y journey to the inner city takes me through the City Park (Stadtpark). The Stadtpark is divided by the Vienna River and was modeled after the style of the English landscape parks by the landscape painter Joseph Sellény. On August 21, 1862, the northern part of the Stadtpark was opened together with the restaurant Park-Salon with space for 300 guests in an open space. Other parts of the Stadtpark were open to the public from August 1862. The Stadtpark was the second municipal park in Vienna after the Franz-Josefs-Park, which no longer exists today. A "Children's Park" was created in 1863 and is now mostly characterized by asphalt playgrounds and sports facilities. It is connected to the Stadtpark located on the other side of the Vienna River. Starting in 1867, the pond in the park was transformed into an ice-skating rink, which could be used for an entrance fee of 30 crowns. Since many working people could only skate in the evening, electric lighting was installed in 1870. From 1903 -1907 an area with river access and pavilions was built.
The Stadtpark (City Park) is a large municipal park – the first public park in Vienna (it opened in 1862). To reach the inner city, we will need to pass this park and, this morning, on our way to explore the inner city, Olaf and I decide to walk through the park.
It is a quiet morning and only a few people in the park feeding the ducks and sitting on park benches. There is a quiet, eerie feeling to the park that I attribute to the time of the day and the time of the year. That, and the fine veil of mist.
Scattered throughout the park are statues of famous Viennese artists, writers, and composers. One such statue – the gilded bronze statue of Johann Strauss from 1921 – is one of the most famous and most photographed monuments in Vienna. I, too, take a photo – the gold of the statue glowing in the gray light of the day.
There are other monuments – too – Franz Schubert, Franz Lehár, Robert Stolz, Hans Makart, Sebastian Kneipp and Anton Bruckner; Indeed, Stadtpark is rich in monuments and sculptures.
Ok, it is time we continue – we leave the park and make our way to the city center.
