Vienna undercover: hidden treasures

With its amazing stories, incredible paintings, an appetite for the cool&fresh design and killer desserts, Vienna is on the list of the secret hip treasure of Europe. But I won’t talk about the waltz, the Sacher torte and Sisi. I will tell you something about the hidden treasures of an vibrant city: my Vienna is all about cool designs, unknown stories and extremely talented people. And even about the old stories, with a modern twist: top 8 of amazing Vienna spots.
It was hard to believe that “Mona-Lisa” of Austria is hangging in Neue gallery in New York (www.neuegalerie.org). And we are talking about The Woman in Gold, the panting by Gustav Kimt (and maybe you have seen the movie already). Still fancy for the famous painter works? Visit the Leopold Museum and Belvedere (www.leopoldmuseum.org, www.belvedere.at).
Ready for some pop-art? Try MUMOK (www.mumok.at), where “Ludwig Goes Pop” is open untill 13th of September and shows a lot of works of Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Indiana, Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg.
The Haus des Meeres is an old flak tower (a former bunker) and now it has an aquarium and a zoo inside. On the exterior walls, the artist Lawrence Weiner wrote the message: “Smashed to Pieces… In the Still of the Night” (in English and German)
A secret passage? Well, ther is one, not so secret, but for certain unknown. Within minutes of the major sights in Vienna lies an extravagant passageway, named Ferstel (entrance from Herrengasse street). The passageway features luxury stores and cafes that were built in the 1800s and it has elegant arches and sculpting can help you imagine how glamorous and spectacular 19-century Vienna was.
A very hip hotel: just a minute away from Museum Quartier is 25hours hotel (www.25hours-hotels.com, www.designhotels.com). ‘Let’s spend the night together” is the message on your pillow, and “do not nter sign” was replaced with “place an aspirin in the front of the door and leave!”. Super cool rooms, very friendly atmosphere, a delicious breakfast and a roof top bar that attracts the tourists but the Austrian locals as well.
A supercool selection of fashion brands you can find at Park (www.park.co.at): Acne Studio, Junya Watanabe, Anne Demeulemeester, Maison Martin Parfum, Haider Ackermann, Antipast, Bless, Petar Petrov and others local designers.
Stop at Gumpendorfen Street, at Saint Charles Apothecary, located here since 1886: you will be amazed by the whole eperience: organic ingredients, niche beauty brands, bio cosmetics. As a plus: opposite to the pharmacy there is the resaturant Saint Charles Alimentary, the first “pharmacy restaurant” in Europe, using organic products and sourcing ingredients from farmers and hunters they know personally. Pretty nice, isn’t it? (www.saint.info)
You cannot leave Vienna without a souvenir. Forget about fridge magnets and Klimt albums: take something more personal, from the local designers and artists. The perfect spot for a souvenir hunt? Thermometer (on 5 Konigskostergasse, https://www.facebook.com/theobaldgassecommunity), a co-working spot which is shared by designers, architects, photographers and so on. And buy a sewn postcard by Andrea Konrad.
Pics: dreamingof.net, courtesy of klimtgallery.org
TAGS: hidden treasure, travel, vienna