Not far from Vienna’s Stadtpark subway station, which Otto Wagner built for the city railway between 1896 and 1899, stands the monumental villa of the City Parks Department. This beautiful Art Nouveau building with its magnificent front garden was built between 1906 and 1907 by city architect Spiel under Mayor Dr. Karl Lueger and city gardener Wenzel Hybler. Today, it houses the Vienna City Gardeners, who are responsible for the horticultural masterpieces in Vienna. The Art Nouveau villa is located in the beautiful Stadtpark, which was laid out in 1860 during the construction of the Ringstrasse. The Stadtpark was Vienna’s first public park, offering pure relaxation from the hustle and bustle of the big city as a green oasis. The park was designed in the English garden style and, in addition to numerous park benches and large lawns with shady trees, it has the largest number of statues and monuments. I love to stroll through the well-tended park with its plants that bloom almost all year round and its idyllic pond. Every time I do so, I enjoy the monuments and statues. I particularly love to admire the popular monument to the composer Johann Strauss by Edmund Hellmer, a tribute to the Waltz King in the form of a gilded bronze figure. The Kursalon Hübner is impossible to miss at the edge of the city park. This building was constructed by Johann Garben in 1867 in the Italian Renaissance style. The Kursalon’s beautiful terrace in particular tempts me to enjoy my teatime there. The city park has many attractions to offer, such as the flower clock and the magnificent promenade along the Wien River, to name just a few. It’s always worth a detour for me. Here I can enjoy pure nature paired with historic buildings and monuments and escape the noise of the big city for a short time.
