Austrian Parliament Building
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The Austrian Parliament Building, (German: Parlament or Hohes Haus, formerly the Reichsratsgebäude), is where the two Houses of the Parliament of Austria conduct their sittings. The building lies at the Ringstraße in the first district Innere Stadt in Vienna, close by the Hofburg Imperial Palace and the Palace of Justice. Coordinates:
The main construction lasted from 1874 to 1883. The architect responsible for the building was Baron Theophil von Hansen, the building is an example of Greek revival. The architect von Hansen designed the building as an ensemble, where each piece harmonised with the rest. He was therefore also responsible for the interior decoration such as statues, paintings, furniture, chandeliers, and other elements. One of the building's most famous features is the statue of Athena and the fountain, a notable Viennese tourist attraction. Despite heavy damages and destruction during World War II, most of the interior has been restored to its original appearance.
The parliament building covers over 13,500 square meters, making it one of the largest structures on the Ringstraße. It was constructed to house the two chambers of the Reichsrat, the legislature of the Austrian part (Cisleithania) of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Today, the parliament building is seat of the National Council (Nationalrat) and the Federal Council (Bundesrat). It contains over 100 rooms, the most important of which are the Chambers of the National Council, the Federal Council and the former imperial House of Representatives (Abgeordnetenhaus). The building also includes committee rooms, libraries, lobbies, dining-rooms, bars and gymnasiums. It is the site of important state ceremonies, most notably the swearing-in ceremony of the President of Austria and the state speech on National Day on each October 26. The building is very closely associated with the two Houses, as shown by the use of "Hohes Haus" as a metonym for "Parliament". Parliamentary offices overspill into nearby buildings such as the Palais Epstein.
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[edit] History
The new imperial constitution (known as the Februar-Patent) promulgated in 1861 created the Reichsrat as an effective legislature. For that purpose, a new building had to be constructed to house this constitutional organ. The original plan was to construct two separate buildings for each chamber, one for the House of Lords and one for the House of Representatives. However after the Ausgleich which effectively created the Dual-Monarchy in 1867, Hungary received its own separate legislative body, and the original plan for two buildings was dropped.
The precursor to the present building was the temporary House of Deputies or Representatives (Abgeordnetenhaus), located at Währinger Straße, which was erected within six weeks. In its layout the Abgeordnetenhaus would be a model for the later parliament building. This temporary structure was opened in 1861 by Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria. The building was soon named afterwards named "Schmerlingtheater", after its Speaker Anton von Schmerling. The "Schmerlingtheater" was used by the deputies until the construction of the new building in 1884.
The site was the location of the city’s fortifications and walls. In his famous decree (Es ist Mein Wille at Wikisource) in 1857, Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria laid down the plans of the Ringstraße boulevard, which replaced the old walls. The parliament building was supposed to feature prominently on the Ringstraße, in close proximity to the Hofburg Palace and the city hall of Vienna.
An Imperial Commission was appointed to study the building of the Parliament. The Commission decided that the building’s style should be classical. Those who preferred the classical style argued that classical Greek architecture was appropriate for Parliament, since it is connected to the Ancient Greeks and the ideal of democracy.
After studying rival proposals, the Imperial Commission chose Theophil von Hansen's plan for a classical style building. In 1869, the Imperial and Royal Ministry of the Interior gave von Hansen the order to design a new parliament building.
Ground was broken on June 1874, the cornerstone has the date “2. September 1874“ etched into it. At the same time, work also commenced on the nearby two imperial museums (Kunsthistorisches Museum, Naturhistorisches Museum), the city hall and the university. In November 1883 the offices of the House of Representatives were completed and started being used. On December 4, 1883 the House of Representatives held its first session under its president Franz Smolka. On December 16, 1884, the House of Lords under its president Count Trauttmansdorff held its first session. Both chambers would continue to sit in the building until the end of the empire in 1918.
The fountain with the statue of Athena in front of the building was designed by Baron Hansen as well, but only completed in 1898 to 1902. The official name of the building was Reichsratsgebäude (Council of the Realm Building), the street behind the building Reichsratsstraße still reminds of the former name. The word Parliament however was in use since the beginning as well.
