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The Schauspielhaus offers a multifaceted programme that includes literary readings and light operas as well as contemporary drama. Since its foundation in 1978, the theatre has seen many Austrian but also world premieres, particularly by the Austrian dramatist George Tabori (born in 1914). It is also one of the many venues for productions by the Wiener Festwochen, Vienna’s most important theatre festival (see p80). Being fairly small, the audience has the advantage of being very close to the actors.

The focal point of Schiller-platz, the square in front of the Academy of Fine Arts, is the statue of the poet and dramatist Friedrich Schiller, sculpted by Johannes Schilling in 1876. Opposite is the Goethe monument, created by Edmund Hellmer in 1900 (see p55) as a tribute to the two great German-language writers.

This imperial Baroque palace with its stunning landscaped gardens is one of Vienna’s most spectacular and most visited sights (see pp36–9).

The former summer residence of the imperial Habsburg family remains today as a magnificent palace with splendid Baroque gardens and the world’s oldest zoo. It attracts some 110,000 visitors a year (see pp36–9).

Probably the most exciting guided tours for kids are offered in Schönbrunn Palace. The young visitors are shown the imperial way of life in the palace from a child’s perspective and given the chance to learn what a child’s life in the imperial family was like. In the Court Bakery they can watch confectioners preparing cakes and pastries – the piping hot cakes can be sampled fresh from the oven (see pp36–9).

The large greenhouse in the Burggarten is home to more than 150 species of tropical butterflies and moths, living in habitats replicating their natural environment.

A distilled eau de vie made from fruits such as apricots or juniper berries.

A museum devoted to the distilled Austrian drink, Schnaps. The historic distillery dates back to the 1870s but is still used today to produce drinks such as the “Schönbrunn Gold” liquor, made of herb and orange distillates. You can look around the old cauldrons and the office with original furniture – but don’t miss the tasting after the tour.

Composer Arnold Schönberg (1874–1951), the creator of the 12-tone music technique (see p59), has a striking modern cube as his gravestone, designed by the sculptor Fritz Wotruba.