Teachers' Travel                            Leisurely Touring
IMPERIAL CITIES
Classical Concert Tour
Budapest, Vienna, Salzburg and Prague

     
ABOUT THE CITIES

ABOUT BUDAPEST   In Budapest one sees the dramatic change in Eastern Europe since Communism was shed more than a decade ago. The atmosphere is lively, vibrant and energetic. This bustling metropolis is the heart of Hungary with a population of two million people.  Two thousand years ago the Romans founded an outpost called Aquincum on the Danube. Today you will see the strong influences of the Romans and of the Turks who ruled during the 16^th and 17^th centuries. Budapest’s modern influence comes from the days when Austria's Hapsburg dynasty ruled the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The modern city was established only in 1873, with the merging of three separate towns, Buda, Obuda and Pest. The unique panorama of the city unfolds as you gaze from the Citadel of Gellert Hill and you can appreciate why the banks of the Danube region of Budapest is registered as a World Heritage site by UNESCO.

The hills of Buda rise over the right bank of the river and are crowned by the medieval Castle and the magnificent Royal Palace. The economic, political and financial centre of the city is Pest which is spread out in the flatland on the left side of the river. Here, beautiful buildings built before the turn of the century harmoniously compliment the modern buildings of today.

In Buda, on Castle Hill in Old Town, stands the beautiful neo-Gothic Matthias Church on Trinity Square. Behind the church is the Fishermen's Bastion, its seven turrets commemorating the seven Magyar tribes that founded Hungary in 896 A.D. A walk through this area's charming, narrow old streets reveal lovely restored Baroque houses and a glimpse of medieval Buda as well as wine cellars to taste Hungarian wine.

After crossing the Danube by the Chain Bridge to Pest, you can go for a stroll on the pedestrian shopping street called Vaci Utca, the 5^th Avenue of Budapest. Here you will find everything from designer clothes to folk art ceramics and embroideries.

On a free afternoon, you might wish to visit one of Budapest’s many thermal spring baths. The Romans enjoyed them, the Turks nurtured them, and the Hungarians still love them. You can have a massage, steam and a dip in thermal waters which are reputed to have many therapeutic properties. In the evening, Budapest offers a wide range of classical music concerts such as organ recitals and a wide range of symphony concerts playing music by Dvorjak, Liszt, Vivaldi and many other well-known composers.

ABOUT VIENNA    Vienna - city of culture and music - is magnificent and magical with its Old World charm. It is a city that seems to waltz and work in three-quarter time. Lippizaner stallions dance to the strains of Mozart. Stroll through its stately streets and appreciate the Baroque palaces as well as the Opera House and the Cathedral. The aroma of coffee lures you into a cozy Kaffeehaus to enjoy heavenly desserts such as melt-in-your mouth apple strudel and decadent chocolate torte.

The city is saturated with musical history and today has two of the world's greatest symphony orchestras, the Vienna Philharmonic and the Vienna Symphony, as well as one of the top opera houses in the world. You can visit the apartment where Mozart wrote his last three symphonies and the house where Schubert was born. Tickets are easily obtained for evening concerts held in beautiful old palaces with musicians often in period costumes. It takes little imagination for the audience to picture themselves at a concert during the Hapsburg era.

Half an hour outside the city centre is the Schonbrunn Palace, summer home of the Hapsburg family. This magnificent estate rivals Versailles with its extensive gardens and its opulent state apartments .You can see the bed with its gold embroidered bedspread where the Empress slept and bore the Royal children. This is where Napoleon’s Austrian wife spent her days in comfort while her husband was exiled. The salon where Mozart entertained the royal court when he was only six years of age is open to the public. A special feature of our tour is a dinner and a concert at the palace.

The Kunsthistorisches Museum is one of the great art museums of the world. The Hapsburgs assembled a large part of the collection in the museum including works by Rembrandt, Titian, Vermeer and Michaelangelo. It rivals the Hermitage of St. Petersburg and the Louvre in Paris.

In the Hofburg, which was the imperial palace in Vienna, you can see the state apartments where the Hapsburg family lived in splendour. You can wander through these apartments with their silk-lined walls, tapestries, porcelain stoves and crystal chandeliers.

