Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(Imperial Burial Vault;
www.kaisergruft.at
;
01, Neuer Markt; adult/child €5/2; 10am-6pm; Stephansplatz,
royal family (the hearts and organs reside in Augustinerkirche and Stephansdom, respect-
ively). Opened in 1633, it was instigated by Empress Anna (1585-1618), and her body
and that of her husband, Emperor Matthias (1557-1619), were the first entombed in this
impressive vault.
Only three Habsburgs are notable through their absence here. The last emperor, Karl I,
was buried in exile in Madeira, and Marie Antoinette (daughter of Maria Theresia) still
lies in Paris. The third in the triumvirate is Duc de Reichstadt, son of Napoleon's second
wife, Marie Louise, transferred to Paris as a publicity stunt by the Nazis in 1940.
Haus der Musik
MUSEUM
( 513 48 50;
www.hdm.at
;
01, Seilerstätte 30; adult/child €12/5.50, with Mozarthaus Vienna €17/7;
10am-10pm; ; Karlsplatz, D, 1, 2 Kärntner Ring/Oper)
The Haus der Musik is an interesting
and unusual museum that explains the world of sound in an amusing and highly interact-
ive way (in English and German) for both children and adults. Exhibits are spread over
four floors and cover everything from how sound is created, through to Vienna's Philhar-
monic Orchestra and street noises.
Floor 1 hosts the
Museum of the Vienna Philharmonic
, which has a tool for composing your
own waltz by rolling dice. Floor 2, called the
Sonosphere
, is packed with engaging instru-
ments, interactive toys and touch screens. Here you can play around with sampled sounds
to record your own CD (€7). Floor 3 covers Vienna's classical composers and is polished
off with an amusing interactive video in which you conduct the Vienna Philharmonic
Orchestra. The last floor has the so-called
virto|stage
in which your own body language
shapes the music to create an opera.
Hofburg
PALACE
(Imperial Palace;
www.hofburg-wien.at
;
01, Michaelerkuppel; 1A, 2A Michaelerplatz, Herrengasse, D,
1, 2, 71, 46, 49 Burgring)
Nothing symbolises the culture and heritage of Austria more
than its Hofburg. The Habsburgs were based here for over six centuries, from the first
emperor (Rudolf I in 1273) to the last (Karl I in 1918). The Hofburg owes its size and ar-
