Vienna Photos: Alte Aula & Jesuite Church

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Alte Aula (University Congregation Hall) ä Jesuite Church (Jesuitenkirche)


The Alte Aula served as a congregation hall for the old university of Vienna. It is a splendid Baroque building and was built under the rule of Empress Maria Theresia in the first half of the 18th century. Today, the university has its headquarter at the new building at the Ringstraße. The Alte Aula is used by the Austrian Academy of Sciences, it is not open to the general public. Right next to it, the Jesuitenkirche (Jesuite Church) of Vienna is a fine example of pretty strong, Italian-style Baroque.

I recommend the area for a general stroll. The neighbourhood comprises mostly of Baroque and Medieval buildings and very charming lanes. One of my favourite cafes can be found around the corner and the Heiligenkreuzerhof as well as the Dominikanerkirche are in walking distance. The Jesuit monastery was home to the Akademisches Gymnasium until the late 19th century; it is here where Franz Schubert went to school.

The Alte Aula area (Ignaz-Seipl-Platz, as the square is called where it can be found) is easily accessible from the subway stop of Stubentor/Wollzeile or simply by walking there from the Stephansdom area. Despite of its central location, the neighbourhood is surprisingly quiet, since most tourists seem to stick within 2-minute-walks of the cathedral.



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