The Vienna Woods are renowned for history, literature and music. Many famous people liked to rest in these spurs of the mountains. Aristocrats, imperial persons, people of art and writers freely walked the slopes, listened to birds, and picked mushrooms.
It was a beautiful day, and there were many people on Kahlenberg. We did not have enough places in the cafe, and we went to the Polish St. Joseph's Church... At the entrance to the temple, we saw two memorial plaques, inside the church - interesting frescoes. The church keeps the banners of the Polish gentry who took part in the battle for the liberation of Vienna from the Turks.
There is another famous institution on Kahlenberg - heuriger "Sirbu"(Kahlenberger Strasse, 210). You can get there along one of the forest paths. We did not go to the tavern, but got on the bus again and drove on - to the Leopoldsberg hill.
It is worth clarifying here that there is some confusion in the names of these two neighboring hills. Initially, Leopoldsberg was called Kahlenberg (Bald Mountain), and then the mountain was renamed in honor of Margrave Leopold III. The name Kahlenberg passed to the neighboring hill. Apparently because of this exchange of names, historians are still arguing: on which of the hills did King Jan Sobieski and Marco d'Aviano, the papal legate, celebrate mass, before leading the united army against the Turkish army?
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Today, the subject of our story will be the famous Vienna Woods. Austria is literally unthinkable without this beautiful green area located in its capital. In 2005, UNESCO assigned the status of a biosphere park to the Vienna Woods as an area with a special cultural heritage and unique natural landscape... If you are lucky enough to get to Austria, be sure to visit this place. You don't have to run to local attractions, you can just sunbathe on the lawn or admire the magnificent views from viewing platforms.
Vienna Woods: photo, description
The biosphere park, which covers an area of 9,900 hectares, is located right in It covers the territory of seven administrative districts Vienna. The main goal of the park is also the development of the region. The Vienna Woods in Vienna is inhabited big amount animals and birds. More than two hundred species of various plants are found on its territory. As for the inhabitants of the local fauna, many of them are very rare and are on the verge of extinction. So, a few years ago, local zoologists managed to re-breed And after three years, in 2011, for the first time in the last half century in the Vienna Woods, the offspring of these animals was obtained. Also, from the representatives of the local fauna, one can distinguish the emerald lizard, which is on the verge of extinction.
In total, the Vienna Woods includes four natural park and fifteen nature reserves. Its landscape consists of meadows, fields, forests, pastures and vineyards. Most of the wine-growing places have retained their inherent rustic character: each guest of the park can spend time with a lunch of dishes national cuisine and delicious wine in a cozy wine tavern or on a shady garden terrace.
How to get there
Despite the fact that an excursion to the Vienna Woods is one of the most popular among guests of the Austrian capital and is offered by absolutely all tour operators and agencies, you can visit this attraction on your own. Moreover, getting to the biosphere park is not at all difficult: first you need to take the metro (line U4, stop Heiligenstadt), and then bus number 38A, the route of which passes the main observation platforms - Leopoldsberg, Kahlenberg and Cobenzl.
What to see in the Vienna Woods
As a rule, excursions to the biosphere park of the Austrian capital include visits to the following attractions: the Liechtenstein Fortress, the underground Seegrote lake, the Holy Cross Monastery, the Mayerling hunting lodge and the spa resort of Baden. We invite you to learn more about each of them.
Fortress of Liechtenstein
Liechtensteinburg, located on the southern edge of the Vienna Woods, is the ancestral castle of the princes of Liechtenstein. It is not a museum in the traditional sense of the word, but the place has a rich history. The family castle was restored by the Liechtenstein family in the 19th century, and to this day it is their property. During the 12th and 13th centuries, the fortress was used as a temporary residence for representatives of this ancient family. Thus, Liechtensteinburg today preserves almost a thousand-year history of the family of its founders. The castle was built in the Romanesque style, while the chambers are furnished with antique furniture, as well as decorated with bas-reliefs and weapons. From the tower of Liechtensteinburg one of the the most beautiful species to the Austrian capital. it the most picturesque place has long inspired creative people. Films were even filmed here: the Hollywood Three Musketeers and the Austrian Commissioner Rex.
