The Austrian Parliment building is the gem of Wein (Vienna). It is located close to the museums, and the amazing public transportation system makes it easy to get to from anywhere. I was there to early to go inside, but the outside is beautiful and well worth the visit.
Wikipedia (
visit link) tells us in part:
The Austrian Parliament Building, (German: Parlament or Hohes Haus, formerly the Reichsratsgebäude), is where the two Houses of the Parliament of Austria conduct their sittings. The building lies at the Ringstraße in the first district Innere Stadt in Vienna, close by the Hofburg Imperial Palace and the Palace of Justice.
The main construction lasted from 1874 to 1883. The architect responsible for the building was Baron Theophil von Hansen, the building is an example of Greek revival. The architect von Hansen designed the building as an ensemble, where each piece harmonised with the rest. He was therefore also responsible for the interior decoration such as statues, paintings, furniture, chandeliers, and other elements. One of the building's most famous features is the statue of Athena and the fountain, a notable Viennese tourist attraction. Despite heavy damages and destruction during World War II, most of the interior has been restored to its original appearance.
The parliament building covers over 13,500 square meters, making it one of the largest structures on the Ringstraße. It was constructed to house the two chambers of the Reichsrat, the legislature of the Austrian part (Cisleithania) of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Today, the parliament building is seat of the National Council (Nationalrat) and the Federal Council (Bundesrat). It contains over 100 rooms, the most important of which are the Chambers of the National Council, the Federal Council and the former imperial House of Representatives (Abgeordnetenhaus). The building also includes committee rooms, libraries, lobbies, dining-rooms, bars and gymnasiums. It is the site of important state ceremonies, most notably the swearing-in ceremony of the President of Austria and the state speech on National Day on each October 26. The building is very closely associated with the two Houses, as shown by the use of "Hohes Haus" as a metonym for "Parliament". Parliamentary offices overspill into nearby buildings such as the Palais Epstein.
History
The new imperial constitution (known as the Februar-Patent) promulgated in 1861 created the Reichsrat as an effective legislature. For that purpose, a new building had to be constructed to house this constitutional organ. The original plan was to construct two separate buildings for each chamber, one for the House of Lords and one for the House of Representatives. However after the Ausgleich which effectively created the Dual-Monarchy in 1867, Hungary received its own separate legislative body, and the original plan for two buildings was dropped.
The precursor to the present building was the temporary House of Deputies or Representatives (Abgeordnetenhaus), located at Währinger Straße, which was erected within six weeks. In its layout the Abgeordnetenhaus would be a model for the later parliament building. This temporary structure was opened in 1861 by Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria. The building was soon named afterwards named "Schmerlingtheater", after its Speaker Anton von Schmerling. The "Schmerlingtheater" was used by the deputies until the construction of the new building in 1884.
The site was the location of the city’s fortifications and walls. In his famous decree (Es ist Mein Wille at Wikisource) in 1857, Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria laid down the plans of the Ringstraße boulevard, which replaced the old walls. The parliament building was supposed to feature prominently on the Ringstraße, in close proximity to the Hofburg Palace and the city hall of Vienna.
An Imperial Commission was appointed to study the building of the Parliament. The Commission decided that the building’s style should be classical. Those who preferred the classical style argued that classical Greek architecture was appropriate for Parliament, since it is connected to the Ancient Greeks and the ideal of democracy.
After studying rival proposals, the Imperial Commission chose Theophil von Hansen's plan for a classical style building. In 1869, the Imperial and Royal Ministry of the Interior gave von Hansen the order to design a new parliament building.
Ground was broken on June 1874, the cornerstone has the date “2. September 1874“ etched into it. At the same time, work also commenced on the nearby two imperial museums (Kunsthistorisches Museum, Naturhistorisches Museum), the city hall and the university. In November 1883 the offices of the House of Representatives were completed and started being used. On December 4, 1883 the House of Representatives held its first session under its president Franz Smolka. On December 16, 1884, the House of Lords under its president Count Trauttmansdorff held its first session. Both chambers would continue to sit in the building until the end of the empire in 1918.
