishments in the Austrian Empire