Spanische Hofreitschule
First mentioned in a document dated 1572, it is the only equestrian institute in the world which follows a Renaissance model of classical schooling. Eleves, or students, begin their training immediately after completion of Austrian primary education (age 15 or 16), and are expected to be both sporty and clever. The school takes its name from a Spanish breed of horse first mentioned in Roman writings. In 1562, Emperor Maximilian II brought some of these Spanish horses to Austria to found a royal stud farm in Kladrub (Bohemia), housing them for a time in the "Stallburg" (oldest section of the Imperial Palace). The present school location was built in 1572. In 1580, Maximilian's brother, Archduke Karl, founded the stud farm in Lipizza near Trieste (now Slovenia). Interest in elegant riding had been growing for about 50 years at that point. During Renaissance times, powerful gentlemen who had already conquered the worlds of finance and politics looked to the writings of antiquity for new learning and an educated lifestyle to which they could aspire. Horsemanship which followed the ancient models described by Socrates and others became the fashion. Xenophon (430 – 354 BC) wrote "Men who understand the art of horsemanship, in truth, look magnificent." Who wouldn't want that? In the new Winter Riding School (built 1729-35), tournaments, masked balls, and other entertainment was held, but this would soon draw to a close – the royal stud farms at Lipizza were threatened by Napoleon several times and twice the precious stud horses were evacuated to Hungary. No photos or video taping allowed.
Visitor center: Tue-Sun 09:00-16:00, Fri 09:00-19:00 during performance days; box office (Josefsplatz): Tue-Fri 09:00-12:00
Designed by Adolf Loos and completed in 1909, this is considered to be one of the most significant buildings of the Wiener Moderne era from 1890-1910, although initially it was fiercely criticised. Today the building is occupied by the Wiener Raiffeisenbank, but a permanent exhibit in the building has photographs and documents illustrating the building's history.
Mon-Wed Fri 09:00-15:00; Thu 09:00-17:30 (exhibit)
Imperial Apartments
This trio of museums includes the Imperial Apartments (Kaiserappartements), Sisi Museum, and Imperial Silver Collection (Silberkammer). The Imperial Apartments and Sisi Museum include 22 state rooms of the residential and state apartments of Emperor Franz Joseph I and Empress Elisabeth (popularly known as Sisi) and show 19th-century imperial life. The Imperial Silver Collection displays unique items of the glittering world of imperial dining.
Sep-Jun: daily 09:00-17:30, Jul-Aug: daily 09:00-18:00·Combined ticket: €11.50 (adults), €10.50 (students/disabled and Vienna Card), €7 (children 6-18)
K. u. K. Hofzuckerbäcker
Café and confectionary shop. Good pastries are ubiquitous in Vienna, but Demel is considered by many to have the best of all and indeed was once the pastry caterer to the Imperial household. As a result of this it is usually jammed with tourists, though their amusing marzipan display window can be admired even from the street. Outdoor seating in warm weather, but the inside is more atmospheric.
Closed · opens 10 am tomorrow