3rd District (Landstrasse)
On the second day of my challenge I was in the 3rd District (Landstrasse) with the Nikon 28mm 1.4 lens on the way. So again a wide-angle day – but without tilt-shift function and on a sunny day with blue sky. The starting point of my trip was Hintere Zollamtsstraße, where I parked my bike in front of the Ministry of Finance and started my walk through the 3rd. district.
The third district was established in 1850 by the incorporation of several villages built in the Middle Ages or later. These were Landstraße, Weißgerber and Erdberg. The first settlements were established in the 9th century BC by the Celts. During the Romans the area was the civilian city belonging to the Vindobona military camp. The livelihood of the population was originally agriculture – wine and vegetable cultivation. The cattle market was moved to St. Marx in 1797. With the beginning of industrialization, the settlement of many factories and factories and the influx of workers from all parts of the monarchy changed the character of the area.
Hintere Zollamtsstraße is characterized by many modern buildings, in which mainly public institutions are located. In the City Tower Vienna is the Justice Center Wien-Mitte – the seat of several courts.
The adjacent buildings include the Federal Data Centre and the Ministry of Finance.
This old vent belongs to the main coin office, which was built in 1835-1838. It is located right next to the main line of the Vienna S-Bahn.
The most famous tourist attraction in the 3rd The district is Belvedere Castle, which was built in the early 18th century for Prince Eugene of Savoy. The Lower Belvedere is located at the lower part of the slope.
A huge baroque garden connects the Lower Belvedere with the Upper Belvedere. In the park there are statues of female musicians and especially sphinxes, who guard the complex at all corners.
The view from the Upper Belvedere towards the city explains the name of the castle. You really have a beautiful view over the city of Vienna with its local mountains in the background.
Although the upper entrance to the Belvedere can be found in every tourist guide, I still had to take some photos …
The Second World War has also left visible marks in this district. In the Arenbergpark there is an anti-aircraft system (codename “Baldrian”) with a fire control tower and a battle tower – the largest of its kind in Vienna. For their construction, special rail tracks were built and houses demolished. The towers themselves, with their walls up to 2.50m thick, will probably remain in the city for many decades to come. They are not so easy to tear off …
An old telephone box as a library and a flowering yellow yarrow are further impressions of the Arenbergpark.
The Russian Monument at Schwarzenbergplatz is also a reminder of the turbulent times of the 20th century.
Adjacent to this is the “Embassy Quarter”. Already in the 19th century numerous embassies settled in Landstrasse. In the middle of it is the Christ Church Vienna. This Anglican church was built in the 19th century as an embassy church of the British Embassy in Vienna.
The Gardekirche was originally a hospital church for the Trinity Hospital on Rennweg. Joseph II converted the hospital into barracks.
The Hundertwasser Haus has also become a touring magnet in recent decades. Designed by the Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser, the residential complex has become world-famous due to the lack of straight lines, the colourful paintings and the dense greenery. The last time I was here was shortly after the house opened in 1985 with my grandmother. At that time we could still visit the apartments with the uneven floors, round crooked walls and colourful decorations.
Finally, a few impressions of the district: colourfully painted facades and interesting reflections.
The third district is one of the medium-sized districts in terms of area. So I was only able to visit a small part of it. Nevertheless, I got to know a lot of new places and visited already known parts again after a long time.