Underground Lake Seergrote
The Vienna Woods has on its territory the largest underground lake in all of Europe. Its area is 6200 square meters. In the middle of the 19th century, a large gypsum deposit was discovered on a local hill, which began to be actively developed. However, due to the underground water flooding of the mines in 1912, the work was stopped forever. After 20 years, it was decided to open the flooded adits for boat trips, which are still held here today. Interestingly, during the Second World War, military aircraft were produced in a mine protected from air raids.
Monastery of the Holy Cross
Heiligenkreuz Monastery (translated as Holy Cross) is often called the mystical center of the Vienna Woods. It is the oldest Cistercian monastery in the world. It is also interesting that since its inception, it has never interrupted its activities. So, since the distant year 1133, novices hold divine services seven times a day. The Vienna Woods is considered one of the the most important places burials throughout Austria. Thus, in the Assembly Hall of the Holy Cross Monastery, four rulers of the country's oldest ruling dynasty, the Babenbergs, are buried. Also in Heiligenkreuz is kept a very revered relic - a particle of the Cross of the Lord.
The hunting lodge of the Mayerling emperors
This place became infamous after the double suicide committed in it - the Austro-Hungarian Crown Prince Rudolph and his lady of the heart, Baroness Maria von Vecher. Earlier, Mayerling Castle, erected in 1550, belonged to the Heiligenkreuz monastery. But in late XIX century it was acquired and the castle became the hunting lodge of the Habsburgs.
Vienna Woods. Spa Baden
This place was once the summer residence of the Kaiser. Today Baden invites everyone to visit the curative healing centers located on its territory. First-class hotels, rich The cultural program and the opportunity to enjoy excellent wines from local grape varieties.
Vienna, March 2012
Schonbrunn Palace
This was the first known tourist site which we visited on the afternoon of March 16th. Summer residence of the imperial family, or in a simple way - a summer residence. They went here to relax in silence, greenery, in the clean air from the noise of the city, from the smell of horses, dust of carts, shouts of merchants and other inconveniences.
What to say? A very nice palace, beautiful, with many rooms. Reminds me of Versailles or the Hermitage. Paintings, gilding, elegant furniture, high ceilings, dazzling white doors. And outside the window - indescribable beauty. We did not come during their season. As soon as the employees began to plant flowers, the grass had not yet gained its strength, the fountains were not working, they were expecting even more heat in April-May.
In addition, in the palace it was strictly forbidden to photograph and shoot with a camera. At the entrance, we paid 13.50 euros, (again saving a couple of coins), received audio guide headphones in Russian and set off on a journey through the halls of the summer residence.
First, my pictures of the palace.
Well, now let's see what's inside.
We read the reference book: the former summer residence of the imperial family, is one of the most beautiful Baroque buildings in Europe. The territory has been in the possession of the Habsburgs since 1569, and in 1642 the wife of Emperor Ferdinand II ordered to build a summer residence here and for the first time gave it the name "Schönbrunn". The palace building and park, the construction of which began in 1696, after the siege of the Turks, were completely rebuilt during the reign of Maria Theresa after 1743. Most The Habsburgs spent the years in countless chambers, which were used by the large imperial family along with the ceremonial reception rooms.
Schönbrunn Palace served mainly as the summer residence of the imperial family, in 1830 the future emperor Franz Joseph I (reigned from 1848 to 1916) was born here, and it was here that he spent the last years of his life, leading a Spratan lifestyle like the soldiers of his army. Two years after his death, in 1918, a republic was proclaimed, and since then Schönbrunn, thanks to its extremely successful location and architectural masterpieces deservedly considered one of the main attractions of Vienna.
The palace building has 1,441 rooms, 45 of which are accessible to the general public. The interior of the chambers is designed in the Rococo style (white surfaces decorated with 14-carat gold leaf ornaments) and includes Bohemian glass chandeliers and tiled stoves.
