Another impressive building and a symbol of Vienna is the Parliament’s building. It is located on Ringstreet and it is the seat of the Austrian Parliament. This is also the biggest building on Ringstreet and it takes 13500 square meters. It was built in the Neoclassical style and it resembles Greek and Roman temples. At the entrance, there is a fountain, big pillars, sculptures and the statue of Athena. This has been the home of Austrian national and federal parliament since 1918. It has over 100 rooms, and the biggest room in the palace is a meeting room of the National Federal Council.
The cornerstone was put in 1874, and it was completely finished in 1883. The building as it is today was designed by the architect Theophil Hansen who gave this Greek renaissance. In order for everything to be in accordance with each other, he did both the interior and the exterior of the building. The statues, decorations, stairs and the chandeliers within the building are magnificent. Emperor Franz Joseph assigned Hansen the title of Freiherr (the Baron) after the construction and the arrangements are done. After WWII, the building was very damaged, but it soon got its original shine back.
The fountain in front of the Parliament is the fountain Pallas Athene, and there is a statue of Athena on it that is 4m high. There is an allegoric representation of big Old Austrian rivers that are represented by the face of man. The face of a woman represents the Danube river, the Inn river represents a bearded man, whereas the Elba and Vltava are in the background. A woman figure that stands above symbolizes the executive and legislative power, while in the middle there is a statue of the Greek goddess of wisdom- Athena.
Many events are held in the Parliament, of which the most important one is the speech that is held on the National Day (October 26th) every year.
The interior is magnificent, just like the very avenue of approach and the appearance of the Parliament. This is a sight that you will surely take a photo of from every angle since the look from each perspective is fascinating.
The entrance tickets for all tours that are offered by the Parliament’s administration can be obtained on three locations: “Infopoint Bau Stelle” in front of the Parliament’s historical building, “Infopoint Platz Mit Bestetermination” at Helden Square and at the main entrance of Joseph Square.
Author of the aricle
Maja Glavaš, Bachelor with Honours in Communicology. Works in Tourism.
Contact: [email protected]; instagram: travel_europe1
photo credit: Ethon Johanson