The Hofburg is also home to the Schatzkammer, or Imperial Treasury, which holds an opulent bounty of crown jewels, regal attire and other trappings of glittering court life. In addition there is an amazing collection of regal china, silver and gold tableware and linens.

ABOUT PRAGUE   The capital city of the Czech Republic is a fairyland of dungeons, domes and spires with clocks, one of which has a cuckoo clock that turns backwards. A 13^th century town is buried under its alleys and the central bridge is bent. All of this you can view from the fairytale castle high on a hill. Prague has survived the Turks, the Nazis, and forty years of communism to remain one of the most enchanting cities of Europe.

Prague Castle is one of the largest fortresses in the world and represents the essence of the Bohemian city. It was founded in the 9^th century with many additions over the centuries, so today it is a grand complex of Romanesque, Gothic Renaissance and Baroque elements. The castle has been home to heads of state from the Middle Ages until the present. The current president, Vaclav Havel, has chosen to live in his own house on the outskirts of the city, and is the first ruler to do so. St.Vitus Cathedral, situated in Prague Castle, contains the tomb of King Wenceslas and is the second oldest church in Bohemia. The crown jewels were kept in a special room in the church. They were locked in a cabinet behind seven locks with seven keys in the possession of seven different people.

Prague is the city of Good King Wenceslas who was really only a prince but he definitely was good. Now the patron saint of the Czech Republic, Wenceslas’ statue looks out on the square bearing his name.

Prague was constructed upon five hills and is shrouded in the mystery of a glorious, tragic past. This magical city of 2 million people is situated on both banks of the Vltava River that flows through the heart of the town. The Charles Bridge was built over six hundred years ago on the order of King Charles IV and it leads to Mala Strana, the most romantic part of Prague with its beautiful architecture and many gardens. The bridge is famous for its 30 statues and its many kiosks from which you can buy the local art and crafts. At the centre of the bridge is a bronze statue of St. John Nepomuk. St. John was reputed to be a priest who refused to divulge the confessions of the Queen to her suspicious husband and was hurled off the bridge and drowned. Superstition today says that rubbing the statue brings good luck and the statue appears rubbed often.

The centrepiece of the Old Town is the Square with its original Old Town Hall, where one finds the famous Prague astronomical clock. The designer of the clock was asked to make the same clock for another country but the government objected and tricked the designer into coming to a special meeting. The story says that they took burning sticks from the fireplace and blinded him, whereupon the clock stopped and no one would repair it for 300 years. Each hour on the hour, a procession of wooden carved figurines of twelve apostles portray an eloquent allegory to the delight of tourists. The Town Square and its surrounding streets also contain galleries, antique shops and centuries-old wine and beer cellars.

The Jewish Ghetto, as it has been called since the 16^th century, has some very impressive buildings. It has one of the oldest synagogues in Europe, and The Town Hall of the ghetto has its original Hebrew clock. On every street corner the enterprising musicians of Prague offer reasonably priced tickets to a myriad of classical concerts held in churches, museums and other venues. It is possible to attend a concert at 5:00 p.m. and another at 8:00 p.m. The concerts are short (60 – 90 minutes) and offer a lively variety of opera and symphony, playing familiar selections.

ABOUT SALZBURG:
Salzburg owes its fame to the incomparable splendour of its cityscape, the beauty of the surrounding landscape and the fact that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Was born here in 1756.
The historic centre of the city is a UNESCO world heritage site.

The name of the city comes from the word "saltz" which is German for salt. This area of Austria built up tremendous wealth from salt that was called white gold. This industry flourished from the Iron Age onward. Although tourism displaced the salt trade a long time ago, the statues of St Barbara, the patron saint of miners, lingers everywhere.
Salzburg sprang up under the protective watch of the Hohensalzburg castle and fortress that towers above the city, It was built between 1077 and 1681 by the ruling archbishops. The structure is now the largest completely restored castle in Europe. A tour of the castle winds through torture chambers, Gothic staterooms and the watchtower that offers an unmatched view of the city.

Mozart's house is one of most popular tourist attractions. The long red and white flag suspended from the roof serves as a beacon for music pilgrims worldwide. Although he eventually moved to Vienna, his birthplace holds a collection of the belongings of the child genius - his first violin, a pair of keyboard instruments and even a lock of his hair.