The living and working quarters of Emperor Franz Joseph (see illustration) are simply and modestly decorated; the more luxuriant the rooms for receptions and guests seem. A six-year-old child prodigy, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, once played in the Hall of Mirrors.
In the Round Chinese Cabinet, Empress Maria Theresa conferred secretly with the State Chancellor, Prince Kaunitz. And Napoleon sat in the Lacquer Room. In the Blue Salon of China in 1918, the last emperor Charles I signed an act of abdication, thus ending the Austro-Hungarian monarchy.
Well, the Millionth Room, paneled with rosewood panels and decorated with the most valuable miniatures from India and Persia, is one of the best Rococo interiors in the world. Participants of the Congress of Vienna in 1814/15 danced in the Great Gallery, today state receptions are held there on especially important occasions.
Travel: by metro line U4 to the Schönbrunn station, tram 60 to the Hietzing stop, trams 10, 58, bus 10A to the Schloss Schönbrunn stop
As I already wrote, there were big problems with the photo. I frantically clicked the camera a couple of times, but was immediately caught by the attendant for this crime. As a result, the tourist's military weapon had to be covered.
Therefore, I bring to your attention pictures of this beauty from the Internet, from the advertising brochure.
Well, here it is, something like this.
Now two of my smuggled photographs ...
In general, after walking for a couple of hours in the palace, and after looking at everything, we went out into the park. The sun was already beginning to bake, the people, having thrown off their jackets and coats, walked along the flat paths, sat on the benches, exposing their faces to the warm rays.
The park is beautiful. Even in March, when it is still far from its best look.
When I think about these better times (May-September), the dialogue from the “12 chairs” immediately comes to mind:
“In order of seniority, gentlemen,” said Ostap, “let's start with the esteemed Maxim Petrovich.
Maxim Petrovich fidgeted and gave at most thirty rubles.
- In better times I will give more! - he declared.
— Better times will come soon, - said Ostap.
I bring the dialogue in the sense that I hope - someday I will come to this a beautiful city in the summer, and I will see all the beauty with my own eyes. As well as a rush to the famous mountain lakes Austria (Wolfgangsee, Hallstatter, Konigssee, Gosausee, and others).
There is a lot to see, I assure you! Moreover, now there is a positive experience of communicating with a car rental office, the services of which drastically reduce your financial expenditures for moving in space and multiply your mobility as a tourist.
And now, with your permission, I will again use Ostap Bender's method and honestly borrow photos of the best times from the Internet.
In this beautiful photo, let me finish my story about Schönbrunn Palace.
Vienna Woods. Seegrotte underground lake
As I wrote earlier, the next morning after we ordered an excursion to the Vienna Woods, a luxurious Mercedes drove up to the hotel with an equally luxurious blonde, a guide, whose name was Svetlana Hacker. Do not be alarmed, this is her last name after her husband (former), an Austrian, by a strange coincidence, was engaged in a computer business.
Sveta justified this name, revealing many secrets during the trip that were not mentioned in guidebooks and Internet stories. She has been living in Austria for 11 years, fate has thrown her across different spaces the former USSR, and now, Sveta, having cast an anchor in quiet Austria, is very pleased with this circumstance.
The tour called "Vienna Woods" consists of several parts:
1) Visit to Liechtenstein Castle
2) Walk in the underground to the famous and largest lake in Europe called Seegrotte.
3) Visit to the Mayerling castle, where once the Austrian prince Rudolph committed suicide, together with a 17-year-old mistress.
4) Drive along the beautiful trails of the Vienna Woods to the Beethoven Bridge.
5) Monastery of the Holy Cross.
6) Visiting the city of Baden.
I'll start from the place that I remember the most - underground lake Seegrotte.
On the way to him, Sveta told the story of its origin. In a place called Hinterbrühl, once in 1848, blocks of gypsum were discovered at a depth of 5 meters. They began to be mined and processed at the mill. The mine gradually deepened, expanded, and in 1912 a wall was blown up there, but very unsuccessfully. Giant streams of water poured in from the opening, flooding everything and everyone in the mine, many people died. The mine was closed.
