Visiting Vienna [Part 1/6]: Museum Quarter and Hofburg Palace

Here it is, the first part of images from my recent trip to Vienna. I have visited this wonderful city two times before, but I was particularly keen on visiting again with my 6D, and capturing the city from new angles. I visited with a group of friends, but ended up sightseeing with my sister and her boyfriend. The various locations hadn't changed at all, but the images still turned out different then before.

This is a multi part travel series. Other parts include
Part One: Museum Quarter and Hofburg Palace 
Part Two: Inner City and Horse carriages
Part Three: Graben, Stepahnsplatz and Metro
Part Four: Alpine Gardens
Part Five: Belvedere Castle
Part Six: Schönbrunn Palace

click on the images for a bigger view

The Mariahilfer Street is one of two prominent shopping streets in Vienna. Upon exiting it, you will reach the Museum Quarter of Vienna, which houses multiple museums and many statues.

This is the Natural History Museum in Vienna. The museum's earliest collections of artifacts start over 250 years ago. Their main fields of research cover a wide range of topics from the origins of our Solar system and the evolution of animals and plants to human evolution, as well as prehistoric traditions and customs. It is quite a sight up close.

Another view of the museum from the beautifully planted and kept bushes in front of it.

In front of the museum you will find the Maria-Theresien square. Facing each other from the sides of the square are two near identical buildings, the Natural History Museum and the Art History Museum on the other side.

The Maria Theresa Monument is a huge memorial in the center of the square. This is probably the most important monument from the Habsburger. The over 19 m high and approx. 44 tons heavy monument pictures the empress Maria Theresa in a 6 m large bronze statue. She greets the people with her right hand and in the left hand she holds a document roll of the -Pragmatische Sanktion- and a scepter.

The Art History Museum on the other side of the square.

Taking pictures, looking up information... :)

We leave the Museum Quarter and go to the Hofburg Palace.

The main entrance are huge stone gates, through which you enter and come in front of the Hofburg Palace and a big open space.

Dog's are playing in the far distance as the Rathouse (town hall) is peaking through the trees on the other side of the street.

Hofburg Palace is a palace located in Vienna, Austria, that has housed some of the most powerful people in European and Austrian history, including the Habsburg dynasty, rulers of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It currently serves as the official residence of the President of Austria. It was the Habsburgs' principal winter residence, as the Schönbrunn Palace (which you will see in part six) was their preferred summer residence.

Thanks for coming along with me on this trip, and I hope you will enjoy the other parts that will follow.