Day 45 - Vienna New Palace Museums

Friday, June 28, 2013

Apparently, when the Hapsburgs ruled the Austro-Hungarian Empire they collected much more stuff than anyone should.  The museums we visited today were amazing in their quantities of old items and masterpieces.  The first two museums were in the Hofburg Palace.

Jeff on Pedestal of Statue in Courtyard of Hofburg Palace

The Armour & Weapons Museum has more types of suits of armor than we thought existed.  Then came the swords, shields, guns, maces, battlehammers, halberds, etc.

Ceremonial Armor (Kind of looks like the Jetsons' maid)

The Musical Instruments Museum has many one-of-a-kind instruments developed during the baroque period, as well as the violin used by Mozart's father.  The collection of clavichords seemed to go on forever, but the zithers, lyres, and Jews harps were fewer.  They even have one of Benjamin Franklin's Waterglass Armonicas.

Organ/Clavichord Combination with Gameboards Built-In

Keyboard Built into a Desk

Wax Sculpture of Haydn with Real Human Hair

Orphica (Unusual Instrument)

We were almost out of time when we got to the Art Museum, but we may have seen more Flemish art (especially Reubens) than we saw in the Netherlands.

"The Art of Painting" by Vermeer

Vienna is a beautiful city, with many awe-inspiring buildings, large statues, and a rich cultural heritage.  Most visitors come for the classical music events, but we didn't get around to those.  We didn't visit the Weiner Kriminal Museum (Vienna Crime Museum).  After three days of touring Vienna we have only scratched the surface, but it's time to move on.  We have to admit, though, that coming on the heels of seeing acres of artifacts from the Roman Empire, the Greek Empire, and ancient Jerusalem, Vienna Renaissance museum pieces seem almost new.