Emerging from the dimly lit U-Bahn beneath Stephansplatz in the heart of Vienna’s Old City into the bright sunshine of the plaza above, one is immediately confronted with contrasts that have much more to them than shades of light. Indeed, at every turn remains of the city’s glorious imperial past lie amidst the bourgeois hustle and bustle of modern day life. One first spots the beautiful thirteenth century Stephansdom, the very soul of the city, standing grandly in the middle of the square despite the intrusion of the ten year old Haas Haus, a modern asymmetrical structure of glass and marble popular with tourists but scorned by locals. And nearby, k.-und-k. boutiques with long traditions of royal service sit poised among the high-end shops of the nouveau riche (Louis Vuitton, Dolce & Gabbana, etc.). The feeling of schizophrenia that one might sense from this description is really not limited to the architecture, music, or commerce of the city, but rather permeates the entire Viennese world view. Although it has been almost a century since the end of the empire, Vienna still seems unsure of its identity. Partly old imperial capital and partly new provincial backwater, Vienna continues to celebrate the fin-de-siècle glory days of the Habsburg Monarchy while at the same time resigning itself to its more subdued role in the debut-de-siècle European Union.
Introduction
JVF Conference Papers