The building saw tumultuous years during the Austro-Hungarian Empire, as the House of Representatives was extremely fractious between liberals and conservatives, German-speaking nationalists and Czech deputies, as well as the government and parliament. It became a common feature of undisciplined deputies to throw inkwells at each other. The joke on the street was that Athena was so disgusted by the political infighting, that her statue purposely has her back turned to the building.
Nevertheless the building housed the first form of a parliamentary system for much of the people of Central Europe. Some of the former deputies continued their political carriers after the fall of the empire and became important politicians in their home countries.
The Reichsratsgebäude continued to function until 1918, when the building was occupied by demonstrators during the end of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. From the ramp of the building, the First Republic was officially proclaimed. The building itself was renamed as “Parliament”, with the new republican National Council (Nationalrat) and Federal Council (Bundesrat) replacing the old imperial House of Deputies (Abgeordnetenhaus) and the House of Lords (Herrenhaus). The parliament ceased to function with the introduction of the Austro-fascist dictatorship and the Anschluß of Austria to Nazi-Germany in 1938. Half of the building suffered heavy damage or was destroyed, such as the former Lords Chamber and the Hall of Columns, by Allied bombs in the course of the Second World War. It was in the old Abgeordnetenhaus Chamber that the new Chancellor Dr. Karl Renner declared the rebirth of an independent Austria, helped by Soviet troops. Max Fellerer and Eugen Wörle were commissioned as architect; they chose to redesign and readapt the former Lords Chamber for the National Council, in the process the meeting room of the National Council was rebuilt in a modern and functional style. Work on the National Council Chamber was completed in 1956. The original appearance of the other publicly accessible premises and the building's external appearance were largely restored to von Hansen's design, such as of the Hall of Columns.
[edit] Exterior
Baron von Hansen's design for the Reichsratsgebäude uses the neo-Greek style, which was popular during the 19th century Classic revival. Von Hansen was himself a classical architect, having constructed various other buildings in Vienna in the same style. The Greek architectural style was chosen as a reminder of antique Greece as the "cradle of democracy".
The original plans actually saw a separate building for the House of Representatives and the House of Lords. For practical and financial reasons it was decided to house both chambers in one building. Von Hansen's concept of the layout reflected the structure of the Council of the Realm (Reichsrat), as was stipulated by the so-called February Patent of 1861, which laid down the constitutional structure for the empire. The two chambers were connected to each other by the great hypostyle hall, which was the central structure. The hall was supposed to be the meeting point between the commoners and the lords, reflecting the structure of the society back then.
The gable has not changed since the monarchy and is decorated with symbols and allegories of the 17 provinces (Kronländer) of the old Austro-Hungarian Empire. The ramp is about four meters high. The pillars are in the Corinthian style. On both ends of the roof are quadrigas. It used to be surrounded by smaller patches of lawns, which have been transformed into parking spaces. The building is up to four storeys high.
[edit] Roof
Corresponding to the horse-tamers at the Ringstraße ramp, eight quadrigas made out of bronze decorate the roof on both ends. The quadriga is a symbol of victory, driven by the goddess of victory Nike. The attic of both chambers are richly decorated with symbolism. 76 marble statues and 66 reliefs form a decorative ensemble. 44 allegorical statues represent human qualities and branches of human activity, while 32 statues represent famous personalities from the antique era. The reliefs are allegorical as well and correspond to the area of public life that the famous personalities had an impact on. 50 smaller reliefs portray the lands, important cities and rivers of the empire. The roof is for the most part kept in the ancient Greek form, decorated with ancient Greek-style caps and palmettes made out of copper sheet metal.
