Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
able breed. Italian and Arabian bloodlines were later added to tweak various characteristics.
Lipizzaner stallions are known for their noble gait and Baroque profile. These regal horses
havechangedshapewiththetenorofthetimes:Theywerebredstrongandstoutduringwars,
and frilly and slender in more cultured eras. But they're always born black, fade to gray, and
turn a distinctive white in adulthood.
Visiting the Riding School:
The school offers three options for seeing the horses (tel.
01/533-9031,
www.srs.at
)
.
Performances:
TheLipizzanerstallionsputongreat80-minuteshowsinspringandfall.
Thepriceyseatsbookupmonthsinadvance,butstandingroomisusuallyavailablethesame
day, and there's not a bad view in the house (seats-€47-173, standing room-€23-31, prices
vary depending on the show; Feb-June and Sept-Dec Sun at 11:00 and either Sat at 11:00 or
Fri at 19:00, no shows in Jan or July-Aug; box office opens at 9:00 and is located inside the
Hofburg—go through the main Hofburg entryway from Michaelerplatz, then turn left into
the first passage).
TrainingSessions:
Luckilyforthemasses,trainingsessionswithmusictakeplaceinthe
same hall and are open to the public. Don't have high expectations, as the horses often do
little more than trot and warm up. Tourists line up early at Josefsplatz (the large courtyard
between Michaelerplatz and Albertinaplatz), at the door marked
Spanische Hofreitschule
.
But there's no need to show up when the doors open at 10:00, since tickets never really “sell
out.” Only the horses stay for the full two hours. As people leave, new tickets are printed, so
you can just prance in with no wait at all. You can also buy tickets for the training sessions
at the box office (€14 at the door, roughly March-June and mid-Aug-Dec Tue-Fri and many
Sat 10:00-12:00—but only when the horses are in town; check schedule at
www.srs.at
).
Stables:
Any time of day, you can see the horses in their stalls and view videos of them
prancingintheReitschulgassecorridor.Guidedone-hourtoursofstallsaregivendaily(€16;
tours at 14:00, 15:00, and 16:00; in English and German, reserve by calling 01/533-9031).
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Augustinian Church (Augustinerkirche)
This is the Gothic and Neo-Gothic church where the Habsburgs got latched (weddings took
place here), then dispatched (the royal hearts are in the vault).
Cost and Hours:
Church—free, open long hours daily; Vault—€2.50, usually open to
the public immediately after 11:00 Sun Mass only; Augustinerstrasse 3—facing Josefsplatz,
with its statue of the great reform emperor Josef II and the imperial library next door.
Visiting the Church:
In the front, notice the windows above on the right, from where
royals witnessed the Mass in private. Don't miss the exquisite, tomb-like Canova memorial
(Neoclassical, 1805) to Maria Theresa's favorite daughter, Maria Christina, with its incred-
ibly sad white-marble procession. The church's 11:00 Sunday Mass is a hit with music lov-
ers—both a Mass and a concert, often with an orchestra accompanying the choir (acoustics
