Fiaker Ride

Finally, take a seat in a comfortable carriage and fly back to the present day with the enchanting Fiaker Ride.

Explore Vienna from the air and experience fantastic views of Hofburg Palace, Schönbrunn Palace, St. Stephen’s Cathedral or the Viennese Prater which do not exist anywhere else! Enjoy the new Fiakerride with laser effects and 3D mapping. Experience fireworks at the end of your Time Travel. The great views over Vienna are unique and confirm that Vienna is one of the most liveable cities in the world.

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Fiaker and Vienna today

In Vienna, we look back on a 300 years old history of the Fiaker. What the gondolas mean for Venice are the Fiakers in Vienna. The Fiaker consists of three parts: horses, carriage and coachman.

The term Fiaker comes originally from the French, as was in the Rue de Saint Fiacre in Paris, thefirst standfor pay-carriages. These were first used by a merchant in 1662. The namesake was, however, the Irish monk Fiacrius, whose image was on the outer wall of the local tavern. Saint Fiacrius received the heavenly patronage over this new profession.

In Vienna, the first Fiaker license was granted about 30 years later. In the 19th century. there were about 1,000 Fiakers in Vienna. Since the First World War, Fiakers in Vienna have been mainly rented for city tours, Prater visits (popular with confirmations) and special occasions (such as weddings).

The first female coachmen have been around since 1984. The prices for the tours are set by the City of Vienna and the traditional clothingis also regulated by law. Since 1998 a licence is necessary to be able to work as a Fiaker in Vienna.

Today there are about 40 Fiaker companies with 200 Fiaker-Horsecarriages in Vienna. Many of these carriages are now over 100 years old.

Among the approximately 40 Viennese coffee specialities, there is even a Fiaker coffee. This is a drink that is half composed of black coffee and whipped cream and refined with rum.

The Fiakergulasch is a popular Viennese dish. The Fiaker is also mentioned in numerous Viennese songs.

The State Treaty

The Austrian State Treaty was signed in the Marble Hall of Belvedere Palace on May 15, 1955 , after 10 years of occupation (1945-55).
It concerned the restoration of a free, independent and democratic Austria.
Neutrality was an important negotiating criterion. Leopold Figl and Julius Raab were the politicians involved.
Leopold Figl, the Foreign Minister at the time, was one of the signatories of the State Treaty, together with the respective Foreign Ministers and High Commissioners of the four occupying powers.
Figl is known for his famous words: “Austria is free”.

The respective Foreign Ministers and High Commissioners have signed the State Treaty: Molotov and Ilyichov for the Soviet Union, Macmillan and Wallinger for Great Britain, Dulles and Thompson for the USA, and Pinay and Lalouette for France. Leopold Figlsigned with agreen ink.

It is interesting to note that the original of the State Treaty is kept in Moscow and not in Vienna.
The document comprises almost 300 pages with translations into Russian, English, French and German.
It is kept in the archives of the Russian Foreign Ministry in Moscow.
The document is occasionally brought to Austria for exhibitions.

Capital of Austria

With over 1.8 million inhabitants, Vienna is the capital of Austria and at the same time one of the nine Austrian provinces.

Around 1900, Vienna already had over 2 million inhabitants, making it the fifth largest city in the world. At that time, Vienna was the imperial and royal capital and was regarded as the cultural and political center of Europe.

Architecturally, Vienna is still characterized by the buildings around the Vienna Ringstrasse from the Wilhelminian period, but also by the Baroque and Art Nouveau. The Hofburg was more than 640 yearsimperial residence and is one of the largest building complexes in the world.

Today, the Hofburg is the seat of the Federal President, as well as of the Federal Chancellor. About 15 museums are located here and a modern conference center attracts many guests from abroad. This was already the case at the Congress of Vienna in 1814/15, where Vienna played a significant role in international diplomacy, which has survived to this day.

The historic center of Vienna and Schönbrunn Palace are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Vienna is highly connected with classical music. The Vienna State Opera is one of the most important and beautiful opera houses worldwide.

Vienna is a green city, as nearly 50% of the area is green zone. The Prater, the green lung of Vienna, also plays a large part in this. There is the Giant Ferris Wheel, one of the landmarks of Vienna, besides of St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Vienna is considered to be a city with a very high standard of living and, in recent years, has consistently ranked number 1 in cities with the best quality of life worldwide.

After his father died suddenly of scarlet fever in 1849 at the age of just 45, his son was able to take over his father’s orchestra.
It was not until 1852 that Johann Strauss son was entrusted with the performance of music at the imperial court.
This was later followed by the title of k.k.Hofballmusik-Direktor.

The operetta “Fledermaus” and the “Gypsy Baron” created further hype.
He was showered with invitations and honors as the Waltz King.
During the day he composed countless waltzes and operettas and in the evening he played late into the night. He became famous worldwide for the Danube Waltz, which is regarded as Austria’s secret anthem.

Strauss’ enormous workload took its toll: physical breakdowns necessitated a series of spa stays in the years 1853 – 55.
He found inspiration in Badgastein and then spent several seasons as a guest in Pavlovsk near St. Petersburg, where he was also able to win over the Russian Tsar’s family.
It was the performances in Pavlovsk that allowed Strauss’s son to finally step out of his father’s shadow in Vienna.

In 1862, he married the former singer Henriette, called Jetty, who was seven years his senior and who also became his manager.
After she died in 1878, he married the actress and singer Ernestine Dittrich, known as Lili , who was 25 years his junior .
However, they soon divorced because of another man.
He consoled himself with Adele Strauss, 31 years his junior.
In order to marry her, he converted from Catholicism to Protestantism and even left the Austrian state and became a citizen of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

In 1872 , he embarked on his longest concert tour, which took him across the Atlantic to the “World Peace Festival” in Boston and on to New York .
However, he soon suffered from homesickness and was glad to be able to perform in Vienna again.

On June 3, 1899, he died at the age of 74 as a result of pneumonia. He was married three times and left no children.

His monument in the Stadtpark is one of the most photographed in Vienna and we can visit his grave of honor at the Central Cemetery.
His former home on Praterstrasse, where he composed the famous Danube Waltz, can also be visited.
There is also an interesting museum about the Strauss dynasty in the 9th district.

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