But then in the 30s the cavers decided to look inside and gasped - water
retreated a little, forming a beautiful underground lake. The family that owned this land decided to make a museum there.
However, during the war, the Nazis seized Seegrotte for their urgent needs. They pumped out the water, drove in two thousand prisoners and built a plant there for the production of parts of the Henkel aircraft. Perhaps, here was the most terrible concentration camp in terms of living conditions. People lived in a stone sack, without sunlight, for months. Few could stand it. From the underground barracks, only one tunnel led outside, narrow and low, especially at the exit, so that the prisoners could not fly out in a crowd into the open space and attack the guards.
After the war, the family regained the dungeon and made it attractive to hundreds of thousands and millions of tourists. You can get to it from Vienna on your own, so as not to pay the excursion office.
We must take a train from Vienna to Mödling. I think - from the southern station (Sudbahnhof). Then - on a bus heading towards Hinterbruhl.
Here is a map for orientation.
Login to Seegrotten costs 9 euros per person. And here's what's interesting, the heiresses of the family, two sisters - Eleanor Mauer and Monica Schmaddebeg themselves (!) Work at the cash register. This is despite the fact that both are multimillionaires, because a huge number of tourists come to them, and they buy not only tickets to the underground, but also souvenirs, go to a cafe, live in a hotel nearby. Sisters are 70-72 years old, but they look great! You can see from the photo and on my video. More than 50-55 is unlikely to give them, especially Eleanor. Cash only, credit cards not accepted. The millionaire cashiers are nice to everyone, smile pleasantly, talk; one of them, noticing that I was filming her, straightened her back, pulled herself up and smiled even more. A very pleasant experience.
Here they are - at work.
Eleanor explains - only cash!
And now, having bought tickets, we will move inside through a narrow tunnel with a length of about 450-500 meters. The entrance to it is opened by these gates. The inscription is translated: "For luck."
Tunnel. It looks gloomy, inside - not a breath of wind.
Soon we see the first site. The figure of a miner mining gypsum.
And here was the stable. Poor horses pulled weights, twisted a stone disk, and gradually became blind without sunlight. In general, they clearly deserve the monument!
Moving on. Sveta tells with enthusiasm, my wife listens attentively, and I try to shoot. Hard, the lens grumbles, resists such darkness, the flash does not always help.
We approach a small separate lake, under which the main one is located. It has an area of 300 square meters, a depth of 3 meters and a water temperature of 8 degrees. Once an eccentric decided to breed fish in it, brought it in a vessel with water and poured it out. A day later, all the fish floated upside down - the water of the underground is unsuitable for living, there is almost no oxygen.
We approach the place associated with the saint, the patroness of all miners - Barbara. Candles are burning there, illuminating a woman's portrait with mysterious reflections. And the letters - G and A - "For luck"!
And in other places of the dungeon you can find the icon of Barbara. In the adit that bears her name.
And here is the military theme mentioned earlier. The Germans built an underground factory here due to the British bombing of their facilities. There were no bombs here. The workshops produced parts for the body jet plane Heinkel-162. And only then they went to the Wien-Schwechat airport, where the planes were assembled completely.
Opposite him, in a large depression, is a wall for executions. But it was not possible to approach it - it was partitioned off. They did this for the reason that some extremely curious and enterprising tourists began to pick out bullets from the wall that once killed people.
But, as often happens in life, the tragic side by side with the festive.
Soon we see Big hall, in which the celebrations are held - once a year on December 4, on the day of the angel of St. Barbara, miners and their families are invited, a choir of boys comes from Vienna, wine is poured here, which is made in the vineyards belonging to the family.
Finally, we are approaching the main lake! Here is the descent to the boat.
This is how the boarding and disembarkation of passengers goes roughly.
The boat, under the control of a local captain, sails silently along the lifeless surface of the lake. A turn, darkness, another turn, already the light of the lamps illuminates the water and the walls of the cave. In one place a reddish light is on: here the guides are using a funny joke on the passengers: “If your face remains reddish in this light, then you are an honest person; if not, crooks and thieves. Everyone on our boat fell into the first category. How to get into the second with such lighting - I don't understand. But the people here are clearly tense.
