Jul30

Monument in honor of the soldiers of the Soviet Army – Denkmal zu Ehren der Soldaten der Sowjetarmee

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Tuesday, 02-July-2024


I didn’t expect to find a monument to the Soviets in Vienna.

I didn’t expect to find a monument to the Soviets… at all, really. I mean, after so many countries that had previously been part of the USSR, and after learning about so many atrocities that were committed by the Soviets, the thought of a monument to them was a bit unthinkable.

Yet here I was, standing in front of a rather beautiful one, in the heart of Vienna.


Reading into it online, I couldn’t find much about why it’s still been maintained into the current era… but that it was originally built back when Vienna was separated into districts run by the different Allied powers after World War 2. Have I mentioned that, yet? Similarly to how Berlin was hacked in half during the Cold War, so too was Vienna… except that it was carved into four quadrants; USA, USSR, UK, and France. This monument was built in the Soviet block, but within easy viewing distance to the other three.

Regardless, it is a beautiful monument. And, I’m happy to add, has been added to recently… the large wall behind the monument, separating it from the Belvedere Gardens, has been repainted into the Ukrainian flag – a fitting way to add new context, in my mind.



Wikipedia link:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_War_Memorial_(Vienna)

Jul30

The Vienna Natural History Museum – Naturhistorisches Museum Wien – Part 2 (The Art)

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Monday, 01-July-2024


Is it strange that some of my favorite art is from the Natural History Museum?

I mean, it feels strange. But then again, my favorite style of art is representative landscapes, which are pretty natural and historical, so…


As strange as it feels, I was absolutely captivated by the art of the Natural History Museum in Vienna. Throughout the main museum they had paintings up, generally way up near the top of the rooms where they were quite hard to see, showcasing some of the places where the minerals and specimens on exhibit had been found.


It took me a few rooms before I even noticed them, but once I did I saw soaring mountains, deep open-pit mines, locations near Austria and as far away as the Badlands of the United States. Buildings, ancient civilizations… just absolutely beautiful pieces. Any of which I would adore to have copies of.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find any postcards or other prints of these… and so, my own photography shall suffice to document the journey.





Jul30

The Vienna Natural History Museum – Naturhistorisches Museum Wien – Part 1 (The Natural History)

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Monday, 01-July-2024


After an equestrian tour, three churches, and a crypt, I was ready for some SCIENCE.

Now… where had I seen some SCIENCE recently? Ahh yes – the Art History Museum!



Well… sort of. You see, dear readers, the Art History museum has a twin. Literally, a twin building, immediately across the gardens, built as a mirror. Art History, presented as one part of a twin pairing with Natural History. Kind of a neat idea, isn’t it?

I thought so. So did Emperor Franz Joseph, who opened both buildings simultaneously in 1891. Guess I’m in good company, huh?



I walked over. Bought tickets, had a slice of Vienna cake and a coffee, and then ventured into the exhibits.



Holy crap were there exhibits. Rows upon rows, ranks upon ranks. Minerals, gems, meteorites, fossils and placards.

I tried my best to focus and enjoy and learn, but… I’m going to be honest here. I got pretty saturated. There was just so much to see, so much to enjoy and to appreciate and to just take in. Descriptions of how gems formed, detailed analysis of the mineral deposits found in Austria and abroad and how they impacted history. A full walkthrough of an ancient salt mine, in more depth than even the Wieliczka mine got into. Plants and animals and even an Animatronic Dinosaur! Placards in German and English, some in just German…



I walked, I learned, and I became overwhelmed. I enjoyed it, until I didn’t… and then I simply walked. I didn’t stay longer than I wanted to, but I will admit that the last few rooms and exhibits definitely went by a bit quickly.

Thankfully that was expected and planned for, though, and those final rooms were examples of taxidermy animals from… drumroll please… North America! That wasn’t an accident either – I’d made a point to save those for last, just in case I got overloaded… so they made for a nice little send-off before I headed out, and set my sights on dinner…