The fountain with the statue of Athena in front of the building was designed by Baron Hansen as well, but only completed in 1898 to 1902. The official name of the building was Reichsratsgebäude (Council of the Realm Building), the street behind the building Reichsratsstraße still reminds of the former name. The word Parliament however was in use since the beginning as well.
The building saw tumultuous years during the Austro-Hungarian Empire, as the House of Representatives was extremely fractious between liberals and conservatives, German-speaking nationalists and Czech deputies, as well as the government and parliament. It became a common feature of undisciplined deputies to throw inkwells at each other. The joke on the street was that Athena was so disgusted by the political infighting, that her statue purposely has her back turned to the building.
Nevertheless the building housed the first form of a parliamentary system for much of the people of Central Europe. Some of the former deputies continued their political carriers after the fall of the empire and became important politicians in their home countries.
Exterior
Gable with allegorical statues and Emperor Franz Joseph I in the centre
Bronze horse tamer (Rossbändiger)
Pallas-Athena-Brunnen in front of parliamentBaron von Hansen's design for the Reichsratsgebäude uses the neo-Greek style, which was popular during the 19th century Classic revival. Von Hansen was himself a classical architect, having constructed various other buildings in Vienna in the same style. The Greek architectural style was chosen as a reminder of antique Greece as the "cradle of democracy".
The original plans actually saw a separate building for the House of Representatives and the House of Lords. For practical and financial reasons it was decided to house both chambers in one building. Von Hansen's concept of the layout reflected the structure of the Council of the Realm (Reichsrat), as was stipulated by the so-called February Patent of 1861, which laid down the constitutional structure for the empire. The two chambers were connected to each other by the great hypostyle hall, which was the central structure. The hall was supposed to be the meeting point between the commoners and the lords, reflecting the structure of the society back then.
The gable has not changed since the monarchy and is decorated with symbols and allegories of the 17 provinces (Kronländer) of the old Austro-Hungarian Empire. The ramp is about four meters high. The pillars are in the Corinthian style. On both ends of the roof are quadrigas. It used to be surrounded by smaller patches of lawns, which have been transformed into parking spaces. The building is up to four storeys high.
Roof
Corresponding to the horse-tamers at the Ringstraße ramp, eight quadrigas made out of bronze decorate the roof on both ends. The quadriga is a symbol of victory, driven by the goddess of victory Nike. The attic of both chambers are richly decorated with symbolism. 76 marble statues and 66 reliefs form a decorative ensemble. 44 allegorical statues represent human qualities and branches of human activity, while 32 statues represent famous personalities from the antique era. The reliefs are allegorical as well and correspond to the area of public life that the famous personalities had an impact on. 50 smaller reliefs portray the lands, important cities and rivers of the empire. The roof is for the most part kept in the ancient Greek form, decorated with ancient Greek-style caps and palmettes made out of copper sheet metal.
Material
It was the emperor’s personal wish to use Austrian marble for the construction of the buildings at the Ringstraße. For that purpose, marble from the village of Laas (Lasa) in the county of Tyrol was brought in and generously used on the Hofburg Imperial Palace and the Reichsratsgebäude. For the architect Baron von Hansen, the white, sturdy stone was perfect, since building blocks for the façade and statues could be made just to look like in ancient Greece. Over the decades and with increased air pollution, the marble has proved remarkably resilient, stronger than its famous counterpart from Carrara.
Parliament is surrounded by greenery. On the north side the Rathausplatz park is located, on the southern side a smaller lawn next to the Justizpalast. Monuments to the founders of the First Republic as well as to Dr. Karl Renner are located on either ends.
The entrance
The middle axis from east to west is divided into entrance hall, vestibule, atrium, peristyle and then two large rooms at the far end. For the interior decoration Baron von Hansen used Greek architectural elements such as Doric, Ionic and Corinthian pillars, and in the two rooms Pompei-style stucco technique for the walls.
