The Hofburg

This was the imperial palace for the Habsburg dynasty and on Sunday the 12th of November I went to explore the surrounding gardens.

Adjusting to becoming a digital nomad was challenging, and honestly still is. The first couple months especially were tough. In October I was sick twice! (Thankfully the second time wasn't too bad.) When I woke up on this Sunday I really wasn't feeling up to doing anything, but I reasoned I should do something. I had already spent a couple weekends resting; so doing something small, even just to get out of the house, would be a good achievement. I knew that there were museums in Vienna I wanted to visit but I didn't have much motivation to go to one. The Hofburg hosted multiple museums and there were two large gardens on either side. So I decided to walk around the Hofburg and visit the gardens. I figured I should do this earlier while the weather was still really nice, and that I can visit the museums later in the year even on days when the weather was bad.

The Hofburg is a huge complex of buildings, almost like a tangled network with many courtyards within the interior areas. It started out much smaller, first being built in the 1200s, and expanding over the centuries with further development. There was a fascinating display in the info centre that showed how the Hofburg grew over the centuries. This palace was used by the Habsburg dynasty as both a place of residency and a place for administration. I later learnt that it was from the terrace on the Hofburg (pictured in the cover photo) that Hitler announced the anschluss (annexation) of Austria with Germany in 1938. This building has had a rich and varied history which I found really fascinating. Now, it hosts many museums (at least 6) including one that chronicles the rise, fall and rise again of democracy in Austria.

This is the city gate, it's right next to the Hofburg and I believe it is positioned on the line where the old city wall would have existed. Right now it's not much of a gate as the rest of the wall doesn't exist. The building pictured doesn't extend much further to either the left or the right. You could easily walk around it but it is much funner to walk through.

Horse guy statue in the middle of Heldenplatz, the square outside the Neue Burg wing of the Hofburg, pictured in the cover photo.

The Hofburg was not this one big block of a building but rather an interconnecting network and this feature leads to enclosed courtyards and narrow passage ways. I really like this about the Hofburg; I felt a sense of exploration walking around and through the building complex, discovering where different passage ways led to.

There was even a section, next to the Albertina museum, with steps leading up onto the roof of the Hofburg. From this, sort of terrace, area there was a view of the street below, along with another horse guy statue (first photo). The pathway continued with a line of benches next to some tree (second photo).

I finally made my way to the garden, having take a circuit around the Hofburg and exploring a couple side passages. The garden was really lovely and I hope you can indulge my pictures of the beautiful trees. I love taking a picture of a good tree and the garden had several.

There were a quite few people enjoying the garden and there was plenty of seating provided. I could definitely see the appeal, especially during the warmer months that such a place would be a lovely spot to relax. For me that would be reading a good book.

Next to the garden was a literal green house. I glanced through the windows and I could see some potted plants and in the middle section there is a cafe. All the beams between the glass were literally green, so the building was green both in description and in function. I'm guessing the beams were made of copper and it oxidised to this green colour over time.

This is my favourite picture from the day and perhaps one of my favourites so far in Europe. I first noticed the sun lighting up these perfectly yellow leaves and, after I took a few pictures, I noticed the statue in the background. I realised the leaves were perfectly arranged to frame the statue, if I took the picture from the right angle.

The statue is a monument to Kaiser Franz Joseph, who was the emperor of Austria-Hungary at the start of World War I. I love that the posture of the statue, and the angle we are looking at him, gives him a melancholy look, like he is deep in thought burdened with many troubles. And then this feeling is enhanced by the autumn leaves, that are beautiful, but also a sign of decay, hinting at the fall to come. In writing this post I was so excited to share this picture with you, I hope you all really enjoy it!

I made my way to the gardens on the other side. I didn't spend much time here but it was still cool to see. These gardens had large sections with hedges in different shapes and some empty flower beds that I imagine would look spectacular in the spring time.

Thanks for reading – Edward

Written 22nd of December 2023

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