More Vienna History

Sorry...just more Viennese History...I'm hoping to take a trip to Prague or Budapest (or both)  soon though  so sit tight.  :)

               

The Burgtheater:  

  -The Burgtheater is  known as the most prestigious stage in the German-speaking world.   Originally the theater was built during Maria Theresa's reign but was replaced in 1888 by the Italian Renaissance style building that is there today, which was designed by Karl von Hasenauer and Gottfried Semper (does anyone else get a kick out of all these old german names?!  I know I do!)    In 1987 it was closed for refurbishment because it had been discovered that there were several seats that had no view of the stage.   (haha good one Hasenauer and Semper!)   48 years after that it was devastated by a bomb leaving only the side wings.  But due to a lot of fantastic and successful restoration, it is now just as beautiful as ever!  

Neues Rathaus (New City Hall):

  - The new City Hall was built during the years of 1872-1883 to replace the Altes Rathaus* (old city hall) and is the seat of the Vienna City.  Friedrich von Schmidt, the architect, was chosen by the authorities in a competition for the best design and chose to go with a Neo-Gothic style.   The building has 7 courtyards where summer concerts are held every year.  (I actually attended 2 of these summer productions, one being the Cinderella Ballet and the other a really creepy opera about...who knows what....basically...it made me miss basketball!!)  On all four sides of the building are Neo-Gothic arcades and statues of Austrian worthies including the very prominent Habsburgs**.  Underneath the city hall is a very popular restaurant called Wiener Rathauskeller.

   * Altes Rathaus -  In 1309 2 brothers by the names of Otto and Haymo Neuburg conspired to overthrow the Habsburgs but were unsuccessful.  Their property was confiscated and donated to the city.  Over centuries the site was expanded to form the complex of buildings that served as the city hall until 1883.  In one corner of the Altes Rathaus is the Andromeda Fountain which is located in the main courtyard and was the last piece of work designed by Gerog Raphael Donner in 1741.   In another area is a late 13th century chapel called the Salvatorkapelle, the only surviving building of the medieval town house.   My favorite attraction of the Atles Rathaus is the Austrian Resistance Archive.   Many Austrians welcomed Hitler's takeover in 1938 but in this Archive it pays tribute to the distinguished minority who resisted Nazism.    

  ** Habsburgs - The Habsburgs began centuries of rule over Austria following the death of Friedrich II in 1246.

Parliament:  

  -  Theophil Hansen, a Danish born Architect chose a specifially Neo-Classical style when designing the parliament building.    It was originally constructed to serve as the Reichstrat building (the parliament building of the Austrian part of the Hapsburg Empire).  It's construction took 10 years, beginning in 1874 and ending in...oh come on, it's simple I'm sure you can do that math problem yourselves.  :)  It's entrance is raised above street level and can only be approached by a very broad ramp.   The ramp itself is decorated with marble figures of Greek and Roman historians and at the foot of the ramp are the bronze Horse Tamers which were designed by Josef Lax.   After the collapse of the Habsburg empire on November 11, 1918, the parliamentary deputies proclaimed the formation of the republic of Deutsch-Osterreich and was renamed the Republic of Austria in 1919.   Half of the parliament building was completely destroyed in WWII.  Although most reconstruction was successfully completed by June 1956, the restoration of some damaged artwork only began in the 1990s. 

     - "Austrian Parliament:  The Austrian parliament is ocmposed of two houses, the lower house, or Nationalrat,  the upper house, or Bundesrat.  The Lower House has 193 seats and it's member are elected for a four-year term by proportional representation.  it comprises the governing party and the opposition.  The Upper House is ocmposed of elected representatives from Austria's nine provinces (Burgenland, Kaernten, Niederoesterreich, Oberoesterreich, Salzburg, Steiermark, Tirol, Vorarlberg, and Wien) and tis function is to approve legislation passed by the Lower House.  Bills may also be presented to parliament by the general public or by the Chambers of Labour (representing consumers and employees) and the Chambers of teh Economy (representing employers and industry_.  The federal President is elected for a six-year term and is largely a figurehead.  Theoretically, he or she has the power to veto bills and dissolve parliament, though this has never occurred. "   -as stated in Eyewitness Travel Guides-Vienna  :)       

Hofburg:

  -  In the Hofburg complex there are former imperial apartments, several museums, a chapel, the Austrian National Library, a Winter Riding School and the President of Austria's offices.  For over 6 centuries it was the seat of Austrian power.  Seven centuries of architectural development can be seen in this complex.  Although there are many attractions in the Hofburg complex, the one that really caught my attention was the Neue Burg.  The reason being because the Neue Burg was where Hitler stood and gave his speech welcoming Austria into the union on March 15, 1938.  

  -http://www.thirdreichruins.com/vienna.htm    Check out this website.   It's really neat to see picture of places I've been and see that not that long ago this place was crawling with Nazis!   It's also kind of cool...actually no, on the contrary it's extremely sickening to be walking or standing somewhere and know that one of the most evil and historical men known to the earth also stood or walked in that exact same spot (or at least very close).

-Close up of the Neue Burg where Hitler stood and proclaimed annexation of Austria in 1938.

