Venturing Out of Vienna

The day started at the early time of 7am. We had quite a bit scheduled for the day so off we went. The first stop was a ways out of town in Hainburg which is about 90 minutes away. It is about 5 miles from the Slovakian border. We went to a small church called Martin Luther Church designed by Viennese architects Coop Himmelb(l)au. They are also the architects of BMW Welt in Munich. It was a stark contrast between the two buildings. It really shows the range that Coop Himmelb(l)au is able to operate. The church was very small and the absolute max capacity was around 120 people. It was a cool little find in the middle of nowhere.

Martin Luther Church

I was hoping that would continue another 5 miles or so into Slovakia and its capital Bratislava but we started back to Vienna. Just a few miles down the road we came to Carnuntum. It was an old town that was a relic of the Holy Roman Empire. They reconstructed a lot of the buildings on the original foundations and set up the area like how it used to be. It was interesting to walk through but my interest wasn't piqued. I was more interested in a wooden playground on the site. From there we made our way back into the city of Vienna.

Roman Ruins in Austria

We stopped at another church this one called Church of the Most Holy Trinity or more commonly known as Wotruba Church. It was designed in the mid-1970s by sculptor Fritz Wotruba and architect Fritz Mayr. It is a very startling church. The whole design is based around these concrete blocks laid mostly vertically and glass windows placed between. This creates a very interesting interior and exterior condition. While it was intriguing to see I personally didn't like it.

Wotruba Church

We continued into the heart of the city arriving at Schönbrunn Palace which was the summer residence for the Habsburg Dynasty, the royal family of Austria. It was a very formally designed building as one would expect from a palace. We sort of rushed through the palace as every room looked the same and we wanted to see the gardens. Behind the palace lies the gardens, a zoo, a large 200 foot tall hill, and the Gloriette. This provided gorgeous views of Vienna and the surrounding area, We also got a quick bite to eat here before going on our way.

Rear of Schönbrunn Palace

The last stop of the day was the Church of the Holy Spirit designed by Jože Plečnik (who also designed a church I attended Mass in Prague). This church was similar to the one I saw in Prague albeit completed earlier. The rectangular/square open plan is readily apparent. It is of great use in churches where it provides satisfactory views of the altar from other seats. I enjoyed this church although I liked the one in Prague better.

Interior of the Church of the Holy Spirit

We bused back to the hotel following the church and had the rest of the night to ourselves. We had a group dinner at the hotel without Hans as he was visiting some family. It was nice to have a relaxing evening. Tomorrow, Hans has some buildings planned to see on the outskirts of the city.