Vienna, Austria

By Monika Fahrnberger & Manfred Novak

Vienna: City of My Heart

What is it that—when I was recently asked if I would ever want to live somewhere else—made me reply “no” without hesitation? I love travelling, getting new impressions, learning new languages, meeting new people. Yet there is something about “my place” that makes it so special to me I could not even imagine there being a city better suited for me anywhere in the world.

Vienna is situated in the middle of Europe, and its geographical location ensures that a wide variety of influences take their turn in shaping life in the city. But it feels neither like a melting pot nor a mosaic. My city, in a way, reminds me of a tasty stew: many ingredients forming a unique new “whole”, but still distinct from each other. A carrot will never taste the same as an eggplant, even if they were cooked in the same pot… and a Viennese of Turkish descent will never be the same person as one with German heritage. Vienna has room for them all.

Sometimes I ask myself if this is a sign of great tolerance in my city—and immediately afterwards discard that thought again for good reason! Maybe we’re just lucky. Real Viennese people have always had a certain dislike of extremes and, related to this, of strenuousness. They do not like to be part of demonstrations; they do not go on strike. They have no interest in blowing up the monuments their former occupiers built, and they would not take great pains to make their point in a quarrel and emerge victorious.

Instead, they make arrangements. They let things settle by themselves, with time. Or else they design projects: constructing a huge fountain in front of an offending monument to hide it, say, and then lighting the water with coloured floodlights at night. A Viennese pats his opponent on the back and invites him to a glass of wine or a cup of coffee, until the two reach whatever consensus it is possible to achieve. I myself seem to be quite “un-Viennese,” at least as far as the above mentioned aspects go—even though I was born and raised in this city and have lived here all my life. So how can I stand all these delightfully frustrating traits, and even love the spirit and the human atmosphere of my city? Come along with me and let’s take a stroll through some Viennese streets. You’ll see.

We’ll begin on your right with the “Hochstrahlbrunnen.” What a beautiful play of light it presents, wouldn’t you say, diffused over the constantly flowing fountain of water? Shall we stop for a moment to take a picture? You probably didn’t spare a single glance for that old grey monument in the back.

Let’s walk on through Johannesgasse: what interesting sounds we meet here! All kinds of beautiful musical scales seem to flow from one of the buildings. Vienna is the city of music after all, and this building is part of our Music University. Students who try to practice in their homes often meet some resistance (what did I tell you about the amiable Viennese intolerance!), but a love for music still forms a distinct part of the character of this city and its people. So today we benefit from the efforts of the diligent young artists exiled from their apartments.

A few more minutes of walking bring us to a throng of people gathered at Stock-im-Eisen-Platz. What’s going on today? Break-dancers to the right, and to the left, not too far off, a puppet player performs for a small audience. The two coexist happily, each gathering their own crowd of interested followers.

Since we’ve reached the centre of Vienna now, let’s stop at one precious witness of a rich past before our walk ends at Herrengasse. Vienna is full of palaces, and one of the most beautiful ones is just here on our left: Palais Equitable. It’s magnificent in an awe-inspiring way that makes me pause every time I walk past it. One of the most wonderful things about Vienna—one reason I know I would never leave—is the fact that beauty is such a part of everyday life here.

Finally, follow along and we’ll open the door of one of our very famous coffee houses, the Café Central (housed in another old and very traditional Palais!). Live piano music tinkles in the background, a highly skilled bar pianist building a curtain of sound around us while you and I sit and have a coffee. And not just “a coffee”—we’ll have to choose among 20 different brews, including “Einspänner,” “Mocca,” “Fiaker,” and “Brauner.” If I were you, I’d go with “Einspänner:” a heavenly treat consisting of very strong black coffee topped with whipped cream. Don’t forget to have your pick from the dozens of fresh pastries on display in the glass-case, too…

Do you still feel like dining out or strolling across the vineyards of our city, or perhaps enjoying an evening out at a concert performance or the State Opera? Let’s leave those plans for another day. But I do hope you enjoyed our everyday encounters and experiences as much as I do. The sights and sounds and tastes we’ve had today are only a small part of the charm that makes me love the place I live in so much.

Do they really warrant bestowing on Vienna the Biblical title “City of My Heart?” Not quite, perhaps, since there is no such thing as the city of heavenly gates and of Biblical Shalom on earth. But every now and then I see a tiny glimpse of that vision while I walk our streets. It makes me want to reach out for more, and ensures that I gladly stay.