Festive Vienna

With its 2 million inhabitants, Vienna seems to expand and stretch out in all directions on a plain which, to the east, joins the Hungarian steppes and Carpathian Mountains. Yet travellers are often struck by the small-town atmosphere of Vienna. In effect, the city's historic centre is encircled by the Ring avenue which was mapped out in the 19^th century in place of the old fortifications. It is this Vienna, with its back to the Danube and looking towards the Alps, that we propose to explore. If you only have a long weekend, here are the main sights to see.

The true heart and symbol of the city is without a doubt the Stephansdom (St Stephen's Cathedral), whose eight centuries of existence are clearly reflected in its various architectural styles (Romanesque, Gothic, Baroque). From the viewing platform (73 m/240 ft high, reached by lift) you can see the crests of the Kahlenberg Mountain and the eastern plain of the Danube.

Another universal symbol immortalised by the 1949 film The Third Man, directed by Carol Reed and starring Orson Welles, is the Riesenrad (Giant Ferris Wheel), whose cabins rise slowly above the Prater, Vienna's gigantic park.
Among the huge palaces built by the Habsburg dynasty, the Hofburg is a city within a city. In addition to jewels and works of art, it also houses the famous Spanische Reitschule, the Spanish Riding School which dates back to the 16^th century.
A stone's throw from the cathedral, the Fleischmarkt (meat market founded in 1220) is Vienna's oldest district and has retained several Gothic features and 17^th century façades. Schubert, Brahms, Schumann and Wagner all lived here. In the evening, its cafés and taverns are among the city's liveliest places.
Another sight not to be missed is the monumental Kunsthistorische Museum, which houses one of the world's largest collections of paintings (including 14 works by Bruegel the Elder), built up over the centuries by the Habsburgs.

The Viennese taste for coffee is a legacy of the Turks, who twice laid siege to the city. Since the 18th century, the Kaffeehäus (coffee house) has been one of the fundamental elements of everyday life here. Both a meeting place and a reading room (customers can devour the international press), coffee houses attract all levels of Viennese society, and people come here to talk business, flirt, or play billiards... Foreign visitors are initially struck by the intimate warmth of these places, regardless of whether they find just simple benches - as at the Bräunerhof (Thomas Bernhard's favourite coffee house) - or sumptuous Art Nouveau decor, as at the legendary Café Central (once frequented by Stephan Zweig and Robert Musil). The way in which the waiters serve the coffee is also worth seeing: with a certain ceremony, they bring your cup on a silver tray along with a glass of water with a spoon lying on top. Coffee menus traditionally have no less than twenty different preparations, from the simple strong black mocha to Mazagran (iced coffee with rum), and including Franziskaner (a large white coffee topped with whipped cream), Fiaker (mocha served in a glass with rum), Kaisermelange (coffee with an egg yolk and brandy) and the delicious Einspänner (black coffee in a glass with whipped cream)... Something for everyone!
Kaffeehäuser also usually offer a wide selection of Viennese pastries including the famous Apfelstrudel, which is delicious served hot with whipped cream. Demel, near St Stephen's Cathedral, is the oldest cake shop in the city and makes a fantastic Apfelstrudel. It is also a coffee house and has a glass-fronted bakery where customers can watch pastry cooks teaching apprentices the art of rolling out pastry as thin as cigarette paper, filling it with apple and rolling it up - a real show!

Vienna, with its 700 hectares (1,730 acres) of vineyards, is the only capital in the world that can truly claim to share a common destiny with wine. Crossed by tram lines and surrounded by residential areas, these vineyards mainly cover the hills bordering the south-western part of the city. Here, the word Heurigen denotes both the young wine (which can be sampled in tankards from October) and the tavern where it is served. By virtue of an old imperial decree dating back to the 18^th century, each wine grower has the right to sell his own wine (and his own wine alone) in a tavern, where it is consumed on the premises, often accompanied by a Bauernschmaus (a traditional peasant dish of frankfurters, roast or smoked pork, ham and meatballs). Beneath trellised vines or in large rooms with wooden decor, pretty waitresses in traditional costume serve wine while musicians play traditional Viennese music. Heurigen are open only in the evening. Aside from the traditional aspect, serious wine drinkers can sample Grüner Veltliner here, a fresh and spicy wine that is typically Austrian. These popular places, reminders of a bucolic past, also have a special place in the hearts of the Viennese and are often chosen for wedding celebrations or business dinners. To reach the charming wine-growing villages of Neustift, Grinzing, Sievering, Nussdorf or Heiligenstadt (where Beethoven lived and composed his Sixth Symphony), take the metro to Heiligenstadt.

Mainly originating in Hungary, Slovakia and Bohemia, Viennese cuisine - as developed in the context of the Austro-Hungarian Empire - is a classic example of home cooking which has been passed down through time, and has managed to avoid the influence of "nouvelle cuisine"! With Erdäpfel Gulash (potato stew served with frankfurters), Tafelspitz mit G'röste (boiled beef with sauté potatoes and horseradish purée), Wiener Schnitzel (breaded veal or pork cutlet), and Leberknödelsuppe (beef soup with liver dumplings) served as a starter, this is certainly not diet-friendly food! The legendary establishment Zum Schwarzen Kameel does, however, provide an exception to the rule. On the surface, nothing has changed since 1900, from the Art Nouveau decor to the headwaiter's moustache. But in actual fact, the young, shy and retiring Martina Willmann has brought a surprising lightness of touch to the most traditional Viennese specialities. The marinaded tuna with ginger and mushrooms and the Styrian lamb with mushrooms, honey and thyme are delicious. The freshness of the Grüner Veltliner from the village of Grinzing marries perfectly with the fillet of perch with spinach and caper butter sauce. The Michelin® Guide selection includes a certain number of establishments serving typically Viennese food (see practical information).

Standing next to what were once Sissi's imperial stables - now devoted to modern and contemporary art - the Leopold Museum is presenting the world's first exhibition of 90 pictures, oil paintings, sketches and gouaches by Egon Schiele (1890-1918), most of them from private collections.
The mention of Viennese painting immediately brings to mind Gustav Klimt (1862-1918), whose main masterpieces (The Kiss, Adam and Eve, etc) are on display in the Österreichische Galerie Belvedere. The more tormented and less "decorative" artist Egon Schiele is still best known for his nudes. However, this prolific painter, who completed the main body of his work between 1911 and 1915, also produced a multitude of Bohemian landscapes with which the general public is not familiar, and which show him to be a master of Expressionism. Landscapes, trees and houses are depicted like human beings by the artist. It is not known when this exhibition will be shown abroad, so take our advice and make sure you don't miss it! (until 31 January 2005).