Our first City as Text assignment led us to some really beautiful architectural sites around Vienna city that left some impactful impressions. After a small debriefing from our professors, a few other students and I headed out for the day’s journey by means of the U-bahn. Our intended stop was Dornbach, however some of us misjudged and we got off the train a stop too early, but a short wait for the next train set us (sheepishly) back on track. We made our way on foot the rest of the way to the Karlskirche church, where we encountered a large, intricately designed building overlooking a vast but shallow fountain, and nestled behind a small park and sitting area. Not only did this stunning building catch my eye, but I immediately noticed a lack of large crowds. This area seemed to be a local hangout spot for all sorts of people, portraying a relaxed and carefree atmosphere, which was surprising considering the grandiose of the church. I noticed at other CAT locations this casual attitude as well. For example, walking around this area, I observed a group of young people, probably university students, sitting on the steps of the church with some beers. In addition, there was also a large amount of graffiti surrounding the church. I would have expected the people to have a little more respect for the church in this area; besides the fact that this is a church, it is also a stunning piece of architecture that could be admired for hours. Moving on from the church, our group made its way back to the U-bahn where we got on line 2 to get off at Schottentor.
From there it was a short walk to the University of Vienna, otherwise known as Universität Wien. Besides the obvious beauty of the building, I again noticed a quiet and carefree atmosphere portrayed by those who regularly use the building. In the courtyard in the center of the building, students lounged in the shade, working on homework or perhaps just relaxing, seemingly unaffected by the grand hallways and intricate artwork crafted into the building. After walking around the building for a bit jealous of the students who attended this school, we departed for the day.
We continued our CAT assignment the following day with a trip to the Schönbrunn Palace. On the guided tour, one particular piece of information that stood out to me was the fact that the Hofburg rulers designed their palace in a way to make it seem more approachable to the public and those they rule over. In particular, when designing the palace, the future residents wanted to design it in a conservative way for this reason and also to save money. Now considering the degree of extravagance of this palace, I find that a bit ironic. Not only was the inside of the palace extravagantly furnished and designed with gold detailing to mimic the Palace of Versailles, but the grounds and the palace gardens seemed to extend for acres and acres. Unlike many of the other places we visited on this CAT, this palace was heavily populated with tourists however the ambiance understandably suggested a higher respect for this attraction. This was one of my favorite places visited on this assignment, and because my friends and I were so eager to see these gardens, we missed the rest of our group’s departure from the palace, leading us on quite a fun adventure to find our way back to the city center (we eventually found our way back a few hours later haha).
Alyssa's Architectural Adventures 