[edit] Material
It was the emperor’s personal wish to use Austrian marble for the construction of the buildings at the Ringstraße. For that purpose, marble from the village of Laas (Lasa) in the county of Tyrol was brought in and generously used on the Hofburg Imperial Palace and the Reichsratsgebäude. For the architect Baron von Hansen, the white, sturdy stone was perfect, since building blocks for the façade and statues could be made just to look like in ancient Greece. Over the decades and with increased air pollution, the marble has proved remarkably resilient, stronger than its famous counterpart from Carrara.
[edit] Bronzework
Four bronze statues of the horse tamers are located at the two lower ends of the ramp Auffahrtsrampe. They are a powerful symbol of the suppression of passion, an important precondition for successful parliamentary cooperation. They were designed and executed by J. Lax in the Kaiserlich Königliche Kunst-Erzgießerei in 1897 and 1900. Further bronze works are the two quadrigas on top of the roof, each chariot pulled by four horses and steered by the goddess Nike. The bronze works had to undergo extensive conservation and restoration work in the 1990s, due to acid rain and air pollution. Further oxidation corroded the bronze over the decades and ate holes into the sculptures. For that purpose each sculpture was completely encased into a separate structure to protect them from the elements while they underwent restoration.
[edit] Pallas-Athene-Fountain
The Athena Fountain (Pallas-Athene-Brunnen) in front of the Parliament was erected between 1893 and 1902 by Carl Kundmann, Josef Tautenhayn, and Hugo Haerdlt, based on the plans by Baron von Hansen. In the middle is a water-basin and a richly decorated base. The four lying figures at the foot of Athena are allegorical representations of the four most important rivers of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. They represent at the front the Danube and Inn, in the back part the Elbe and Vltava (German: Moldau) rivers. On the sides are little cupids riding dolphins. The statues of the Danube, Inn, and the cupids were executed by Haerdtl, those of the Elbe and Moldau by Kundmann. The female statues above represent the legislative and executive powers of the state, executed by Tautenhayn. They are again dominated by the Goddess of Wisdom, Athena standing on a pillar. Athena is dressed in armor with a gilded helmet, her left hand carries a spear, her right carries Nike.
[edit] Grounds
Parliament is surrounded by greenery. On the north side the Rathausplatz park is located, on the southern side a smaller lawn next to the Justizpalast. Monuments to the founders of the First Republic as well as to Dr. Karl Renner are located on either ends.
[edit] Interior
[edit] The entrance
The middle axis from east to west is divided into entrance hall, vestibule, atrium, peristyle and then two large rooms at the far end. For the interior decoration Baron von Hansen used Greek architectural elements such as Doric, Ionic and Corinthian pillars, and in the two rooms Pompei-style stucco technique for the walls.
The main entrance at the portico is an exact copy of the gate of the Erechtheion on the Akropolis in Athens, and fitted with a bronze portal. From the main entrance at the Ringstraße one passes the vestibule of the building, which contains Ionic pillars. The walls are decorated with Pavonazzo marble. The niches contain statues of Greek gods. Seen from the entrance starting from the left are Apollo, Athena, Zeus, Hera, Hephaestus and from the right Hermes, Demeter, Poseidon, Artemis and Ares.
Above the niches with the gods is a frieze by the Viennese artist Alois Hans Schram, running along the corridor and continuing in the atrium. The frieze is more than 100 meters long. It is an allegorical depiction of the blessing of Peace, the civic Virtues and Patriotism.
Above the entrance that leads to the grand Hall of Pillars (Säulenhalle) is a frieze with an allegorical depiction of Austria on her throne. Representing the motto "Goods and Blood for thy country" (Gut und Blut furs Vaterland), warriors are swearing their loyalty and women are bringing offerings.
[edit] Hall of Pillars
Located behind the entrance atrium is the grand Hall of Pillars (Säulenhalle) or peristyle. The hall is about 40 meters long and 23 meters broad. The 24 corinthian pillars are made out of Adnet marble, all of them monoliths weighing around 16 tons each. The pillars carry the skylight main ceiling in the middle and the coffered side ceilings. The floor is made out of polished marble, which rests on a concrete hull. The space below was designed to be used as a hypocaust for floor heating and air circulation system of the hall.
