Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XVI.djvu/371

This page needs to be proofread.

VIENNA 351 'eluding the largest known emerald; the Flqr entine diamond of 133 carats, lost by Charfe the Bold in one of his battles with the Swiss the regalia used at the coronation of the Ger man emperors, said to have been taken from the tomb of Charlemagne ; Benvenuto Cel lini's celebrated salt cellar ; and many objects of historical interest. The cabinet of coins and antiquities contains over 140,000 coins anc a large collection of cameos and intaglios, vases bronzes, and gems. The imperial cabinets o: zoology and botany and of mineralogy are al- most unrivalled in completeness. An orienta museum was opened in 1875. In the armory of the arsenal is a curious collection of tro- phies of war. The miscellaneous Ambras col- lection in the Belvedere derives its name from a castle in Tyrol, whence it was transferred to Vienna. Connected with it is a museum of Egyptian antiquities. The Belvedere con- tains the imperial picture gallery, with .over 2,000 paintings by almost all the great mas- ters. The collections of Prince Liechtenstein, Count Harrach, and other noblemen, and the academy of fine arts, also abound in remark- able works. The imperial library, founded in 1440, has about 600,000 volumes, 20,000 man- uscripts, and 300,000 engravings. The uni- versity library, founded in 1777, has 160,000 volumes ; that of the archduke Albrecht con- tains a superb collection of engravings and drawings. The collection of manuscripts in the oriental academy is probably the richest in the world. Valuable libraries of from 10,000 to 80,000 volumes are attached to scientific institutions and convents, and to several pri- vate palaces. The university of Vienna, found- ed in 1365, enjoys a world- wide celebrity for the excellence of its medical school. In the summer term of 1875 the university had 3,919 students, of whom 32 were from the United States. The number of instructors in the win- ter term of 1875-'6 was 210. Astronomical and meteorological observatories, a botanic garden, and various museums and institutions are connected with the university. The Jo- sephinum, an academy for the instruction of army surgeons, long famous for its anatomi- cal preparations in wax, was recently closed. The polytechnic institute has extensive chemi- cal, physical, and technological collections. In 1868 it was attended by 600 students, and in 1875 by 1,300. An agricultural college was founded in 1872. The academy of sciences, the geological institute, and the military geo- graphical institute all occupy a high rank. The oriental academy prepares candidates for the diplomatic service in the East. The Theresia- num, formerly accessible only to the aristocra- cy, now admits all classes. Among govern- ment institutions, the imperial printing office, a vast establishment, is in some respects un- rivalled in its appliances. There are five gym- nasiums, four Realgymnasien, eight Sealschu- len, more than 100 elementary public schools, and many special schools. The city devotes a 819 VOL. xvi. 23 capital of over 18,000,000 florins to charitable institutions, which are numerous and admira- bly managed. The general hospital accommo- dates 8,000 patients; in the connected lying- in hospital more than half of the illegitimate births (10,615 out of a total of 27,265 in 1874) take place, the surrounding country largely contributing to the number. Vienna swarms with coffee houses, beer gardens, and other public resorts. The Prater, the principal prom- enade, is a fine park on an island in the Dan- ube, over 5 m. long. It contains six principal avenues, one of which is chiefly frequented by fashionable people with elegant equipages ; but the avenues leading to the so-called Wur- stelprater, with panoramas, swings, bands of music, and rustic kitchens, are more animated, and their gay aspect is enhanced by the va- ried costumes of the Austrian nationalities, as well as of Servians, Greeks, and Turks. The great exhibition, opened in the Prater May 1, 1873, was visited by about 5,500,000 persons. The rotunda, the central portion of the main building, has been preserved. (See INDUS- TRIAL EXHIBITIONS.) Among other open-air resorts are the Volksgarten, with Canova's group of "Theseus vanquishing the Centaur," in a temple designed after that of Theseus at Athens ; the city park on the Eingstrasse, with the Schubert monument ; and the botanic gar- den. There are eight theatres, besides the new opera house. The Burgtheater is the best in Germany; the Carltheater is patronized by all classes; while the most popular with the masses are the Josephstadter Theater and the Volkstheater in the Prater, in which last plays in the Viennese dialect are performed. The elevation of the city near its centre is about 500 ft. above the sea. The climate is change- able and unhealthful ; the average tempera- ture of the year is 52, of summer 70, and of winter 32. In spring and autumn the city is exposed to high winds, and pulmonary dis- eases prevail. The annual death rate is about 36 in 1,000. Vienna is supplied with excel- lent water from the Schneeberg, 40 m. distant, by an aqueduct completed in 1873, the most important modern work of the kind in con- tinental Europe. The city is an emporium for the trade with the East. The principal arti-

les of manufacture are fancy leather, moth-

r-of-pearl and meerschaum articles, jewelry, dd gloves, clocks, musical and optical instru- ments, shawls, silks, and velvets. In the first lalf of 1875 the exports to the United States amounted to about 1,400,000 florins ; they consisted chiefly of mother-of-pearl and horn >uttons, leather, hides, furs, musical instru- ments, pipes, and kid gloves. The number if banks was reduced by the recent financial risis from 69 in 1873 to 26 in 1875. Vienna s the centre of an important railway system, t communicates by steamboat with Linz and 5 esth, but the shipping is inconsiderable, lorse railways cross the city in all directions. The immediate surroundings offer charm-