Belvedere Palace - Upper Belvedere

Belvedere Palace

On May 15, 1955, on the balcony of the Belvedere Palace, the Austrian Foreign Minister Leopold Figl held up the just signed State Treaty and said: "Austria is free".

The undersigned were the State Secretaries Wjatscheslaw Molotow (UdSSR), John Foster Dulles (USA), Harold Macmillan (GB) and Antoine Pinay (France) for the allied states and Leopold Figl for Austria as well as the four high commissioners of the allied states.

I was there with my parents - with thousands of other people who all wanted to experience Austria's new freedom. It was the start into good times!

The Belvedere Palace was built by Lukas von Hildebrandt (finished 1723) to be the residence of the Prince Eugene of Savoy. Nowadadys there are wonderful museums in there.

Freyung Vienna

Freyung Vienna - Wien
Schottenkirche - Schottenkloster


The Freyung is a triangular public square in the first district of Vienna. There is a monastery build by Irish monks in the 12th century, called Schottenkloster (= Scottish Monastery), as Ireland once was known as New Scotland.

Many aristocrats established their city residences there in the 17th and 18th centuries, and we can admire their wonderful palaces still today, as there are Palais Ferstel, Palais Harrach, Palais Kinsky and more.

In the middle of the square there is a fontain called Austria Brunnen. It was created by Ludwig Schwanthaler about 1850 .

Lower Belvedere

Belvedere


It was a wonderful autumnal day in Vienna, warm and sunny, and I had some hours off unexpectedly. I went for a walk to the Belvedere Gardens. Closing time was at 6:30 p.m. and that was the time I took this picture

Russisch-Orthodoxe Kirche St. Nikolaus, Vienna

Cathedral Saint Nicholas Vienna
Kathedrale zum Hl. Nikolaus in Wien

3rd district of Vienna
On my way to the Belvedere Gardens I passed by this wonderful Russian Orthodox Cathedral. It was consecrated in 1899. During the wars it was heavily damaged. The restoration has almost been finished by now, as you can see on my photo!

Moelker Bastei

Mölker Bastei with a view to the University of Vienna

You see the old fortifications (left), the University (background), the "Dreimäderlhaus" - Schubert House (with the red-white flags) and the Beethoven (Pasqualati-)House on the corner. The houses were built about 1800.

Moelker Bastei

Harry Lime's Doorway

In the 57th minute of the film "The Third Man" Harry appears in the doorway at Schreyvogelgasse 8 on the Mölker Bastei (the door far right)

Moelker Bastei

Mölker Bastei

This is a very old part of the City of Vienna. You see the remains of the old city fortifications that were erected in about 1150. The roofs of the houses on the left are made of shingles!