History of Wien

The history of Wien goes back to early years of the Christian Era, when Roman legions tramped into the Celtic Village of Vindobona on the Danube and established a garrison to protect the frontier. Here Marcus Aurelius died in A.D. 180. Soon the town was overrun with barbarian hordes pouring into Roman Empire.Atilla and his Huns lingered for a time on their way west. At the end of the 10th century the surrounding region, called East Mark emerged from the gloom of Dark Ages, and in 1237 the city received a charterof freedom Frederick II. During the Crusades it prospered from the rising traffic between East and West. But it was not until Wien became the Hapsburgs' capital in 1276 that real glory began. For several centuries it was Western Europe's blwarkagainst Turks. During the second, John Sobieski and the poles arrived barely in time to save the city.\par In 1814-15 the Austrian capital was scene of the Congress of Wien, one of most brilliant assemblies of rulers and statementsmen ever known. Matternich, the master spirit of European politics, was the leading figure. Alexander of Russia, Frederick William of Prussia, Lord Castlereagh, Talleyrand, and other notable met at the council table to discussthe problems arising from Napleonic wars. For months Wien was filled with gaiety. Many grave questions were settled at banquets or the intervals of the dance.\par The last Hampsburg rulers modernized old Wien during 19th century. The wall and moat that had protected the inner city gave way in 1858 to the magnificet Ringstrasse. Along this semicircular avenue rose the splendid buildings whose varied architecture expressed the city's cosmopolitan spirit. The classical and stately Houses of Parliment looked out upon the lavishly decorated Gothic Rathaus(City Hall). The nearby university was a superb specimen of the Renaissance Style. Within the "toe" of the horseshoe spread the grounds and buildings of the Hofburg, the famous Hapsburg palace. It's buildings of various epochs and styles contained privatedand state apartments and a great national library including rare old m manuscripts. Wien 's devotion to the arts was embodied in the large and ornate State Opera House, theBurg Theater, and the numerous museums and galleries. In music Wien's influence was world-wide. Haydn , Mozart, Beethoven, Shubert, and Johann Strauss lived and worked here. Palaces of royalty and nobility throughout Grater Vienna were gems of architecture, and many contained private art collections. The Sch\'f6nbrunn Palace was favourite of Maria Theresa and twice was the headquarters of Napoleon. It compared in splendor with Versailles.