158 CultureShock! Austria
His best-known dramatic devices were language twists, name
invention and Viennese dialect.
Ferdinand Raimund (1790–1836), author of The King of
the Alps and the Misanthrope, is also representative of the
golden age of the Viennese popular comedy and Viennese
dialect theatre.
Franz Grillparzer (1791–1872) was Austria’s foremost poet
and dramatist. His work, described as being ahead of its
time, is a mixture of Austrian and Spanish Baroque drama
and artistic devices borrowed from Vienna’s popular theatre
traditions and from classical drama.Historicism (1848–1897)
Great social change followed the oppressive police state
of Chancellor Metternich. Its culmination was the popular
revolution of 1848, which demanded reforms guaranteeing
free speech, free press and free universities. Emperor Franz
Josef took over the empire at the tender age of 18. In a few
short years, Austria had suffered debilitating war defeats, lost
much of its empire and had major domestic worries. The
country was ready for change and renaissance.Building the Ringstrasse
Among Franz Josef’s missions was to beautify his residence
at the Hofburg, create a connection linking the outer districts
with the inner city and enlarge the city centre. He ordered the
removal of the medieval wall, which consisted of gates and
fortifications around what is now the 1st district, and in its
stead built a street, the Ringstrasse. Unparalleled in grandeur,
the Ringstrasse was lined on both sides with beautiful palaces
for the aristocracy, government buildings, parks, museums
and theatres. Renowned architects came from all over Europe
to compete for the honour to build on the Ringstrasse.Architecture
Architecturally, Historicism was a mixture of past styles:
Ancient Greek and Roman, Romanticism, Gothic, Renaissance
and Baroque. The buildings on the Ringstrasse reflect
the diversity of Historicism. The Staatsoper (State Opera