Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 20.djvu/167

VIENNA. 127 VIENNA. The equally eelelirated art museum indudes tlic art treasures of the linporial House. In this sec- tion is one of the priufipul military institu- tions known as the Military Geoiiraphical In- stitute. Southeast of the art nniseum, near the Ring, is the Schillerplatz, with Schilling's line hronze Schiller monument. The .square is Hanked on two sides by the Palace of Justice and the Academy of Art. The Goethe monument, hy Ilellmer. is to the north. In the vicinity is the fine Elizabeth bridge (with statues) leading over the Wien to the southern suburb of Wieden. Adjacent, facing soutli on the river, in the nar- row space which from this point lies between the Wien and the Ringstrasse, are the Commercial Academy, the Kiinstlerhaus with a permanent exhibition of modern ])ietures, and the Renais- sance building of the Alusikverein. In the last are the Vienna Conservatory of Music, with a musical library of over 20,000 works, and a mu- seum. In the district of Wieden is the Polyteclinic Institution, with collections and a laboratory. Turning northeast from the Wieden district, along the exterior side of the Ring, we pass the Schwartzenberg monument, the Academic Gym- nasium, and the bronze statue of Beethoven erected in 1880. The charming little Stadt- Park farther on has an attractive Kursalon. Here are the fine monuments to Schubert, by Kundmann, and to the painter Schindler, by Hellmer, Beyond are the Austrian iluseum of Art and Industry and the Art Indtistrial School — botli in sightly brick Renaissance edifices, em- bellished with attractive features, and connected by a passageway. These institutions are models of their kind. Extensive quays along the Do- naukanal, which is spanned in this section by the Aspern, Ferdinand, Stephanie, and Maria Theresa bridges, connect the extremities of the Ring. East of the "ien, just above its mouth, stretches the Landstrasse district, with the cus- tom-house, the central markets, the mint, the geological institution, the botanic garden, and the Metternich palace. South from this sec- tion extends the Belvedere Garden, with a palace at either end. Immediately to the west are the Schwarzenberg Palace and Gardens. The district northeast of the Danube Canal, opposite the old city, is the Leopoldstadt. Adjoining this section on the north is the Augarten Park. The main arter}' of the Leopoldstadt is the fine and broad Praterstrasse, stretching northeast to Prater. The International Exhibition of 1873 was held here. Among ecclesiastical buildings not hitherto mentioned are the Karlskirche, erected in the eighteenth century by Fischer von Erlach, in the district of Wieden, and the Church of Slaria Stiegen (Mari.a am Gestade) in the inner city, dating from 1,394. The inner city also contains the Church of Saint Michael, orig- inally erected early in the thirteenth century. The Altlerchenfeld Church, in the district of Neubau, is a fine modern brick edifice, in the Italian mediaeval style. In the Leopoldstadt is the handsome modern Jewish synagogue, in the Moorish style. One of the most striking of secular buildings is the arsenal, in the south- eastern section, with its fine army museum. Near it are the stations of the Southern and State railways. The finest railroad station is the Nordbahnhof, near the entrance to the Prater. Among jjhuM's of burial, the large Central Ceme- tery, with its fine monuments, claims attention. A new quarter of the city, called the Do naustadt, has sprung up on both sides of the Danube, northeast of the Leopoldstadt, as a result of the Danube improvement works, which have provided a broad new channel for the river and done away with the inundations formerly so destructive. An even more remarkiilile tri- umph of engineering skill was the recently com- pleted regulation of the Wien, which in the eentn^ of the city now flows largely underground. The environs of Vienna have much of interest and charm. On the northwest rise the Kahlen- berg and the Loopoldsberg, whose summits, about 1400 feet above the sea, present an impressive view of mountains, city, and the Danube jjlain. A mountain railway leads to tiie top of the Kahlenberg. The historical SchiJnbrunn Palace (q.v. ) is on the southwest of the city, and the battlefields of Aspern and Wagram lie on the Marchfeld plain to the east, with the island of Lobau. South of the city is the picturesque Bruhl — a ravine converted into beautiful jileas- ure grounds. Industries and Commerce. Vienna is a great and growing centre of manufactures and has of late enormously increased its number of facto- ries ; but its commercial range is becoming re- stricted, owing to the rivalry of Berlin and Budapest. The Imperial prestige and tradi- tional gayety of Vienna have relatively declined as the result of party strife. Taste aiid artistic ingenuity characterize Vienna manufactures; the city is noted for its elegant shops and its ob- jects of art. It produces also machinery, metal wares, fine furniture, pottery, clothing, millinery, musical instruments, etc. The product of the great ^^ienna breweries is celebrated. Among the chief articles of commerce are grain, cattle, wine, textiles, coal, iron, flour, wood, clothing, slioes, leather goods, books, and art publications. Administration. Administratively the city is subject to the Diet and Governor of Lower Aus- tria, and its Burgomaster must be approved by the Emperor. It is, however, virtually autono- mous. The number of its districts or wards was increased to 20 in 1900. The modern sani- tary reforms have greatly diminished the annual death rate (approximately 20 per 1000). It was not until 1873 that the city was first sup- plied with good drinking water by an aque- duct, and this supply has been greatly in- creased and improved. Vienna is surpassed by many cities with respect to lighting and facili- ties for intercommunication. It can. however, now boast of an admirably constructed metro- politan railway. The finances are on the whole on a good footing. In 1900 the total mvuiicipal receipts were approximately .$22.300,000 — about one-eighth being extraordinary. The total ex- penditure was $23,000,000. The great increase in these figures in late years has been due nat- urally to the extensive improvements of every nature. The city owns the gas and electricity works, and the tramway system. Population, Education, and Chabitie,?. The population in 1900 was 1,674,957, Vienna being the largest city in Austria-Hungary and the fourth largest in Europe. About three-quarters