Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Josef, to die—was assassinated in Sarajevo. The archduke's death sparked World War I and
the eventual end of eight centuries of Habsburg rule.
Todaythebuildinghousesthe NewPalacemuseums, aneclecticcollectionofweaponry,
suits of armor, musical instruments, and ancient Greek statues. The two equestrian statues
depict Prince Eugene of Savoy (1663-1736), who battled the Ottoman Turks, and Archduke
Charles (1771-1847), who battled Napoleon. Eugene gazes toward the far distance at the
prickly spires of Vienna's City Hall.
Spin Tour: Make a slow 360-degree turn, and imagine this huge square filled with
people.
In 1938, over 200,000 Viennese gathered here on Heldenplatz, entirely filling vast Her-
oes' Square, to welcome Adolf Hitler and celebrate their annexation with Germany—the
“Anschluss.” TheNazi tyrant stoodonthebalcony oftheNewPalace anddeclared, “Before
the face of German history, I declare my former homeland now a part of the Third Reich.
One of the pearls of the Third Reich will be Vienna.” He never mentioned “Austria,” and
from that moment on, it was forbidden to say the word.
Many wonder how Austria could so eagerly embrace Hitler and the Anschluss (although
thenotionofannexationwithGermanyhadbeenbattedaroundevenbeforeHitler'srise).Let
mehazardanexplanation:Imaginepost-WWIAustria.Oneofthemightiestempiresonearth
hadstarted—andlost—agreatwar.Inafewbloodyyears,itwentfrombeingagrandempire
of55millionpeopletoarelativelyinsignificantlandlockedstateofsixmillion.Treatystipu-
lations required the republic to remain unaligned with any other power. The capital, Vienna,
was left with little to rule. The city alone comprised a third of the entire country's popula-
tion. In the global economic crisis we know as the Great Depression (which swept the Nazis
to power in Germany in 1933), Austria found itself ruled by a fascist government, complete
with a dictator named Engelbert Dollfuss. He was as right-wing and anti-Semitic as Hitler,
but also anti-Nazi (he was pro-Roman Catholic Church and pro-Habsburg). Under Dollfuss,
the Austrian fascists eliminated any leftist opposition. When an Austrian Nazi assassinated
Dollfuss in 1934, it created a power vacuum, paving the way for the German Nazis to easily
take over four years later. The German Nazis just took over their Austrian counterparts' file
cabinets. And, Hitler promised greatness again, and jobs—something that has driven voters
to support crazy political notions to this day.
• Walk on through the Greek-columned passageway (the Äussere Burgtor, an old castle
gate), cross the Ringstrasse, and stand in the square between the twin museums, near the...
Maria Theresa Monument
Vienna's biggest monument shows the empress holding a scroll from her father granting the
rightofawomantoinherithisthrone.Thestatuesandreliefssurroundingherspeakvolumes
 
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