Dear friends of artemezzo,
August is Vienna’s quietest summer month. Many people are away, the city catches its breath, and for everyone who stays, or arrives just now, that has its own appeal: fewer crowds, more room to breathe, the same stories waiting to be told.
In Klimt’s Footsteps Through Vienna
No Viennese artist is celebrated internationally quite like Gustav Klimt, and nowhere is he more present than in his home city. The heart of it all is the Upper Belvedere: with 24 paintings, it holds the largest Klimt collection in the world. Alongside the two icons “The Kiss” and “Judith” hang portraits of women, landscapes from the Attersee, and works from every phase of his career, right through to paintings still unfinished on the easel when he died in 1918. Walking through these rooms, you see not just a famous painting, but an entire artist.
Add to that the Leopold Museum at the MuseumsQuartier, with its Klimt and Schiele holdings, and the Secession building, built in 1898, downstairs, the Beethoven Frieze: 34 metres long, at eye level, no frame, no glass case. Three houses that together form the picture of an artist who shaped turn-of-the-century Vienna like almost no one else.
These are exactly the connections we bring to life on our tours: we choose the works that matter most, tell you about Klimt’s life, his models and patrons, and show what a single painting can reveal about an entire era.
The Klimt Villa in Hietzing
If you would like to get even closer to Klimt, head to the 13th district. At Feldmühlgasse 11 stands the Klimt Villa, surrounded by a large garden and old chestnut trees. Klimt worked here from 1911 until his death in 1918. The studio has been faithfully reconstructed from photographs by Moritz Nähr: reception room, painting smock, even the Backhausen carpet. Open Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 6pm, with guided tours Saturday and Sunday at 11am and 2pm; the garden café under the chestnut trees is open whenever the weather allows.
City Hiking Trail 1: From Nußdorf to the Kahlenberg
Vienna borders directly on the Vienna Woods, and has 14 of its own city hiking trails. The first and best known runs from Nußdorf, reached by tram line D, through the Beethovengang along the Schreiberbach, past vineyards and Heurigen, up to the Kahlenberg: about 11 kilometres, roughly 3.5 hours, well signposted. From the Stefaniewarte lookout at the top, you can see all the way to the Schneeberg on a clear day. And along the way, there is almost always a Heuriger just a few steps off the path.
A Green Place of Happiness: Dehnepark
In the 14th district, on the edge of Hütteldorf, lies Dehnepark, quiet, wooded, with old trees, a dreamy pond, and a neo-Gothic ruin folly. It takes its name from the imperial court confectioner August Dehne. His pastry shop at Michaelerplatz, founded in 1786 by his father Ludwig, made him a wealthy man; he invested that fortune here, on the edge of the Vienna Woods, in land. In 1857, Dehne sold the business to his apprentice Christoph Demel, who moved it to Kohlmarkt and turned it into the confectionery that is world-famous today. The park later belonged to film director Willi Forst, before the City of Vienna took it over. It is one of the 80 places in my book, “Grüne Glücksorte in Wien” (Green Places of Happiness in Vienna), and on hot days, one of the coolest spots in the city.
The Film Festival Is Still On
At Rathausplatz, the Film Festival runs until September 6th, opera, classical music and pop on the big screen, every evening after dark, free admission. A lovely way to round off a hot day.
Countdown: „Mit dem Rad durch Wien“ Arrives September 11th
And then it is almost here: my new book, “Mit dem Rad durch Wien” (By Bike Through Vienna), is published on September 11th by Droste Verlag, twelve cycling routes through the city, with GPS data to download. Past Klimt’s Art Nouveau masterpieces, through hidden old-town lanes, out to vineyards and Heurigen, down to the Old Danube for a swim, and everywhere, getting off the bike to enjoy the view is not just allowed, it is encouraged. Available for pre-order now: at bookshops, with all major online retailers, and directly from Droste Verlag.
Whether following Klimt’s footsteps, climbing the Kahlenberg, or resting in the shade of Dehnepark, August is an invitation to experience Vienna at a gentler pace. If you are already planning a visit to Vienna this autumn, do get in touch: we will put together a tour that is just right for you. Write to us or give us a call, we would love to hear from you.
Write to us, we will plan your personal Vienna experience together:
office@artemezzo.com | +43 664 3892951
Warm wishes,
Martha Tretter and the artemezzo team
artemezzo | BoutiqueTours Vienna
Experience culture. Feel the stories. Enjoy Vienna.
