AUSTRIA - Best of Europe 2014 - page 38

whileothersareupforauction(marked DIFF.RUF ).Labelsoneachitempredicttheauction
value.
The upstairs floors have antique furniture and fancy knickknacks (some for immediate
sale, others for auction), many brought in by people who've inherited old things and don't
have room. The top floor has a fancy antique gallery with fixed prices. Wandering through
here, you feel like you're touring a museum with exhibits you can buy. Afterward, you can
continue your hunt for the perfect curio on the streets around the Dorotheum, lined with
many fine antique shops.
Cost and Hours: Free, Mon-Fri 10:00-18:00, Sat 9:00-17:00, closed Sun, classy little
café on second floor, between the Graben pedestrian street and Hofburg at Dorotheergasse
17, tel. [phone], www.dorotheum.com .

▲ St. Peter's Church (Peterskirche)
Baroque Vienna is at its best in this gem, tucked away a few steps from the Graben.
Cost and Hours: Free, Mon-Fri 7:00-20:00, Sat-Sun 9:00-21:00; free organ concerts
Mon-Fri at 15:00, Sat-Sun at 20:00; just off the Graben between the Plague Monument and
Kohlmarkt, tel. [phone].
Visiting the Church: Admire the rose-and-gold, oval-shaped Baroque interior, topped
with a ceiling fresco of Mary kneeling to be crowned by Jesus and the Father, while the
dove of the Holy Spirit floats way up in the lantern. Taken together, the church's ele-
ments—especiallytheorgan,altarpainting,pulpit,andcoatofarms(inthebaseofthedome)
of church founder Leopold I—make St. Peter's one of the city's most beautiful and ornate
churches.
To the right of the altar, a dramatic golden statue shows the martyrdom of St. John Ne-
pomuk (c. 1340-1393). The Czech saint defied the heretical King Wenceslas, so he was
tossed to his death off the Charles Bridge in Prague. In true Baroque style, we see the dra-
matic peak of his fall, when John has just passed the point of no return. The Virgin Mary
floats overhead in a silver cloud.

Vienna at a Glance

▲▲▲ ▲▲▲ Opera House Dazzling, world-famous opera house. Hours: By guided tour

only, July-Aug generally daily at the top of each hour 10:00-16:00; Sept-June fewer
tours, afternoon only, none on Sun. See here .