2. Schönbrunn Palace

Schönbrunn Palace is a former imperial 1,441-room Rococo summer residence in modern Vienna, Austria (see app. pic.4). One of the most important cultural monuments in the country, since the 1960s it has been one of the major tourist attractions in Vienna. The palace and gardens illustrate the tastes, interests, and aspirations of successive Habsburg monarchs.

UNESCO catalogued Schönbrunn Palace on the World Heritage List in 1996, together with its gardens, as a remarkable Baroque ensemble and example of synthesis of the arts.

The sculpted garden space between the palace and the Sun Fountain is called the Great Parterre. The French garden, a big part of the area, was planned by Jean Trehet, a disciple of André Le Nôtre, in 1695. It contains, among other things, a maze.

The complex however includes many more attractions: Besides the Tiergarten, an orangerie erected around 1755, staple luxuries of European palaces of its type, a palm house is noteworthy. Western parts were turned into English garden style in 1828–1852. At the outmost western edge, a botanical garden going back to an earlier arboretum was re-arranged in 1828, when the Old Palm House was built.

The Great Parterre of Schönbrunn is lined with 32 sculptures, which represent deities and virtues.

The Roman Ruin consists of a rectangular pool enclosed by a massive arch with lateral walls, evoking the impression of an ancient edifice slowly crumbling into the ground. In the pool in front of the ruin is a seemingly haphazard arrangement of stone fragments supporting a figural group which symbolizes the rivers Danube and Enns.

2. Parks and Gardens of Vienna

Approximately 50 per cent of Vienna (about 200 square kilometres) are green areas (see app. pic.5). A large part of these green areas is for free public use.

The City Park is seen as a link between the city centre and the third district. From any side pedestrians approach the park, they will find a different environment.

The Rathaus Park was designed in 1863 when Emperor Franz Joseph I decided to do away with the parade ground. He asked a gardener named Dr. Rudolf Siebeck to design the park.

Today the park derives much of its character from the highly varied selection of woody plants. In winter, the expanse is used to the 'Wiener Eistraum', a romantic ice skating rink.In summer, a free open air cinema shows concerts, operas and other classical music highlights.

In 1803, Europe's first alpine garden was created in the extensive park area of Belvedere castle following a suggestion of Archduke Johann. Today, more than 4000 plants represent the diverse flora of the alpine ecosystem. Spring and early summer are the best times to visit as many plants foliate and start to flower.

2. Museums of Vienna

At his apartment in Domgasse 5, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart lived for some happy and prolific years from 1784 to 1787 composing "The Impesario" and "The Marriage of Figaro" and other major works. In no other flat the famous composer lived for that long, a sure sign of his attachment to the house.

The house was reopened after extensive renovations on January 27th, 2006 - the exact date of the 250th anniversary.

The exhibition includes information on Mozart's musical genius, his family life, his friends and opponents in contemporary Vienna.

The Museum of Fine Arts (see app. pic.6) was built from 1872 to 1891 after designs by Gottfried Semper and Karl von Hasenauer. It ranks among the richest and most important art collections in the world.The Museum of Fine Arts houses paintings by Rubens, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Dürer, Raphael, Titian and Velazquez, as well as the most comprehensive collection of Bruegel's paintings in the world.

The MuseumsQuartier Wien is one of the largest cultural complexes in the world and offers about 60,000 square meters of space for modern and contemporary art and culture. It is an oasis of culture and recreation, with courtyards, outdoor restaurants, cafés, and shops.

During the Second World War many attractions were destroyed but after the war all the sights were rebuilt.