Heaven and EarthLeopoldstadt and Josefsplatz

Virgin Mary
Leopoldstad
2nd District


Emperor Joseph II
Equestrian statue at Josefsplatz
by Franz Anton von Zauner, 1746 - 1822
In the background, under wraps,
the Redoute Wing of the Imperial Palace

Images and Text © by Merisi
Link:
-> Emperor Joseph II @ Wikipedia
Joseph II (Joseph Benedikt Anton Michael Adam; 13 March 1741 – 20 February 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1765 to 1790 and ruler of the Habsburg lands from 1780 to 1790. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Francis I, and was the brother of Marie Antoinette. He was thus the first ruler in the Austrian dominions of the House of Lorraine, styled Habsburg-Lorraine (von Habsburg-Lothringen in German). Joseph was a proponent of enlightened absolutism; however, his commitment to modernizing reforms subsequently engendered significant opposition, which eventually culminated in an ultimate failure to fully implement his programmes. He has been ranked, with Catherine II of Russia and Frederick II of Prussia, as one of the three great Enlightenment monarchs.
Quoted from Wikipedia