Biedermeier Vienna: life and culture during the period of Restoration 1815-1848

The term of “Biedermeier”, particularly characteristic for Vienna, means middle-class culture, art and way of life in the period of Restoration between 1815 and 1848. The ultra-conservative policy of the Metternich regime restrained political emancipation and caused the withdrawal of the burghers’ class into the sphere of privacy and domestic life. Therefore the main subjects of Biedermeier painting are family settings, bourgeois interiors and scenes from everyday life which convey a sense of order and harmony. Precious furniture, glassware, porcelain, textiles and jewellery show the remarkable quality of Biedermeier crafts and arts. The Restoration is also a great season of Austrian music (Beethoven, Schubert) and theatre (Grillparzer, Nestroy).

Program

We will start our walk in one of the few completely preserved  historic quarters of old Vienna, Spittelberg located in the 7^th district. Spittelberg is famous for its enchanting little streets and lovely Biedermeier and Baroque houses.  The next sight is the marvellous Volksgarten, a typical Biedermeier garden with the neoclassical Theseustempel and the monument of the most important Austrian classical dramatist: Franz Grillparzer. Corti’s famous coffeehouse, a well known dancing place in the pre-March period where Johann Strauss the Elder and Joseph Lanner used to perform, can still be seen in the western corner of the park. The monumental Heldenplatz today shows a historicist appearance. In the Biedermeier age -  when the city walls were still standing - it was a popular venue for leasure and promenades on the ramparts and garden terrasses of the Imperial Palace. We will then come to the Ringstrasse and take a tram to the Upper Belvedere. With masterpieces of Amerling, Danhauser, Fendi, Gauermann and Waldmüller the museum houses one of the best collections of Biedermeier painting.  The tour ends there allowing the guests to see other works of Austrian Art such as the world renownded Klimt collection or to enjoy the picturesque garden of the Palace. 

Practical information

MEETING POINT: we meet at the corner of Burggasse and Spittelberggasse 1070 Wien (7^th district).

ADMISSION FEES: Upper Belvedere.

DURATION: 2,5 hours.

END OF THE TOUR: Upper Belvedere.

ADVICE: Please have tickets for the public transport ready before the tour starts. 

OTHER INTERESTING VENUES:

The newly opened Wien Museum on Karlsplatz (the Museum of the city of Vienna). The highlight of the museum is Grillparzer’s entirely preserved apartment which gives you a lively impression of the middle class living standard during the period of Restoration.

The enchanting Geymüllerschlössel in the 18th dictrict (only in summer).

Spittelberg has a wonderful, very authentic Christmas Market (late November and December).

FURTHER READING: Nicholas T. Parson, Vienna. A Cultural and Literary History, Oxford 2008, pp 191-202.

Roy Strong, Vienna in the Age of Biedermeier: The Biedermeier Interior 1815-1848, London 1985.

Geraldine Norman, Biedermeier Painting 1815-1848, London 1987.

You may also consult The Belvedere Companion Guide (available in the museum shop).

(© except the Schubertiade all fotos Reinhard Travnicek)