PHOTO: In the winter, life inside Vienna's Ringstrasse takes on a festive spirit. (Photos courtesy of Austrian Tourism Board)
Next year, Vienna will be celebrating the 150th anniversary of its Ringstrasse, the three-mile long path that circles the city center along the same 200 foot wide path that the city's fortress walls used to cover. European history was shaped by those walls, which managed to hold off the Ottoman Turks in 1529 and 1683 and put a halt to their march westward across Europe. In 1857, Hapsburg Emperor Franz Joseph had the walls torn down and turned into a circular boulevard flanked by grand buildings.
PHOTO: In summer, the high life inside the Ring can be quite relaxing.
The transformation was emblematic of changes that were taking place in both the empire and its capital. For many, the creation of the Ring marked the moment that Vienna became a modern metropolis. The city will celebrate all that it represents next year with several exhibitions. This year the Experiment Metropolis - 1873: Vienna and the World Exhibition is running through Sept. 28 at the Wien Museum Karlsplatz.
When the transformation was underway it was the biggest public construction project in Vienna's history. The Ringstrasse connected the city center, home to the imperial residence and the palaces of the aristocracy, to the surrounding districts inhabited by the middle and lower classes. Between 1857 and 1868, Vienna's population grew by nearly 30 percent, passing the one million mark by 1890.
The circular boulevard was lined with double rows of trees and monumental public edifices, grand city residences, private apartment buildings, squares and parks. Grand private residences built on the Ringstrasse included those of Ukrainian banking family the Ephrussis, the Epstein family from Prague's wealthy Jewish middle class and the Todescos, a trading dynasty from Romania.
The Golden Quarter is the most recent development within the Ring. The Quarter is a new luxury shopping area with flagship stores by Louis Vuitton, Emporio Armani, Miu Miu, Roberto Cavalli - and by June flagship stores of Prada, Saint Laurent, Church's, Bottega Veneta and the Kashmir boutique Brunello Cucinelli will also move into the Quarter. The neighboring Bognergasse and Seitzergasse are being turned into pedestrian zones.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
