Tourist attractions in Vienna : Schwarzenbergplatz

Schwarzenberg Square is a large square in the 3rd district of Vienna, connecting the Kärntner Ringsection of the Ringstraße and Lothringer street with Schwarzenberg Palace and, a little further, Rennweg street and Belvedere Palace. 

Photo by m.**

Schwarzenberg square is located on land of the former Vienna Glacis_ an artificial slope as part castle or fortresses. The glacis part was closed after the demolition of the city walls in the years from 1858 to 1863 and construction of magnificent buildings in this area started in the second half of the 19th century. During the 19th, Schwarzenbergplatz was one of the most prestigious addresses in the city and aristocrats erected plenty of stately buildings around the square.

Photo by harry_nl

The square is named after Prince Karl Philipp of Schwarzenberg, a descendant of one of the most powerful aristocratic families in Bohemia and Central Europe in general. As commander in chief of the allied army, Karl Philipp played a major role in Napoleon's decisive defeat at the Battle of Leipzig in 1813 and his capture of the city of Paris the following year in the Battle of Paris resulted in the overthrow of Napoleon I. In commemoration of this Austrian hero, the Emperor Franz Joseph I ordered the construction of the Schwarzenberg Monument. The equestrian statue at the north of the square was created by Ernst Hähnel and installed 1867.

Photo by Serge.Bystro

Photo by Dorli Photography

Photo by Florian Martys

Photo by Florian Martys

The main attraction of the square is the Hochstrahlbrunnen(high jet fountain), located at the southern end of Schwarzenbergplatz. The fountain built in 1873 to celebrate the completion of the first Vienna's drinking water supply system. Anton Gabrielli, the head of the company responsible for the project personally funded the construction of the fountain. The fountain has conceptual connections to astronomy and the seasons. 1903 to 1904, the green areas have been newly landscaped. 1905 to 1906 was a rebuilding of the fountain, where the lighting has been installed. The fountain is especially beautiful at night, when it is illuminated with floodlights, first installed in 1906.

Photo by thwthw74

Right behind the Hochstrahlbrunnen is the Red Army Memorial, locally known as the Russian memorial. The memorial was erected in 1946, immediately after the end of World War II by the Soviet Army after the occupation of Vienna (1945-1955).

Photo by Sascha Vogt

Photo by kellerabteil

Photo by ncorreia

Photo by thwthw74

The memorial consists of a semi-circular colonnade with a 20 meter (66ft) high central column topped with a monumental, 12 meter tall statue of a Soviet soldier. It is designed in the typical rigid and solemn style which was commonly employed by the Soviet army. The monument is very similar to other memorials erected at the time by the Soviet army in cities like Berlin.

Photo by Amin.Mana

Photo by Amin.Mana

Located at the south of the Schwarzenberg Square, the beautiful Baroque Schwarzenberg Palace was constructed between 1697 and 1714 after a design by Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt. The palace is now occupied by a hotel and restaurant and the Swiss embassy is housed in one of the palace's wings. Both the palace and the gardens of the Scharzenberg Palace, which border the Belvedere garden, are closed to the public.

Photo by Ian YVR

Photo by Amin.Mana

One of the most interesting buildings along Schwarzenbergplatz is the French Embassy at the west of the square. It was built between 1904 and 1909 by the French architect Georges Chedanne, who is also known for his design of the Galeries Lafayette, a famous department store in Paris.

There are two other monuments around the Schwarzenberg Square : 

Photo by Amin.Mana

* Georg Rafael Donner (1693, Essling, Vienna - 1741, Vienna) was one of the most well-known Austrian sculptors of the 18th century. One of Donner's most famous works is Donnersteig in Mirabel Castle, Salzburg, for which he sculpted life-size marble figures .

Photo by Amin.Mana

* Eduard Suess (August 20, 1831, London – April 26, 1914, Vienna) was a geologist who was an expert on the geography of the Alps. By 1857 he was a professor of geology at the University of Vienna. Suess is considered one of the early practitioners of ecology .

Text Sources: wikipedia.org  and  aviewoncities.com