Exhibition in the Lower Belvedere, Vienna – ends 6/21/2015

With Europe in Vienna – the Congress of Vienna 1814/15, a comprehensive exhibition will be on display in the rooms of the Lower Belvedere and the Orangery through June 21, 2015. The exhibition illuminates the political and societal aspects of this exceptional event, over which all of Europe held its breath for months on end.

Final record_1815, Copyright Andy Wenzel, BKA, Österr. Staatsarchiv

The Congress of Vienna is considered one of the most significant international events in European history. 200 years ago, Vienna was the political, cultural and societal center of Europe. All of the great powers of Europe sent their delegates to advise on the reshaping of the continent, which had lost its political stability through the Napoleonic Wars. Emperor Franz I of Austria was the host, and Prince von Metternich represented Austria and acted as president of the Congress. The goal of the Congress was to create and secure peace and order in Europe through a balance of power. The meeting of European diplomacy was accompanied by all sorts of societal events whose grandeur has been recorded in numerous written documents and images. Vienna blossomed as the center of cultural life, artists came to the imperial city, and all aspects of art in Austria were stimulated.

There is hardly another political, diplomatic and societal event in the 19th century on which there is so much different material than the Congress of Vienna, which turned the Danube metropolis into the focal point of Europe for a brief period. The works on exhibition range from news illustrations and caricatures to history paintings all the way to portraits. The range of topics extends from the wars of liberation to the occupation of Vienna all the way to the Battle of Leipzig in 1813, and it also adequately represents the protagonists among the nobility and bourgeoisie.

Seen as a whole, the Congress was a political success. The borders within Europe were established for a long time. Numerous conflicts of interest and tensions were mediated. For nearly 40 years, there was no more war on a European scale.

Europe in Vienna2, Copyright Eva Würdinger, Belvedere Wien

“You come at the right time to see great things. Europe is in Vienna.” This is how the French nobleman Charles Joseph de Ligne greeted Count Auguste de La Garde, a chronicler of the Congress. Due to its conciseness in connecting Europe and Vienna, this formulation gave the name to the exhibition in the Belvedere.

Especially for history buffs – a comprehensive exhibition on the 200th anniversary of the Congress of Vienna in the splendiferous rooms of the Lower Belvedere, which in itself is well worth seeing.

Where and when:
Lower Belvedere and Orangery
Rennweg 6, 1030 Vienna

Daily from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Wednesdays from 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM

Admission prices per person:
Adults         € 11.00
Senior citizens (60 years and up) and students up to 26 years of age        € 8.50
Children and youth up to 18 years of age              free
Discounted admission with valid Vienna ticket         € 9.50

For further details and information, click here.

Image credits: © Belvedere Wien and Österreichisches Staatsarchiv.