The main entrance at the portico is an exact copy of the gate of the Erechtheion on the Akropolis in Athens, and fitted with a bronze portal. From the main entrance at the Ringstraße one passes the vestibule of the building, which contains Ionic pillars. The walls are decorated with Pavonazzo marble. The niches contain statues of Greek gods. Seen from the entrance starting from the left are Apollo, Athena, Zeus, Hera, Hephaestus and from the right Hermes, Demeter, Poseidon, Artemis and Ares.
Above the niches with the gods is a frieze by the Viennese artist Alois Hans Schram, running along the corridor and continuing in the atrium. The frieze is more than 100 meters long. It is an allegorical depiction of the blessing of Peace, the civic Virtues and Patriotism.
Above the entrance that leads to the grand Hall of Pillars (Säulenhalle) is a frieze with an allegorical depiction of Austria on her throne. Representing the motto "Goods and Blood for thy country" (Gut und Blut furs Vaterland), warriors are swearing their loyalty and women are bringing offerings.
Interior
The layout of the Austrian Parliament Building. Click on the image for a key to the annotations.
The entrance
The middle axis from east to west is divided into entrance hall, vestibule, atrium, peristyle and then two large rooms at the far end. For the interior decoration Baron von Hansen used Greek architectural elements such as Doric, Ionic and Corinthian pillars, and in the two rooms Pompei-style stucco technique for the walls.
The main entrance at the portico is an exact copy of the gate of the Erechtheion on the Akropolis in Athens, and fitted with a bronze portal. From the main entrance at the Ringstraße one passes the vestibule of the building, which contains Ionic pillars. The walls are decorated with Pavonazzo marble. The niches contain statues of Greek gods. Seen from the entrance starting from the left are Apollo, Athena, Zeus, Hera, Hephaestus and from the right Hermes, Demeter, Poseidon, Artemis and Ares.
Above the niches with the gods is a frieze by the Viennese artist Alois Hans Schram, running along the corridor and continuing in the atrium. The frieze is more than 100 meters long. It is an allegorical depiction of the blessing of Peace, the civic Virtues and Patriotism.
Above the entrance that leads to the grand Hall of Pillars (Säulenhalle) is a frieze with an allegorical depiction of Austria on her throne. Representing the motto "Goods and Blood for thy country" (Gut und Blut furs Vaterland), warriors are swearing their loyalty and women are bringing offerings.
Hall of Pillars
Image of the Columned Hall of the Austrian Parliament BuildingLocated behind the entrance atrium is the grand Hall of Pillars (Säulenhalle) or peristyle. The hall is about 40 meters long and 23 meters broad. The 24 corinthian pillars are made out of Adnet marble, all of them monoliths weighing around 16 tons each. The pillars carry the skylight main ceiling in the middle and the coffered side ceilings. The floor is made out of polished marble, which rests on a concrete hull. The space below was designed to be used as a hypocaust for floor heating and air circulation system of the hall.
Located at the transverse axis on either ends from the Hall of Pillars is the chamber of the former House of Representatives (on the left side) and the chamber of the former House of Lords (on the right side). The architect von Hansen's idea was to have the Hall of Pillars as the main central part of the building. It was designed to act as a meeting point between the House of Lords and the House of Representatives. Hansen also wanted to have the hall used by the monarch for the State Opening of Parliament and the Speech from the Throne, similar to the British tradition. However such ceremonies were never held in the building, since Emperor Franz Joseph I had a personal disdain for the parliamentary body. Speeches from the Throne in front of the parliamentarians were held in the Hofburg Palace instead.
The Hall of Pillars is an epitome of classical perfection. The architect von Hansen paid particular attention to the design and construction of this hall. Not only architecturally and design-wise is this his masterpiece, the building material itself is of the highest quality. The marble floor was polished in a complicated process. The capitals of the pillars were gilded with 23 carat (96%) gold. Running around at the wall was a frieze, which was 126 meters long and 2.3 meters tall. It was designed and painted by Eduard Lebiedzki. The monumental piece of work took decades to prepare and design, and it took four years, from 1907 until 1911, to paint. The frieze showed allegories on a golden background, depicting the duties of parliament.