"Beneath the Glamour" Vienna's History and City Structure

"Beneath the Glamour"

Vienna's History and City Structure

Urban Revitalization Research Project

The inner core of Vienna is a dazzling, highly desirable area widely acclaimed for its cultural splendors. Historical museums and imperial palaces share the streets with high class housing and ornate coffee houses. This area has earned the city its well-deserved reputation as an international center of culture. However, contrary to what some may believe, the city as a whole

is not quite so glamorous. The outskirts of Vienna lack the cultural flare of the inner city. These areas consist largely of dull lower-class housing lacking in lavish amenities. Historic attractions,museums and elite shopping or dining areas are rare. One has to wonder how these two

contrasting regions can be merely miles away. Although Vienna has a prospering city core, there are also the declining outskirts, which, with better transportation and expansion of metropolitan components can be revitalized- uniting the city.

St. Margrethen - Switzerland / Austria

Austria, Vienna, Vienna State Opera Русский...

Franz Ferd[inand] of Austria and wife; Countess Ba...

Vienna has struggled through a history of invasions and wars, but has now become a stable federal republic as well as the capital of Austria. Vienna was originally founded as a Bronze Age settlement in about 800 BC and was claimed by the Celts in 5th century BC. It was then annexed by the Romans in 15 BC. Following the fall of the Roman Empire, barbarian invasions reduced the Roman town to ruins. In the 10th century the German Babenburg dynasty acquired Vienna and during their reign of almost 3 centuries, the city became a major trading center. In 1278, German king Rudolph I of Habsburg conquered the city and Vienna remained in the hands of the Habsburg dynasty for the next 640 years. During this era, they remained under constant threat of the Turks. Repeated Turk attempts at invasions were unsuccessful, yet threatening. Only in...