Prehistoric Pile Dwellings Around the Alps (World Heritage)
The cross-border world heritage of the 111 selected prehistoric sites in six Alpine countries includes 18 pile-building sites on Lake Constance, in Upper Swabia, south of Augsburg and on Lake Starnberg. They give insights into the everyday world of people in the period from approx. 5000 to 3000 BC. Chr.
Prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps: facts
| Official title: | Prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps |
| Cultural monument: | 111 small archaeological sites in the area of the Alps in six countries with pile dwellings and relics in river, moor and lake landscapes from the time from 4300 to 800 BC. Chr.; including 56 pile construction sites in Switzerland and 18 in Germany on Lake Constance, in Upper Swabia, near Augsburg and on Lake Starnberg; early archaeological evidence of agriculture, animal husbandry and metalworking preserved in the water as well as documents of life in the prehistoric times of the Neolithic and Bronze Age; Finds of dugout canoes, metal discs, wheels and simple wagons from the time of 3400 BC. And of textiles 3000 BC. Dated to the 2nd century BC, oldest house floor plan from Lake Constance (3915 BC) |
| Continent: | Europe |
| Country: | Austria, France, Germany, Switzerland, Slovenia |
| Location: | Southern Germany, Western and Northern Switzerland, French Alps, Northern Italy, Carinthia, Salzburg, Ljubljana |
| Appointment: | 2011 |
| Meaning: | Well-preserved and diverse archaeological sites with the possibility of a unique insight into prehistoric times and early agricultural cultures; outstanding documents for understanding the developments in the Neolithic phase and the Bronze Age in Europe; exceptional sources for the study of agrarian communities and their interaction with the environment in the alpine areas |
Old town of Vienna (World Heritage)
During a tour of the Hofburg, visitors shouldn’t miss the private apartments of Emperor Franz Joseph I (* 1830, † 1916) and his wife Elisabeth (* 1837, † 1898). Further highlights are the treasury with the crown jewels and the silver chamber, in which, among other things, the imperial silverware is exhibited. The Spanish Riding School with its famous Lipizzaner horses and the National Library are also housed in the Hofburg. In the castle chapel you can listen to the Vienna Boys’ Choir on Sundays.
With the victory over the Turks in 1683, the great period of the Viennese Baroque began. Now a real construction boom set in, and a number of town houses in the historic city center had to give way to make way for new baroque palaces. Many of these buildings were designed by the two star architects of the time, Johann Fischer von Erlach (* 1656, † 1723) and Johann Lucas von Hildebrandt (* 1668, † 1745). Magnificent examples are the Schwarzenberg palace and the city palace of Prince Eugene in Himmelpfortgasse 8. Due to the omnipresent lack of space in Vienna’s old town, the baroque palaces were often built up high, four to five floors were not uncommon. And of course you should also see the wealth and importance of the building owner in a palace. That is why facades and windows were mostly decorated with lavish decorations,
In 1857, Emperor Franz Joseph I gave the order to tear down the city wall that had enclosed the old town of Vienna. In their place, a ring-shaped boulevard was to be created, which was mainly intended for representational purposes. Numerous public and private buildings were erected on the Ringstrasse before 1870. Large Viennese industrialists had prestigious palaces built there. Other famous buildings on the Ringstrasse are the New Court Opera (now the State Opera) in neo-Renaissance style, the town hall in the Flemish Gothic style, the Burgtheater, the neoclassical parliament, the Museum of Art and Natural History and the only sacred building on the boulevard, the Votive Church from 1853. By 1913, the construction work in the area around the Ringstrasse was finally completed.
According to constructmaterials, the history of the city of Vienna has always been inextricably linked with music. The Habsburgs founded the Vienna Boys’ Choir as early as 1498 and also generously sponsored the opera. Famous musicians were often drawn to the city on the Danube: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven and Johann Strauss are just a few who lived in the city on the Danube. Among other things, Mozart’s Abduction from the Seraglio (1782) was premiered in Vienna. Strauss’ famous operetta Die Fledermaus also had its world premiere in 1874 in the Vienna Theater and is still the only operetta to be performed in the Vienna State Opera. Among other things, Beethoven achieved immortal world fame as the perfecter of the Viennese Classic.
