Tourist attractions in Vienna : Ringstraße

The Ringstraße (Ring Boulevard ) is a 4-kilometers-long circular road surrounding the Innere Stadt (first) district of Vienna. It surrounds the central area on all sides, except for the northeast, the street going along the Donaukanal (a branch of the Danube).

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The street was built to replace the city walls, which had been built during the 13th century. The walls were surrounded by a Glacis _artificial slopes_about 500m wide, where buildings and vegetation were prohibited. But by the late 18th century these fortifications had become obsolete. Under Emperor Joseph II, streets and walkways were built in the Glacis, lit by lanterns and lined by trees. In 1850, the Vorstädte (today the Districts II to IX) were incorporated into the municipality, which made the city walls an impediment to traffic. In 1857, Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria ordered the demolition of the city walls and building of the Ringstrasse, which were intended to be a showcase for the grandeur and glory of the Habsburg Empire.

During the following years, a large number of opulent public and private buildings were erected. Both the nobility and the plutocracy rushed to build showy mansions along the street. Even though most buildings have been planned and build at pretty much the same time, their styles vary strongly. This mix of architectural styles is often referred to as 'Ringstrassenstil' and takes its principles from Historicism. The construction ended only in 1913 with the completion of the Kriegsministerium (Ministry of War).

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The Ringstraße has several sections. The sections are usually named after the most important building nearby. For example Universitätsring is the part of the Ringstraße along the University of Vienna, Burgring the part near the Hofburg, Parkring the part along the Stadtpark and etc. Starting from the Urania, the following are the most notable sights along the Ringstraße:

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1. Urania
is a public educational institute and observatory. It was built according to the plans of Art Nouveau style architect Max Fabiani (a student of Otto Wagner) at the outlet of the Wien River and was opened in 1910 by Franz Joseph I of Austria as an educational facility with a public observatory.

Photo by andynash

Photo by Andras, Fulop

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2. Österreichische Postsparkasse
The Austrian Postal Savings Bank building is a modernist building, designed and built by the architect Otto Wagner. The building is regarded as an important early work of modern architecture. It was constructed between 1904 and 1906 using reinforced concrete.

Photo by Gugerell

Photo by Bill McIntyre

3. Museum für Angewandte Kunst (Museum of Applied Arts) 

Founded as the Austrian Museum of Art and Industry in 1863, the MAK is a museum and space of experimentation for applied arts at the interface of design, architecture, and contemporary art.

Photo by Kiefer.

4. Stadtpark

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5. Schwarzenbergplatz 

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Photo by Cha già José

6. Kärntnerstraße
Carinthian Street is the most famous shopping street in central Vienna. It runs from the Stephansplatz out to the Wiener Staatsoper on the Ringstraße. The first record of Kärntner Straße is from 1257, as Strata Carintianorum, which refers to its importance as a trade route to the southern province of Carinthia

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7. Vienna State Opera 

Photo by profzucker

8. Academy of Fine Arts Vienna 
Founded in 1692 as a private academy, the Academy of Fine Arts is a public art school of higher education. In 1872 Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria approved a statute making the academy the supreme government authority for the arts. The current building in Ringstraße was constructed according to plans designed by the faculty Theophil Hansen and inaugurated in 1877.

Photo by Vienna Tourist Board

Photo by Vienna Tourist Board

Photo by Vienna Tourist Board

Photo by BRJ INC.

9. Burggarten
The Burggarten was constructed in 1819 by Ludwig v. Remy und Franz Antoine as a private palace garden related to the Hofburg. In 1918, with the fall of the Habsburg Empire, the park opened to the public. The garden contains some very famous monuments such as Mozart, Goethe and Emperor Franz Joseph I. In 1901 the Butterfly House was constructed in the Burggarten. It contains around 400 live, free flying butterflies in an environment created especially for them to be as true to nature as possible.
 

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10. Neuburg and HeldenPlatz

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11. Maria-Theresien-Platz (Kunsthistorisches and Naturhistorisches Museum)
 

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12. Austrian Parliament Building

Photo by Aitor García Viñas - agvinas

Photo by Robert Körner

Photo by Aitor García Viñas - agvinas

Photo by Aitor García Viñas - agvinas

Photo by Aitor García Viñas - agvinas

Photo by Jrwooley6

13. Volksgarten
The People's Garden which is part of the Hofburg Palace, was laid out by Ludwig Remy in 1821. The park was built over the city fortifications that were destroyed by Napoleon in 1809. The Volksgarten was opened to the public in 1823.

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14. Rathaus

Photo by piotr ilowiecki

15. Burgtheater

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16. Beethoven Pasqualatihaus
The "Pasqualatihaus" is the name of the apartment in front of the University of Vienna, in which Ludwig van Beethoven spent eight years on its fourth floor. Here he worked on his 4th, 5th, 7th and 8th symphonies, among others, and above all on his opera "Fidelio". Besides numerous documents illustrating the life and work of Beethoven, there is the famous 1804/05 portrait of Beethoven by Willibrord Joseph Mähler and many personal items owned by the composer.

Photo by Nigel's Europe & beyond

17. University of Vienna

Photo by jeffsb*

18. Votivkirche

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Photo by Robert Körner

Photo by harry_nl

19. Rossauer Kaserne
It was built as the Crown Prince Rudolf Barracks as part of an overall approach to protect the city against the proletariat after the 1848 Revolution. It now houses the Ministry of National Defence and Sport.

Text Sources: wikipedia.org  and  aboutvienna.org