Vienna’s Ringstrasse extends over 5.3 kilometres, allowing room for hundreds of monumental buildings constructed during the period of Historicism between the 1860s and 1890s. Today, one of the largest attractions in the city is the Vienna State Opera or the Museum of Fine Arts.

“It is my will…” With these words in 1857, Emperor Franz Joseph started to create the Ringstrasse. The rich citizens and nobles soon constructed splendid palaces along this grand boulevard, most of which are still to be admired today, though from the outside in many cases. The architectural style of these buildings became known as the Ringstrasse style, a form of Historicism that characterizes the mix of elements from different historical periods.

While the palaces are impressive, it is the larger structures along the Ringstrasse that tend to attract people’s attention. Of interest are the Neo-Renaissance Vienna State Opera, the Parliament, City Hall (Flemish Gothic), the Burgtheater (New Baroque), the university, Neo-Renaissance, the Museum for Applied Art, Vienna Stock Exchange, and the New Gothic Votive Church. Both are architectural gems in the form of Neo-Renaissance masterpieces that not only house priceless collections but also provide architectural brilliance. Such masters as architects Theophil von Hansen, Karl Freiherr von Hasenauer, Gottfried Semper, Heinrich von Ferstel, and Friedrich von Schmidt defined the boulevard’s image. As an additional result of the blooming artistic movement, by the late 19th century, Viennese Art Nouveau emerged – a style clearly different from the pompous Ringstrasse trend, causing much discomfort.