Meanwhile, the boat makes new turns. The light changes, the landscape changes, but still it is clearly not enough for photo and video equipment without backlighting. Therefore, I borrow a part of the photo according to the principle of O. Bender from the official site of the lake. They probably brought powerful lamps for filming. To describe this boat trip in two words, they will be: "Silence, Beauty ..."
Isn't it dangerous to be in this dungeon for a long time? - fearful tourists may ask. - How's the air? And isn't the water coming? Is the boat reliable? Is the captain drunk?
They will be reassured: air is supplied regularly, like water. But the water is pumped out at night by powerful pumps.
- Have there been any accidents? - a particularly fearful tourist will repeat the question of the hero of "Operation Y".
Alas. There was one accident with Japanese tourists. May 31, 2004.
They unsuccessfully moved to one side in order to better see the object, and take the boat and turn over! At a depth of only 1.20 meters. But this was enough for the overturned vessel to cover the elderly people who could not get to the surface. As a result, five people died, the boat's design engineer was imprisoned for six months, the ship was replaced, and a memorial sign was installed on the wall.
Everything! Our boat moored, the guide hinted that the captain wouldn’t put a “thank you” in his mouth, and at the exit I threw a coin into the open forage of an underground sea wolf.
To the exit! To the sun! To the greenery and beautiful landscapes of beautiful Austria!
This wonderful route was overshadowed by one circumstance. As soon as Sveta's Mercedes, or rather her travel company, drove a couple of hundred meters away from Seegrotte, she pointed to a light-colored building towering above the road:
- And this is one of the villas of the wife of the former mayor of Moscow - Elena Baturina.
There she is, in the distance, a ledge, white. It is a pity that such beautiful corner Austria is defiled by the foul breath of a mother thief. She will never personally sit down at the cash register of her own enterprise, like those two sisters with bright faces. Not to work, but only to rake and chomp - this is for people like Baturina. That is why their faces differ so strikingly ...
Tales from the Vienna Woods.
The Vienna Woods is a special, unique place in Austria. Intoxicating, clean air of untouched nature seems to be saturated with romantic secrets, unsolved riddles past centuries; it flows into your lungs, evoking some kind of calmly pacified joy in your soul, a feeling of belonging to the beautiful, and this feeling remains in your memory for a long time. With each new kilometer that our guide's Mercedes wound up, we gradually plunged into the atmosphere of these secrets, learning for ourselves a lot of new, interesting and memorable things. Liechtenstein Castle, a monastery with a relic stored there - part of the cross on which Jesus was crucified, Beethoven's bridge, which spans a beautiful arc across a mountain river, the tragic Mayerling, where Prince Rudolph and 17-year-old Baroness Maria Vechera committed suicide, the town of Baden, where they lived and created the great Mozart, Beethoven, Strauss, Kalman.
However, first things first.
LICHTENSTEIN CASTLE
It is visible from afar. The name translates as "Light stone".
As if thrown into the sky with his stone bulk, the graceful giant condescendingly looks at everything earthly, since he has seen and experienced a lot in his lifetime. A long time ago, back in the middle of the 12th century, the castle was built under the leadership of a princely dynasty, the eldest of which was at that time Hugo von Lichtenstein. Reliable walls often saved him from the invasion of various conquerors. And only once, in 1529, the Turks managed to take the castle by storm and, angry at its long resistance, destroyed and broke the walls. And they took it because the besieged Vienna was supplied with food from here along secret paths. Therefore, the Janissaries decided to destroy all living things within a radius of 20 kilometers. There were only 16 people in the castle - the Prince of Liechtenstein with his wife and son and 13 soldiers. The detachment of Turks numbered a thousand people, and when they burst inside, they killed everyone except the 6-year-old son of the prince.
For a long time after that, sad ruins stood, waiting for someone from the mighty of the world this will breathe life into the ancient walls again. And such a man was found - Prince Johann the First, who commanded the Austrian troops in the battle with Napoleon at Austerlitz, bought the castle in 1807 and began to supervise the restoration work. By 1820, the Schloss Liechtenstein was added to the castle. The castle was finally restored only by 1903.