Sunday Talk

Last sunday I had the opportunity to give a talk in church.  It was the first time I've been able to give a talk as an 'adult'.  Until now I was always just another one of the youth speakers OR the one that Bishop Schallenberger called on at the last minute.  :)  In contrast to having only a few seconds, this time I was given a whole month and a half to prepare.  At first I was grateful to have such a long time but in the end I think it stressed me out way more.  It was constantly in the back of my mind and I couldn't stop thinking about it... for 45 days!  I would sit down and start writing, be almost finished and then have new ideas and have to start all over again.  I thought and prayed and thought and prayed some more because I wanted to give a good talk that people could relate to, rather than a boring traditional talk that everyone has heard a million times.  But at the end of the 45 days I was confident that I had a pretty good talk prepared and was actually really excited to give it.  I had a feeling that everything I had prepared was exactly what I needed to say.   After it was finally finished I was quite proud of myself.  Instead of fidgeting and talking really really fast like I usually do, I was calm and spoke in a clear, normal voice.   They might have actually mistaken me for someone who is good at public speaking.  In fact...they did.   I had many people give me compliments but only one seemed to matter and it really stuck out to me.  One lady came up to me at the end of the day and gave me a hug and sincerely thanked me.  She just kept saying that she'd been feeling my spirit all week and couldn't wait to get to church.  She told me that everything I had said was exactly what she needed to hear and asked me to always share my gift (what that is I'm not exactly clear on yet), and that I was a blessing to have here.  It was really neat because that day I saw that the Lord really does work through each of us so long as we allow him in our lives, and if nothing else, that one comment made this whole adventure totally worth it just to know that the Lord was able to work through me to help someone else, even when I didn't realize it right away.  

-And I must say to my wonderful friend Doug, aka Bishop Schallenberger, that I kinda miss being called on unexpectedly.   Actually...I just miss you...and the beautiful Lori of course!  :)

Profiles

Sorry it's been a while, there really hasn't been much to post lately.  But today I decided to do a quick post about each of the kids.  I realized that I mention them a lot but nobody really knows them so I'll tell you all a little bit about each of them.

Timon (tee-moan):

Timon is 9 years old and is extremely hyper.  I know most kids have a lot of energy but his is over the top.  He's actually ADHD.   He enjoys playing tennis and doing gymnastics (but only because his 'favorite sister', Flora, does gymnastics too).   He absolutely loves singing and listening to music.  His current favorites are Poker Face by Lady Gaga and Right Round by Flo Rida, and he sings them ALL the time!!   I call him little Dwain, because he is going through this phase where he thinks he is super cool and some of the things he says and does remind of how Dwain was once upon a time.   :)  (love you Dwain)  He wears these really big, ugly sunglasses and a big, ugly hat with a dollar sign.   In his mind, every time he puts them on he is magically turned into this really cool 'gangsta' that walks with 'pimpin' kind of strut.   He's recently discovered that it's cool to say 'chillin'  (i.e.  I'm just 'chillin')   So now he refers to himself as a "Chiller."  haha

Flora:

Flora is 7 years old and is the easiest of the 4 to get along with.  She is the most mellow and reasonable.  Her favorite things to do are gymnastics, vaulting (gymnastics on horseback...AMAZING), and playing with her best friend Sophie.    She is extremely smart and her english is impeccable for a 7 year old!

Fanny:

Fanny will be turning 5 years old this week.  Of any kid I have ever met, she is the most difficult to get along with.  One minute she loves you and the next she hates you.  I try really hard to understand but...I just don't.  In her good moments she is one of the cutest kids ever.  She could probably be famous one day just for her smile.    She, like Flora and Timon, also enjoys doing gymnastics.  Her other activities include being mean to Timon and Flora and beating up Christoph.  haha just kidding...(ok I'm not kidding but she does have good qualities too...I think)   Her less devilish activities include coloring and playing with perler beads to no end!    In some ways, as much as I hate to admit it, she is kind of like my kindred spirit.  For example, she is a perfectionist, she likes almost all the same foods as me, and she bites her nails like there's no tomorrow!  :)

Christoph:

Christoph will soon be 3 years old and is, most of the time, really funny and happy.   He is currently going through potty training which is interesting.  At first he absolutely loved going on the 'big toilet' but now he's bored with it, making it extremely difficult to get him to NOT wet his pants.   Sometimes he runs up to me or Isabelle and screams "Ich muss LULU"-I must peepee, even if he doesn't actually have to go because he thinks our reaction is funny.   He is the good-humored one in the family, however his good humor can spoil really quickly when the other kids don't think he's as funny as he thinks he is.  In which case he deems it necessary to scream, kick, hit, pinch, and break Fanny's glasses.    His favorite thing to do is to sit by me, play with my hair,  and be read to.  He loves it when I read english books to him.  We would do it for hours everyday if I allowed it.  He also never goes anywhere without his schnule (binki) and stuffed animal bear which actually looks more like a rag.  He will do anything as long as bear wants to do it.  Which makes things really easy for me when he's being difficult.  For example:  -"Christoph, it's time for bed now buddy."  - "NO I WANT NOT GO TO BED!!!!"   -"but Christoph, bear just told me that he's really really tired and wants to go to bed.  But he doesn't want to go without you.  Just look at him, he's so sad and tired, you better go to bed with him. "   -*sniff sniff*  "ok bear, we can go"        or "Christoph, bear doesn't want to sleep with you tonight if you don't brush your teeth.  He thinks your breath is yucky and really wants you to brush your teeth before bed."  :)