Located at the transverse axis on either ends from the Hall of Pillars is the chamber of the former House of Representatives (on the left side) and the chamber of the former House of Lords (on the right side). The architect von Hansen's idea was to have the Hall of Pillars as the main central part of the building. It was designed to act as a meeting point between the House of Lords and the House of Representatives. Hansen also wanted to have the hall used by the monarch for the State Opening of Parliament and the Speech from the Throne, similar to the British tradition. However such ceremonies were never held in the building, since Emperor Franz Joseph I had a personal disdain for the parliamentary body. Speeches from the Throne in front of the parliamentarians were held in the Hofburg Palace instead.
The Hall of Pillars is an epitome of classical perfection. The architect von Hansen paid particular attention to the design and construction of this hall. Not only architecturally and design-wise is this his masterpiece, the building material itself is of the highest quality. The marble floor was polished in a complicated process. The capitals of the pillars were gilded with 23 carat (96%) gold. Running around at the wall was a frieze, which was 126 meters long and 2.3 meters tall. It was designed and painted by Eduard Lebiedzki. The monumental piece of work took decades to prepare and design, and it took four years, from 1907 until 1911, to paint. The frieze showed allegories on a golden background, depicting the duties of parliament.
The hall was heavily damaged by aerial bombardments by British and American bombers during World War II. On February 7, 1945 the hall sufferend direct hits by aerial bombs. At least two pillars and the skylight were complete destroyed. The gilded coffered side ceilings under which the frieze ran on the walls was almost completely destroyed. The few surviving parts of the frieze were removed and stored. Only in the 1990s were the surviving parts restored as much as possible.
Because of its representative character, the Hall of Pillars is presently used by the President of the National Council and the Federal Council for festive functions, as well as the traditional parliamentary reception.
Located at the back of the Hall of Pillars is the reception salon (room) (Empfangssalon) of the President of the National Council. The room is fitted with pompeian wall decorations in stucco and a large glass skylight. Hanging on the wall are portraits of the President of the National Council since 1945.
Further behind the reception salon is the former reception hall for both chambers of the Reichsrat. It is used today for committee meetings and hearings on financial-, state budget-, and audit court matters by the National Council, therefore its present name Budgetsaal. The hall is richly decorated with marble, stucco, and a rich coffered ceiling in the Renaissance style. Laid into the ceiling are the coat of arms of the 17 Kronländer kingdoms and lands represented in the Reichsrat.
[edit] Former House of Representatives Chamber
The chamber of the former House of Representatives (Abgeordnetenhaus) is used today by the Federal Assembly (Bundesversammlung) whenever it convenes for special occasions such as National Day and the inauguration ceremony of a newly-elected Federal President of Austria. The chamber is built in a semi-circle with 34 meters in diameter and 22.5 meters in depth.
It originally contained 364 seats. With the introduction of various electoral reforms, the number was increased to 425 seats in 1896 and with the introduction of the male universal suffrage in 1907 to 516 seats.
The chamber has viewing galleries on two levels. The first gallery has in the middle the box for the head of state. The right side of the gallery is for the diplomatic corps and the left side for the cabinet and family members of the head of state. On both far ends are the seats for journalists. The gallery on the second level, which is slightly recessed from the one on the first level, is for the general public.