But even after that, the castle experienced many human cruelties. In 1945, he found himself on the front line between Soviet and German troops. Ours had an order not to destroy historical values... Therefore, Soviet soldiers used only flamethrowers. What was their surprise when they burst inside. Among the defenders of the Liechtenstein castle were only the teenagers of the "Hitler Youth" - from 11 to 16 years old.
... We drive closer to the castle. The sun floods its powerful walls, yes, the stone seems to be light, no wonder the name.
There are few people around the castle in the morning. Svetlana says that in the evening, fans gather here to play costumed performances, which attract a lot of spectators. We take a photo for memory, then go to a local shop and buy from a smiling seller two bottles of wine, pink and white, under the Lishtenstein brand. It is a pity that tourists have not been allowed inside the castle since 2009, the heirs of the famous princely family still live there ...
MONASTERY HEILIGENKREUZ
A very famous and expensive place for Catholic believers. It belongs to the so called Cistercians, representatives of the branch of the monastic order, who are also called Bernardines (after the name of the founder Bernard of Clairvaux, or white monks. They are characterized by complete asceticism, the absence of household utensils, luxurious interiors, painting and many other attributes that fill, for example, the lives of representatives of the current ROC.
The monastery was founded in 1133. In 1182, King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem gave as a gift to the Duke of Austria Leopold V valuable relic — Cross with fragments of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord... On May 31, 1188, the Duke donated the relic to the Heiligenkreuz monastery, where it is kept to this day. This fragment of the Life-giving Tree is the largest in Europe.
Access to the shrine is very limited, but we were incredibly lucky and we looked at this sacred thing for Catholics and all Christians. In front of us, three men, dressed in strict black suits, proceeded inside. In awe, they knelt down on one knee and silently contemplated the shrine. I did not dare to disturb their moment of prayer by filming, I waited until they rise and leave the Temple, and only after that I clicked the shutter of the camera.
Alas, the monastery suffered the same fate as the Liechtenstein castle. In 1883 it was besieged by the Turks, captured and burned. But then the Janissaries were driven out and the buildings were gradually restored.
The architecture of the buildings is in the Gothic and Romanesque styles. At the entrance to the abbey, there is a baroque column of the Holy Trinity in the courtyard.
Inside the church one can see the asceticism of the Cistercians. Nothing superfluous, everything is strict, without paintings and even icons on the walls.
The exterior of the church is beautiful.
Nearby is an institution where monks are trained. High School Benedict the 16th. To get there as a student, you have to go through difficult tests - there are seven exams in Latin only! And the competition is 15-20 people per place. The education received within these walls is considered one of the best in Europe.
We walked around the abbey for another half hour. Svetlana said that here the monks created the famous Gregorian chanting center. And in 2008 they released a disc called "Chant - Music For Paradise". The success of the recording was tremendous - the monks of the abbey were ahead of many stars in the charts,
This album was sold out in huge numbers and went gold and platinum in many European countries. You can download it here: http://www.gusli.su/gregorian_chants/
Many famous people are buried in the monastery cemetery: thirteen members of the Babenberg dynasty, the sculptor from Venice Giuseppe Giuliani, who created all the sculptures in the abbey, Maria Vechera, 17-year-old mistress of the Crown Prince Rudolph, who was killed by his bullet ...
Leaving this place, I thought about this. All the same, man is a very fickle being. That was Christ and the apostles created and spread his teaching throughout the world. But years, decades and centuries passed, and new people, new monks, clergymen came up with new rules, rituals, prohibitions, restrictions, rituals and names. So it is here - the Cistercians once broke away from the Benedic order. And those, in turn, departed from someone else even earlier, creating their own rules and laws. And so - endlessly, confusing researchers and historians.
And only one thing remains unchanged. Great Nature... The sun shone millions of years ago, is shining now, and will shine on people for a long time to come. Giving life to everything on earth. And these are the first snowdrops that made their way out of the ground next to the sculptures of Giuseppe Giuliani. So, perhaps, the most correct religion is the cult of Nature, the sun god and other ancient gods of the world of our ancestors?
