The Ringstraße, or as the Viennese call it, “the Ring”, serves as a real “showcase” for imperial Vienna. Wandering along the Ringstraße, you will plunge into the glittering past of the capital of Austro-Hungary. During this excursion you will see the administrative center of Vienna and the urban castles of Viennese aristocrats. The Academy of Fine Arts, museums, Parliament, the Rathaus, and the University are lined up in a row, we might say, creating an uninterrupted architectural set.
The best architects and sculptors were brought to Vienna on the summons of Emperor Franz Joseph I, when it was decided in the middle of the nineteenth century to remove the fortified wall. Over the next 50 years, architectural masterpieces in the inimitable Viennese style of “historicism” were raised in the liberated space, combining in themselves the most impressive elements of architecture from various eras.
As you stroll along the Ringstraße you can always stop to rest in the shade of the avenues, gardens, and parks prudently scattered along the boulevard by the court architects.