The chamber is architecturally based on an ancient Greek theatron. The wall behind the presidium is designed like an antique skene with marble colonnades that carry a gable. The group of figures in the gable are made ouf of Laas-marble and depict the allegorical times of the day. The columns and pilasters of the wall are made out of marble from Untersberg, the stylobates out of dark marble, the decorations of the doors out of red Salzburg-marble. The wall space between the pillars is made out of grey scagliola, with niches in between decorated with statues made out of Carrara-marble. The statues show historical persons such as Numa Pompilius, Cincinnatus, Quintus Fabius Maximus, Cato the Elder, Gaius Gracchus, Cicero, Manlius Torquatus, Augustus, Seneca the Younger and Constantine the Great. The friezes above were painted by August Eisenmenger and depict the history of the emergence of civic life. Starting from left to right it shows:
1.Kampf der Kentauren und Lapithen (Battle of the Centaurs and Lapithes)
2.Minos richtet nach eigenem Ermessen (Minos judges according to his own)
3.Einsetzung der Volksvertretung in Sparta (Swearing-in of the representatives of Sparta)
4.Brutus verurteilt seine Söhne (Brutus condemns his sons)
5.Menenius Agrippa versöhnt die Stände (Menenius Agrippa reconciles the estates)
6.Sophokles im Wettkampf mit Aischylos (Sophokles in competition with Aischylos)
7.Sokrates auf dem Markte von Athen (Sokrates visiting the market of Athens)
8.Anordnung der Prachtbauten durch Perikles (The order of the representative buildings through Pericles. Note: the head of Pericles actually has the features of Baron Theophil von Hansen)
9.Herodot in Olympia
10.Plato lehrt die Gesetze (Plato teaches law)
11.Demosthenes redet zum Volke (Demosthenes addresses the people)
12.Decius Mus weiht sich dem Tode (Decius Mus dedicates himself to death)
13.Caius Gracchus auf der Rednertribüne (Caius Gracchus holds a speech from the speaker's platform)
14.Solon läßt die Athener auf die Gesetze schwören (Solon has the Athenians swear on the laws)
15.der Friede (Peace)
The chamber of the House of Representatives was important for the history of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Many politicians started their career as deputies such as Karl Renner, later chancellor and president of Austria, and Leopold Kunschak, later conservative leader. Other deputies from outside core Austria played important roles in their native countries after the First and Second World War. When Karl Renner became Federal President, he once gave a speech honouring the historic importance and function of the old chamber: "Dieser Saal, in dem wir heute versammelt sind, und die Institution, die hier getagt hat, sind trotz ... ihrer Ergebnislosigkeit denkwürdig! Es gab vor- und nachdem nichts dergleichen in der Welt! Der Reichsrat von 1911 bis 1914 war der Ratssaal von acht Nationen, die nach der staatlichen Rechtsform ihres gemeinsamen Daseins suchten ... Der Erste Weltkrieg hat diesen geschichtlich gewordenen und zu großen Hoffnungen berechtigenden Völkerbund im kleinen zersprengt und an dessen Stelle Nationalstaaten gesetzt. Vorgebliche Nationalstaaten! Denn sie beherbergten in sich selbst neben einer herrschenden mehrere dienende Nationen und boten schon dadurch allein den Anreiz und Anstoß zum Zweiten Weltkrieg ... jene Volksvertretung, zu der der Reichsrat gediehen war, löste sich auf in Nationalräte." Important politicians who started their career and had their first democratic experience later played important roles in their native countries after the end of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In Austria
- Karl Renner, former deputy of Moravia, later Federal Chancellor and President of Austria
- Leopold Kunschak, former deputy of Lower Austria, later Austrian conservative leader
In Czechoslovakia
- Tomáš Masaryk, former delegate from Bohemia, later first President of Czechoslovakia
- Karel Kramář, former delegate from Bohemia, later first Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia
- Vlastimil Tusar, former delegate from Bohemia, later Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia und
- Bohumír Šmeral, former delegate from Bohemia, later Czechoslovak Communist leader,
in Poland
- Ignacy Daszyński, former delegate from Galicia, later Sejm Marshal of the Second Polish Republic,
- Wincenty Witos, former delegate from Galicia, later Prime Minister of Poland,
in Italy
- Alcide De Gasperi, former delegate from the Tyrol, later Prime Minister of Italy,
in Yugoslavia
- Anton Korošec, former delegate from Styria, later Prime Minister of Yugoslavia
The institution of the imperial Austrian Reichsrat was the recruiting school of central- and southeastern Democracy and Socialism.
