3 Examples of the Lovely Medival Architecture of Vienna (Austria)
One of the things I liked the most in Vienna was the medieval architecture of many of the buildings, specially in the historical center of the city.
This is my entry for #StatueFriday - #SevenDaysOutside Challenge - by @erikah.
As soon I left the hotel, I encountered this spectacular statue, located in a very unusual place...
By tradition, statues are placed in the middle of squares and gardens. This is the first time I see a statue placed on the side of a building. What an original idea.
In this building there's a rustic restaurant called Griechenbeisl and the statue reads:
- Hier Sang Sein Lied zum 1 mal der Liebe Augustin
In English it means:
- Here, the Dear Augustin Sang his Song For the First Time
Since I don't know who this Augustin character is... I had to resort to Google's help and according to Wikipedia:
Marx Augustin (also Markus Augustin, "Der Liebe Augustin") was an Austrian medieval entertainer, bagpiper, and improvisatory poet most famous for the song, "O du lieber Augustin".
To the left of that building lies another interesting piece of architecture called Haus mit Muttergottesrelief (House with Madonna Relief).
You can see the Madonna Statue above the red and white flags. In case you're wondering it's not the famous pop singer, but the other, even more famous Madonna, more commonly known as Mary Magdalene, mother of Jesus.
I loved the vines climbing down from the roofs of both buildings. Very cool.
Over here, there's a well known saying "There is no 2 without a 3" meaning that when something happens twice, it usually happens a third time.
As such, I leave you with a third excellent architectonic artwork... which is the church located on the right side to the Griechenbeisl restaurant from the first photo. Yes, all these 3 buildings are right next to each other. Incredible, eh?
As you've probably guessed, it's a church. More precisely, it is the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church. Much easier to understand than its original name: Griechenkirche zur heiligen Dreifaltigkeit.
And people still have the nerve to say Russian and Portuguese are complicated languages!? What to say of Deutsch, then?
I think it's a pity that the city workers thought the best place for the ugly trashbins is in front of a charming church... It's certainly a strange decision, since that just across the street were some very regular and common buildings.
| Camera | Panasonic Lumix DC-TZ90 |
| Location | Vienna - Austria |
| Edited with GIMP |
I hope you have enjoyed these photos and leave a comment below.
Living in Vienna, I know the places well - the orthodox church is also very nice inside (you need a good camera: it is quite dark in there). The Griechenbeisl is a pricey place, but the food is excellent.
About Augustin: the plaque is not that old (certainly not as old as the building). He became legendary when he was falling down drunk in the gutter at the time when the black plague ravaged Europe, and they went around with carts to collect the dead in the street, to dump them into a big dug-out (which they would later cover with lime and dirt). They also picked up Augustin. In the morning, he woke up surrounded by bodies, crawled out and went home. It is believed that the alcohol saved his live, at least the Viennese, with their fondness for wine, think so.
Which reminds me of this old joke: The teacher tries to demonstrate how bad alcohol is. He filled one glass with water, another with alcohol. Then he dropped a worm into each glass. The worm in the water glass swam happily around, but the worm in alcohol died and sank to the bottom. Then the teacher asked: "What can we learn from this?" - Little Maxi stands up and says: "Drink plenty of alcohol and you won't get any worms!"
Correction about the "Madonna" - not Mary Magdalene - the mother of Jesus was Mary: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary,_mother_of_Jesus
Mary Magdalene was a follower of Jesus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Magdalene
two different persons.
Absolutely correct. "There is no 2 without a 3" meaning that when something happens twice, it usually happens a third time.
First I thought luggage bags are on the road then I figured out about dustbins and later I came to know you're thinking the same. Why?
Along with Russian, Portuguese and Deutsch, I can add many more my local languages. So for me these 3 are same. 😉
I liked your exploring activity and the way you relate it with its history. It's amazing. 👍
Thanks for your comment. About the trash bins, I really don't get it. Maybe they don't like the Greek Orthodox guys that much?
the trash bins are set out on specific days for pick-up once a week. Same as is done anywhere else. Considering all the businesses around (including the restaurant, which creates a lot of trash) and there are no "back-alleys", the bins are set on the curb for emptying. Come back next day and you won't see them.
Such masterpieces <3 Absolutely stunning.
We have similar buildings of such magnitude as residential places. Unless they are a cathedral, museum or institution they lose their glory due to poor maintenance
Thanks for sharing these photos that's the beauty of a social site like Steemit we get to see interesting places and in this case, architecture from people who upload them.
I love the color of the church but I particularly like the restaurant. I wish we can see the bottom part of it haha.
I cut it out because of the trash bins. 😂
You're so considerate! I've been to Vienna several times ,
but I haven't seen these buildings!
Thank you for the photos and their wonderful description!
They're right at the center of the city. Weird that you missed this. Thanks for your visit, @singa!
what an amazing building - I had heard of this Augustin before but now I know who he was tx :)
I had never heard of him. He didn't make his way into the Portuguese History Books. 😊
The creeps hanging on the buildings are an awesome thing 😊
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Thanks, I'm glad you liked it.
Incredible architecture! You really made some great discoveries. I agree with you when it comes to the transbins!
And there's a lot of Graffiti by the Danube River, too. 😊
I am sure you got a lot of photoes then :)
The bins are set out for the day to be emptied. No different than anywhere else.
The longest graffiti mile in the wold - and it is not the Danube River, but the Danube Canal, only a small side arm of the Danube, which, because of frequent flooding, was regulated for its entire length (at Schwedenplatz however, on the canal you have the dock of the Vienna to Bratislava Twin-City Liner excursion boat).
In my post from about a month ago, you can see the area, and one of the photos shows graffiti, with a link to my flickr album exploring Urban Art along the canal.
https://steemit.com/photography/@thermoplastic/a-nice-vienna-afternoon-get-together-with-artist-friend-sabina-nore
What beautiful architecture! Thanks for sharing.
You're welcome. Thanks for stopping by.