Architektur im Ringturm, 21 April – 5 June 2015

Vienna, Mariahilferstrasse, c. 1905 © Wien Museum

No two European cities are as similar in so many ways as Vienna and Budapest. During the founding period, these twin cities were both referred to as the “Queen of the Danube”. At first glance, their ring and radial roads look virtually identical. Their former imperial complexes with their neo-baroque additions evoke memories of the dual monarchy under Emperor Franz Joseph, while the opera houses symbolise the cities’ rivalry when it came to designing showpiece buildings. But there are also a number of obvious contrasts. The Austrian capital lies next to the Danube, while its Hungarian counterpart extends along the banks of the river. Vienna’s Ringstrasse boulevard is the legacy of the city’s bourgeoisie and the aristocracy, but Budapest’s Nagykörút inner ring road was mainly a symbol of the burgeoning middle classes. The Hungarians had great respect for their king, although Queen Elisabeth was much closer to the people. The latest exhibition in the Architektur im Ringturm series turns the spotlight on these subtle differences as well as the similarities between the two cities. Staged by Wiener Städtische Versicherungsverein, the main shareholder of Vienna Insurance Group, the exhibition takes visitors on a journey back to the days of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy with the help of classic examples of urban photography.