MAYERLING. In Liebe Vereint Bis In Den Tod
A tragic place.
Here, in his country hunting house, the only son, the heir of Emperor Franz Joseph, Rudolph, committed suicide. But he died not alone, but together with his mistress, the 17-year-old Baroness Maria Vechera.
More than a hundred years have passed since this event, and it remains still shrouded in a mysterious veil. Investigators, historians, analysts are confused by one strange circumstance: how could the crown prince, being right-handed, shoot himself in the left temple?
But all the prerequisites for such a suicide were there. Rudolph grew up as an unbalanced personality, subject to “the revolutionary fads in Europe at the end of the 19th century. He considered the old Austro-Hungarian Empire a rotten, stagnant swamp, an "Augean stable" that needed to be cleared away with fresh streams of new ideas of freedom. There was even a desire to separate Hungary and become the sole ruler there. On this basis, he had constant conflicts with his father. Besides personal life Rudolph failed. He was married to the daughter of the Belgian monarch Stephanie - ugly, old-fashioned and boring, as he thought. Rudolph fell into a spree, about which all Vienna whispered. He drank, took drugs, changed mistresses. Over time, he began to have an unhealthy interest in death, repeatedly declared that he had to commit suicide. But the crown prince did not want to leave one of this life. First, he offered to do this to his mistress named Mitzi Kaspar. She took it for a joke, but then, realizing that Rudolph was serious, she got scared and ran away from the strange heir.
But fate wanted the crown prince to find such a person who wanted to share the deathbed with him. She turned out to be the young Baroness Maria Vechera.
This love triangle (photo from the Internet)
Maria Vechera was a sensual brunette, with a graceful gait, she looked older than her years and already had a reputation as a subtle seductress of men.
Franz Joseph, upon learning of their relationship, flew into a rage. One day he ripped off his son, loudly declaring that he was "unworthy to be the heir." This was the last straw in a vessel overflowing with Rudolph's unhealthy desire. Shortly before that, he gave his mistress a ring, which was engraved with a strange inscription in letters: ILVBIDT. Which literally meant: "In Liebe Vereint Bis In Den Tod" (Love united to death).
On January 30, 1889, Rudolph and Mary (she asked to be called that) retired to Mayerling Castle, 30 km south of Vienna. The crown prince asked a footman named Loshek not to let anyone into his chambers, not even the emperor. The next morning, a strange, dead silence reigned in the house. The footman became worried when the lovers did not come out for breakfast. Then he raised a panic - Rudolph did not respond from the room to knocks and questions. Then Loshek found an ax and cut a hole in the door. What he saw horrified him - the young people lay dressed on the bed, both were dead. Mary was holding a rose in her hands. And Rudolph leaned against the mirror of the bedside table; he is believed to have used it to aim at himself.
In the ensuing turmoil, Emperor Franz Joseph did everything to prevent rumors of the murder of the Evening and the suicide of his son from spreading throughout Austria-Hungary. It was announced that the heir to the throne simply passed away. He ordered the body of the baroness to be secretly transferred from the castle. Even the hearse was not called, Mary was simply thrust into the carriage, tied to her back with a stick so that her head would not fall down, and in this form was brought to the Heiligenkreuz monastery, where she was buried.
Rudolph, despite some protests from the churchmen, was buried in the family imperial crypt of the Capuchin church. All Vienna said goodbye to him. The crown prince's head was tied in white to hide the terrible wound. The emperor ordered to demolish the hunting castle, and to build a temple at the place of his son's death.
Here we arrived with Svetlana, knocked on the closed door, and a couple of minutes later the doorkeeper, an elderly woman, opened the entrance to this place of a long-standing tragedy.
The church is very small and modest. Inside it is quiet, clean, beautifully painted ceiling and walls. Nearby are rooms with photographs on the walls depicting the grief of the imperial family. Only the closest were invited to the funeral of Rudolf, many of the imperial houses of Europe who wanted to come to Vienna, Franz Joseph politely refused.
