La Gazelle | Page 122

122 123 Viennoiseries au Café Demel Scène de l’Opéra de Vienne to delight young and old. And the park of the castle invites strolling just like the Byzantine Emperor used to do in the old times. Vienna State Opera Vienna state opera is one of the first lyric houses in the world. Here, you can enjoy diversity at its highest level of quality. Cherished by music lovers in Vienna, the opera proposes, during a season that lasts ten consecutive months, some 300 performances with a daily changing program! Such density shows that the National Opera is Nr.1 in the world. There is hardly any international star that has not given a performance on its stage… TIP: if you cannot get tickets, do not give up all the same; you should not miss the unique atmosphere of this National Opera outside the rehearsal days. You can take a look behind the scenes thanks to guided tours. (For information: tel.514 44 2606). Belvedere It was Prince Eugene of Savoy (1663-1736), a brilliant general and a great lover of art, who ordered Johann Lucas Von Hildebrandt to build the palace Belvedere- garden to be used as his summer residence on the outskirts of the city. This total work of art from the baroque period consists of two castles (Upper belvedere and Lower Belvedere) and now houses many testimonies of Austrian art from the Middle Ages to the present day. Upper Belvedere - the largest «Klimt» collection in the world The core of the Belvedere collections consists of the paintings of Gustav Klimt, including his paintings of the golden period, “The Kiss” and “Judith”. There are also Schiele’s and Kokosckoka’s masterpieces in addition to other paintings featuring the French impressionism. Von Erlach and his son J ohann Emanuel. An independent wing of the Imperial Palace built in the early part of the eighteenth Century; it was the largest library in Europe from the Baroque era. More than 200 000 volumes are preserved in this library, including 15 000 works that Prince Eugene of Savoy Library contained and one of the largest collections of the Martin Luther’s Lower Belvedere Apartments and Staterooms of reformer writings. Prince Eugene Among the exhibits, there are two magnificent The prosperity of the noble contracting mas- Venetian globes from the Baroque, one earthly ter is reflected in the splendor of the setting, and another heavenly, measuring more than whether in the Hall of the grotesque, the gallery one meter in diameter. of marble or the gilded Chamber. The Lower Belvedere and Orangery regularly host won- MAK- Museum of applied Arts derful exhibitions. In MAK, design is honored. From the Middle Ceremonial stables - treasure of the middle ages Ages to the present day, the museum exhibits In the premises that once served as home to furniture, glass and china, silverware and tisthe 12 most beautiful horses of the Prince, the sue. In addition, there are Werner Werkstattes’ entire collection of medieval art that the Belve- prestigious craft pieces, bentwood furniture dere possesses is now on display. designed by Thonet and Art Nouveau jewels such as leaf-gilded cardboard that Klimt DAY 3 realized for the dining-room frieze of the Stoclet Palace in Brussels. Museum quarter : the “chic” place Central Café The Museum Quarter (MQ) is one of the ten The charm of the legendary literary café frelargest cultural groups in the world. Located in quented especially by Arthur Schnitzler, Peter the former stables of the Imperial Court, at the Altenburg and Adolf Loos is irresistible. Let edge of the old city, it covers over 60 000 m2, yourself be seduced by Viennese Cuisine, hopremises dedicated to the most diverse artistic memade pastries and piano music. disciplines, as well as restaurants, cafés and shops and it is presented as a postmodern Café and Restaurant in the Kunsthistoriches mosaic of baroque buildings and contemporary architecture. The Kunsthistorisches Museum epitomizes the pleasure of art and coffee in the domed hall, Austrian National library where you will be attracted to the significant works that date from different eras. The old library of the Court is a masterpiece of baroque architect Johann Bernhard Fischer