The Parliament on Dr.-Karl-Renner-Ring in Vienna - impressions of a guided tour through the building
A personal insight from Ines Pietsch
This time I, Ingeborg, have brought a ghostwriter on board. My partner, Fritz, wrote part of this blog. We went on a guided tour of the newly renovated parliament together and here are our impressions.
The registration
You have to register in advance for the approx. 1-hour tour (which is available in German and English and can take a little longer depending on the guide). Please bring your ID with you and you will be checked like at the airport. Dates can be booked approx. 6 weeks in advance. The tour costs nothing! So off to Parliament to experience Austrian history. You can take photos and stand at the lectern (you almost feel like a politician).
The parliament
Until 1857, Vienna's city center was surrounded by a mighty city wall. In that year, however, the reigning Emperor Franz-Joseph I ordered that the city wall, which was a nuisance due to the acute shortage of space, be razed and that this area, together with the unobstructed area in front of it, the “Glacis”, be built up with prestigious buildings. This gave Vienna's urban development a decisive boost.
But it was not until 1869 that the Danish-born architect Theophil Hansen was commissioned to plan the construction of a building for the House of Representatives and the Herrenhaus on this site. As Hansen had lived and worked in Greece for a long time, he wanted to construct this building in the Hellenistic style. Theophil Hansen regarded the parliament building as his life's work. In addition to the design for the building, he conceived the entire interior, right down to the furniture - with the aim of harmonizing even the smallest details.
The Reichsrat building
An evening full of enjoyment and music
The foundation stone for the Reichsrat building, now the parliament building, was laid in September 1874 and the shell of the building was completed in August 1879. It was not until December 1883 that the first session of the House of Representatives was held in the new Reichsrat building, followed a year later by the first session of the House of Lords. The construction of the building was the subject of intense public debate. Hansen, who was prone to high-handedness, and the building committee disagreed above all about the ramp, the - ultimately unrealized - multi-coloured design of the façades and the fountain.
It took a decade just to build the parliament building and another three decades to complete the final design. The Athena Fountain, for example, was not completed until 1902, and the 121-metre-long frieze painting in the portico was not even finished until 1911. Hansen himself supervised all the work from his studio in the Herrenhaus wing until his death in 1891.
Hansen incorporated numerous allusions and references to democracy in his masterpiece. He took the architectural forms and symbolism from the formal language of Greek antiquity to reflect the origins of democracy. By using materials from the crown lands of the monarchy, he symbolized the cooperation of all forces in the Imperial Council. Thanks to his far-sighted conception, planning and execution, Hansen created a monument and landmark for Austrian democracy. Hansen attached great importance to harmonizing the exterior and interior of the parliament building. He designed the pictorial and sculptural decorations himself and had a great influence on their realization. The sculptural decoration on the façade and in the interior illustrates the interplay of powers and the basic ideas of democracy.
- The Athena Fountain in front of the parliament building refers to the separation of powers as a fundamental principle of the modern constitutional state.
- Pallas Athena in the center of the fountain embodies the wisdom of the state. Next to her sit two allegorical figures, the “Legislator” with a tablet and the “Enforcer of the Law” with a sword and scales.
- A glass mosaic frieze by Eduard Lebiedzki above the main entrance to the parliament building reiterates the motif of the separation of powers. On the left is a female figure holding the book of written laws in her hands, on the right is Justitia and in the center of the frieze is Austria, to whom the crown lands and the estates (trade, transport, agriculture and animal husbandry) pay homage.
- Another frieze by Eduard Lebiedzki can be admired in the portico. It was irreparably damaged during the Second World War and is now only preserved in fragments. The allegorical depictions refer to the “most excellent ideals and economic tasks of Parliament”.
- The horse tamers stand at the foot of the ramp leading to Parliament. The bronze sculptures of men taming horses are an appeal to the parliamentarians to curb their political passion.
- The administration and the judiciary are indicated on the gables of the building flanks.
- The horse tamers stand at the foot of the ramp leading to the parliament. The bronze sculptures of men taming horses are an appeal to the parliamentarians to curb their political passion.
- The images of Greek and Roman historians on the ramp remind us of the responsibility of every political action to history.
Reconstruction after the war
The parliament building was badly damaged during the fighting of the Second World War. In total, around half of the building fabric was destroyed by fire and bombs, and much of it was badly damaged. Renovation was unavoidable, but it would be several years before the reconstruction was completed. However, the ravages of time and the inadequate materials used for the reconstruction made it essential to find a solution for the very desolate state of the parliament in the years from 2010 onwards.
- In July 2014, the National Council and Federal Council unanimously passed the Parliament Building Renovation Act
- August 2014: The design by the Jabornegg & Pálffy_AXIS bidding consortium is awarded the contract following a Europe-wide tendering process
- 2017: Start of relocation to the nearby alternative premises in the Hofburg and other locations
- 2018 to 2022: Construction phase - the entire building is renovated from the basement to the roof
- January 2023: Opening of the renovated building and project completion
After a project period of around ten years, the architectural jewel on the Ring will reopen its doors to parliamentary business and visitors in January 2023. This brings the long road to refurbishment to a successful conclusion. The result is impressive. The Hohes Haus am Ring shines in new splendor and offers contemporary space for our democracy.
How to get there from the hotel & culinary delights
We took the U1 to Karlsplatz station and the streetcar 1 or D takes you directly to the Parliament. You can also take the U2 from Praterstern to Schottentor and walk there from there. After the tour, we had a drink upstairs in the “Kelsen”. The coffee was lovingly prepared and the service staff were super friendly. You can also eat something in the restaurant or the bistro.
We wish you a great time in Parliament with interesting Viennese history.
Ingeborg & Fritz