The exterior of the cathedral.
And this is the sarcophagus in which Maria Vechera was buried. And her photo is above. This tomb was transported here after the barbarians dug up the corpse of Mary of the Evening in the cemetery of the Heiligenkreuz Abbey and outraged him. The crown prince's mistress was buried there for the second time, probably more reliably, and in memory of the sarcophagus was transported to the site of the tragedy.
BEETHOVEN'S BRIDGE
Further, our path lay along a cheerful and clean mountain river called Schwechat. The first stop is near a small wooden bridge, thrown over the waters in an arc. It bears the name of Ludwig van Beethoven. The famous composer came here many times, lived nearby in Baden. According to experts, it was in these places that he wrote "Solemn Mass" and the 9th Symphony, which glorified him all over the world.
The composer very often changed homes - the neighbors simply could not stand it: the deafening Ludwig tapped the rhythm of his works against the walls. And so he perceived his music - through vibrations. Once he left the apartment, leaving there a complete rout. The owner wanted to sue the genius, but noticed in time that one window sill was painted with notes. This was the beginning of the divine 9th symphony. The owner of the dwelling neatly broke down the window sill and then, as a valuable relic, sold it at an auction. For the proceeds he bought himself a whole villa.
There have been no tourists on the bridge yet, which usually pleases those who like to capture a sight without a single soul nearby.
In the circle are the notes of the famous song "Ich kenn ein kleines Wegerl im Helenental". Helenental is the name of this place. The song says that lovers are looking for a secluded place from prying eyes and find it right here.
Below, under the bridge, a small waterfall is rustling. The water is very clean, there are trout in the river.
BADEN
A short road from the bridge to the town called "Baden"(not to be confused with German Baden-Baden!) lay through a small tunnel, inside which passengers must make wishes with their eyes closed. I made a guess. But he did not stop filming during this process.
About the difference between Germans and Austrians. They are noticeable to many tourists who have been to Germany and Austria. People speak the same language. But. Austrians are more cheerful, friendly, welcoming and generous. The Germans are cold and stingy in comparison with them. Regarding Baden (translated as "Baden" - to swim), the Austrians joke: “We need only once to understand that we have to swim here. And one more thing: “The Austrians understand everything the first time, but the Germans have to be told twice. And the Germans are so dirty that they have to wash themselves twice. "
But most of all, the neighbors' slogan is offended for the Germans: “We gave Germany Hitler, and we took Beethoven away from them”. By the way, the Austrians never remember Hitler. And if one of the guests reminds them of the Fuhrer, that he comes from their place, the Austrians frown as if they had swallowed a lemon at once. And so that there is no temptation to extol Adolf, everyone knows about such a case. At a bar party, a drunken teenager climbed onto the table, held out his hand in a Nazi salute, and barked, "Heil Hitler!"
The result for the emotional young man was nine months of real prison.
So, Baden.
The town is neither large nor small. However, not our Naryan-Mar, definitely. The elite of Austrian society lives here. And she always lived. The houses are priced at 10-15 million euros (interestingly, a couple of Luzhkov-Baturin were allowed here? It seems not ...) Once this place was visited by Peter the Great himself, he was treated on thermal waters. Well, listing the celebrities who visited Baden will take more than one page of text.
The town has quiet, pretty streets. There is little transport. We are approaching the area near the casino. Here the rich of the whole world left a myriad of banknotes. Like our Dostoevsky in German Baden-Baden. And opposite the casino there is a monument to those who lost to smithereens. The rider in what the mother gave birth to on her horse. She was smart enough not to lay it down, otherwise how to get home on foot in this form?
Sveta takes us to the center, we don't want to go to the hotel, we have other, active plans. We say goodbye warmly. Sveta, if you are reading these lines, then know that you are super! Thank you!!
For all readers who want to go to Vienna and use the services of such a wonderful guide, I give her phone number: +43/664 93 5 95 10, Svetlana Hacker, e-mail: [email protected]
In conclusion, there are videos where you can see live what I have written about here.
Ready for criticism! |
Tags: Austria,
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