The ambitious program of architectural improvements to Vienna introduced by Emperor Franz Joseph I, including the Ringstraße, the Rathauspark (City Hall Park), and the Opera. Friedrich von Schmidt, who had been one of the architects working on Cologne Cathedral, designed and built the Vienna City Hall between 1872 and 1883. It is the most significant secular building in the neo-Gothic style in the city.
As Vienna is Austria's federal capital as well as a federal province in its own right, it is the seat of the mayor and governor of Vienna - two posts held by the same person. The Provincial Assembly is composed of 100 members and elected for a term of five years.
The huge chandelier in the historicist style is the most striking feature of the 14-metre-high Council Chamber where the members of the Assembly convene. It has a diameter of five meters and 213 lights. It was cast in one piece, weighs 3,200 kg and can be entered by maintenance personnel to change the lamps. The coffered ceiling of high-grade larch and spruce wood is decorated with 22-carat gold-leaf rosettes. Directly below the ceiling, a series of frescoes depicts events from the history of Austria and Vienna. The section situated on the right hand of the central visitors' gallery shows scenes from the 13th to 16th centuries; one can see Duke Rudolf IV laying the foundation-stone for the southern spire of St. Stephen's Cathedral and the institution of Vienna University, the world's oldest university where students are taught in the German language.
The left-hand side takes one into the 17th to 19th centuries. Empress Maria Theresa is surrounded by famous exponents of the politics, arts and sciences of her era. Most of the pointed-arch windows with stained lead glazing facing the gallery were reconstructed after the Second World War on the basis of the original plans. The back wall of the central visitors' gallery depicts the tasks of Vienna's municipal administration in symbolic form.
Another attractive feature is the Senate Chamber which serves as the meeting-room of the City Senate. This is one of the most impressive rooms of the City Hall. A special sight is the beautiful majolica fireplace - a present by the Guild of Stove and Fireplace Makers dating from 1885 - on the wall facing the entrance to the hall. The walls are covered with green silk damask. The ceiling featuring inlay work and gilt elements is intricately and richly decorated.
The Arkadenhof is one of the biggest inner courtyards in Europe having a surface of 2,804 square meters, and can be compared to the courtyard of the Doge's Palace in Venice. A choir-type oriel along its western wall is a reminder of the original project to build a chapel in the City Hall. Lined by five-meter-wide, pointed-arch arcades, the courtyard offers a fascinating setting for a wide variety of events. A folding roof designed by the architect Silja Tillner is a new addition to protect visitors against wind and rain. It also houses the Municipal and State Libraries and Archives which hold many key documents of Vienna's history and a large collection of local memorabilia.
19th Century Palatial Large Baccart crystal 136 Light
|
|
Antique Louis XV Style Gilt Bronze 10-Light Chandelier $25,000.00 |
|
|
Gothic Gilt Bronze, Iron & Glass 12-Light Chandelier $25,000.00 |
|
|
19th.c. PALACE CHANDELIER- GILT BRONZE- IRON- 74" by 40 $19,000.00 |
|
|
Beautiful Louis XV gilt bronze 7 lights chandelier $14,000.00 |
|
|
Antique Louis XV Style 16-Light Gilt Bronze Chandelier $13,500.00 |
|
|
Antique Gilt Bronze Neoclassical Athenienne Chandelier $12,500.00 |
|
|
HUGE GILT IRON/ CRYSTAL FRENCH "VERSAILLES" CHANDELIER $12,000.00 |
|
|
antique 1830 Russian Neoclassical-Empire Gilt Bronze Crystal & Glass Chandelier $12,000.00 |
|
|
Italian Dining Room Photo Mugs Dining Room at Villa Medici at Fiesole redecorated in the 18th century carved gilt mirrors, lanterns on pedestals, crystal chandelier, a ornately carved furniture..... |
|
|
Syntax/gaming House Photo Mugs Doctor Syntax at a gaming house .... |
|
|
Quorum 8340-15-76 Valente 15 Light Chandelier, Florentine Gilt Finish The antique Florentine finish on the cast multi-tiered center columns of the chandeliers, the iron frames and scrolling arms and the lavish use of classic decorative elements like cast acanthus leaves, rosette medallions and trefoils suggest a 17th century Italian influence for our stately Valente Family. In this period of the Baroque, metalwork, especially in ornamental iron, achieved a level of ... |
|
|
Quorum 6266-5-76 Francesca 5 Light Nook, Florentine Gilt Finish w/Antique Amber Scavo Glass The very name, Francesca, suggests a beautiful princess in a tale from the romantic literature of the late Renaissance in Italy. Our Francesca Family celebrates the exuberant character of Italian art with Baroque flourishes like the cast rosette medallions and botanical accents, ornate center columns, coronas, finials and bobeches in Florentine Gilt. The graceful, fluted Antique Amber Scavo glass ... |
|
|
Fine Art 581840 Antique Gilt Bronze Byzance Crystal Five Light Chandelier from the Byzance Collectio Byzance Five-light chandelier of iron in antique gilt bronze finish. Solid brass fittings with copper accents. Features pale amethyst hand blown banded shade and fluted art glass elements. Includes 12? decorative chain for height adjustment. 5 Candelabra Base 60w Max (Not Included)... |
|
|
Designs for Gilt Bronze Objects From the French Restoration 1814-1830 : Clocks, Candelabras, Chandeliers, Sconces and Inkstands ... |
|
|
Designs for Gilt Bronze Objects from the French Restoration 1814-1830: Clocks, Candelabras, Chandeliers, Sconces and Inkwells ... |
|
|
Designs for Gilt Bronze Objects from the French Restoration 1814-1830: clocks, chandeliers, wall sconces, and inkstands ... |