[edit] National Council Chamber
Since 1920 the former meeting room of the House of Lords has been used as plenary meeting room by the National Council. The House of Lords (Herrenhaus) used to have its chamber where today the National Council convenes. The chamber was designed in the classical style, with a horseshoe-shaped seating arrangement facing the chair. The Chamber of the National Council was destroyed in 1945 during aerial bombardments and was completely rebuilt in a modern style. The new chamber was finished in 1956 and is a typical example of the 1950’s architecture. Apart from the coat of arms made out of steel, the chamber is lacklustre without any decoration. The carpet is kept in mint-green, since back then that was not the colour of any party and considered most neutral. Green was also said to have a soothing effect, something that apparently weighed into the decision considering the tumultuous debates the building had to endure before the two World Wars. Behind the speaker's pult is the government bench (Regierungsbank), which is however only completely occupied during important events such as the declaration of the government (Regierungserklärung) or the state budget speech (Budgetrede).
[edit] Federal Council Chamber
Located next to the Chamber of the former House of Lords is the current Chamber of the Federal Council of Austria (Bundesrat). The room was used by the Lords as an antechamber and informal meeting room. After the end of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the new republican constitution in 1920, the former Lords room became the Chamber for the Federal Council.
The seating arrangement of the present Chamber of the Federal Council is similar to the other two great chamber halls. Member of the Federal Council sit in a semi-circle, facing the presidium. In front of the presidium is the cabinet bench. The furniture was completely renewed in 1999. In 1970, the coat of arms of Austria as well as the nine states was installed above the presidium.
[edit] Other rooms
[edit] Security
[edit] Culture and tourism
The exterior of the Austrian Parliament—especially the statue and fountain of Athena—is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Vienna. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) classifies the inner city of Vienna, including the Ringstraße and thus the Parliament Building as a World Heritage Site. It is also a Grade I listed building. There is no casual access to the interior, but it may be seen in a number of ways:
Since October 2005 a visitors-centre has been built and opened. Visitors can enter the building now not from the old side-entrance, but from the front at ground level.
[edit] See also
- The Parliament Building has been the main motif in several commemorative coins. A recent sample is the 60 Years of the Second Republic commemorative coin issued in 2005.
- Hungarian Parliament Building
- Palace of Westminster
[edit] References
- Theophil von Hansen (1873). Das neu zu erbauende Parlamentshaus in Wien. In: Zeitschrift des österreichischen Ingenieur- und Architektenverein, 1873. ISSN 0372-9605
- Felix Czeike. Wien: Kunst & Kultur. Sueddeutscher Verlag, Munich. 1973. ISBN 3-7991-5769-7
- Bundesimmobiliengesellschaft, Wolfgang Baatz, Friedrich Dahm, Brigitte Hamann, Eva Maria Höhle, Erich Klein, Claudia Riff-Podgorschek and Ute Woltron (ed.). Das neue Palais Epstein: Zur Geschichte des schönsten Palais der Wiener Ringstraße. Löcker Verlag, Vienna. 2005. ISBN 3-85409-433-7
- Bundeskanzleramt, Bundespressedienst. Österreich 2005: Das Lesebuch zum Jubiläumsjahr. Residenz Verlag, St. Pölten. 2004. ISBN 3-7017-1407-X
- Heinz Fischer, Barbara Blümel, Günther Schefbeck. Das Österreichische Parliament /The Austrian Parliament. Parlamentsdirektion, Vienna. 2000. ISBN 3-901991-02-6
- Janos Kalmar, Andreas Lehne. Die Wiener Ringstraße. Pichler Verlag, Vienna. 1999. ISBN 3-85058-167-5
- Andreas P. Pittler. Von der Donaumonarchie zum vereinten Europa: 20 Reichtagsabgeordnete, die Geschichte schrieben. Wieser Verlag, Klagenfurt. 2003. ISBN 3-85129-409-2
- Franz J. Weissenböck, Leopold B. Fruhmann, Maria L. Janota, Andreas Pittler. Das österreichische Parliament. Bd 1: Seine Erscheinung vom Ring /Bd 2: Das Haus im Inneren /Bd 3: Umgebung und Dach. Parlamentsdirektion, Vienna. 2004. ISBN 3-901991-10-7
[edit] External links
