The Parliament

Monday morning at the Parliament

I arrived there bright and early, approaching the building from the back. Its roofline is graced by chariots, statues of ancient scholars and statesmen (or so they say), and a very utilitarian temporary ... toolshed.
(Now, don't be mistaken, I do not know anything about that "toolshed". It could well be that the little hut is the product of an artist's mastermind, and that they are moving it around according to the cycle of the moon).

When I was still brandnew to Vienna and spotted that shed for the first time, I was horrified that such an ugly little building disgraced the stately Parliament. I was ready to fire off letters of protest to the mayor and the President of the Parliament.
Good thing I didn't get around to write them. ;-)

Standing right under the protruding toolshed
and looking beyond the Ringstrasse,
you are greeted by the sight of chestnut trees.
They guard the Volksgarten's rose garden.
Further in the distance,
the scaffolded steeple of St. Stephan's Cathedral.
Next to it, the cupola of the Hofburg
(Michael's Wing of the Imperial Winter Palace).

Here I have to break for a public service announcement:
Crossing Volksgarten, then either choosing to walk through
Heldenplatz or Ballhausplatz, you reach Michaelerplatz
in about ten minutes.
Demel's on Kohlmarkt is then yours
in less than a minute.
Back to headquarters!

Broad ramps lead to the above street level entrance of the Parliament. The Horse Tamer's statue is a 1901 work by the sculptor Josef Lax, Karl Kundmann's Palace Athene was added to the fountain in front of the building in 1902.

On the 12th of November 1918, after the collapse of the Habsburg empire, the formation of the Republic of Austria was proclaimed in this building. It had originally been built in the late 19th century to house the Parliament of the Austrian part of the Habsburg empire.

Pallas Athene
saluting the Burgtheater building.

I showed up too early:
They had not yet finished turning off
all of the Ringstrassen street lights.
Early bird catches the action!

Pallas Athene
Fountain

View of the Parliament
Street car passing
Ringstrassen entrance of the
Volksgarten