Vienna Art Nouveau: 3-Hour Guided Walking Tour
ID: GYG50811-69149
Category:
Country: Austria
Duration:
03:00 hours
Description
Embark on a 3-hour guided tour of Vienna’s Art Nouveau metro stations and other iconic Jugendstil buildings with a professional guide. Learn about the design elements and the political and aesthetic philosophy of this elegant turn-of-the-century style.
During the late 19th century Vienna experienced a rapid population expansion, and a modern system of public transportation became essential. The city’s leaders engaged urban planners to draw up metro lines to connect the suburbs with the city center along the Ringstrasse.
The architect chosen for this assignment was Otto Wagner. From the beginning, his aim was to create a metro design that would be iconographic, easy to recognize, and highlight Vienna’s cosmopolitanism. It was not surprising that he chose to work in the international avant¬-garde Art Nouveau style.
On this 3-hour guided tour you’ll visit 2 of the remaining stations, where you’ll begin a discussion about Viennese Art Nouveau and its ideological underpinnings.
Starting out at the beautiful pavilion at Karlsplatz, you’ll visit the small Wagner Museum and then walk to the Stadtpark station, which is the best-preserved of the original metro stations still in use.
Your next metro stop is Kettenbrücke station. Along the way you’ll visit the famous Sezession House, the icon par excellence of Viennese Jugendstil. You’ll also see 2 beautiful apartment houses designed by Otto Wagner. Learn more about the philosophy behind Art Nouveau and consider the symbols and materials favored by its practitioners.
From Kettenbrücke station, step onto the metro for your last stop, which is a visit to the imperial station. This outstanding building was erected outside Schönbrunn solely for the emperor to use.
The crown jewel of the line, this station had a symbolic meaning as well, namely to show critics of Vienna’s metro that the emperor supported the line. Note the methods used by Wagner to translate the generally bourgeois style of Art Nouveau into an aesthetic with imperial grandiosity.
Highlights
- Learn how a metro system helped Vienna’s transition from an imperial capital to a modern metropolis
- Admire the Art Nouveau design elements of the beautiful metro stations
- Explore other iconic Art Nouveau buildings, including the famous Sezession House
Guiding languages
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
If your tour is on Tuesday to Sunday, you will visit Secession House to see Gustave Klimt’s famous Beethoven Frieze. The entrance is not included in the tour price (€9.50 for adults and €6 for students and seniors). Your guide will help you to pay.
You are required to bring and wear a mask
All participants over 12 years old must present one of the following: proof of full vaccination, proof of first vaccination administered at least 22 days ago, proof of a Covid-19 infection in the past 6 months, or a negative PCR test taken no more than 48 hours before the activity starts
Café Museum, Operngasse 7, A-1010 Vienna
When should I book?
To guarantee availability book as soon as possible. Early booking is worth consideration especially if you planning the trip during high season like public holidays or weekends.
Cancellations
This excursion you can cancel with no cost up to 48 hours before the start of the trip. If you cancel it after 48 hours or not show up on the excursion you will still be charged the full price of the activity. Being late on pick-up or departure will be considered as not showing up.
