In 1873, Austria discovered soybeans. For the first time this crop was planted in the gardens of the Schönbrunn Palace. It was within the framework of the Universal Exposition that was held in Vienna, an exhibition in which Japan, one of the invited countries, gained special importance. Not only that. The influence of Japonism would manifest itself in all areas, from gardening to the decorative arts. Gustav Klimt himself expressed his fascination with the artists of the Japanese Rinpa school.
It is just one example of the orientalism that invaded Vienna after the opening of that contest. In addition to Japan, Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia, the Ottoman Empire and Persia made their idiosyncrasies and products known to the rest of the world. This event turned the old Habsburg capital into a cosmopolitan metropolis.
Already the writer Gustave Flaubert, in his Dictionnaire des idées reçues, defined the term “exhibition” as “the reason for the delirium of the 19th century”. Intimately associated with free capitalist competition, the "era of exhibitions" began in 1851. London, the cradle of the Industrial Revolution, was the city that opened the way for a series of international exhibitions that had a common goal: to become a showcase for the technical and artistic novelties that were regularly present in different places.
In this way, the capital that hosted an event of these characteristics became a focus of attraction for the most diverse interests. In 1873 it was Vienna's turn. On the occasion of Francisco José's silver wedding at the head of the Empire, the city wanted to commemorate the event by organizing a universal exhibition. But, in addition, this contest implied a reparation for the defeats inflicted on the Austrian army in previous years.
From 1859, with the loss of the most prosperous provinces in northern Italy, the Habsburg domains were diminished and threatened by new powers such as Prussia. The Sadowa debacle and German unification were a harbinger of imperial decomposition. In turn, nationalist claims began to gain strength. Thus, faced with Hungarian demands, which demanded a greater participation in state affairs, in 1867 the Austro-Hungarian compromise was signed by which Franz Joseph became Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary.
In this context, Vienna needed to project itself as a great city. The truth is that, despite the military and political setbacks, the 1960s experienced a notable economic takeoff, fostered by the liberal bourgeoisie. The creation of the Creditanstalt, which emerged from the powerful Rothschild financial group, modernized the banking structure. This entity also promoted the industrialization process, which lived its golden age between 1867 and 1872.
During those years there was a boom in both investment and production. If the number of banks and industrial companies multiplied, mechanization stimulated the development of the metallurgical, textile and electrical sectors. Without forgetting the great urban development of the Ringstrasse, the ring road that surrounds the old core of the city. Along with this urban redevelopment, which would change the face of Vienna, the other challenge of Viennese liberalism was the organization of a universal exhibition that could emulate the brilliance of those held in London and Paris.
The project was launched, and the Prater, the large park located to the northeast of the city, between the Danube and its canal, was chosen as the setting for the exhibition. It was the ideal place to install the future pavilions and, on the margins of its main avenue, cafeterias. In that recreational space, which at that time did not have its famous Ferris wheel, the Rotunde (roundabout) was erected, the central building of the exhibition.
That spectacular construction became the largest domed structure in the world, with a diameter of 108 meters and a dome 84 meters high. Under the pediment of the main portal of the Rotunde, which was shaped like a triumphal arch, the motto of Francisco José appeared: “Viribus Unitis” (United Strong).
The interior of the building, with an approximate area of 8,000 square meters, was a meeting point for the world's top dignitaries. In addition to the hosts, Emperor Franz Joseph and his wife Empress Elizabeth (Sisi), thirty-three reigning princes attended, including the Russian Tsar, the German Emperor, the Italian King, and the Shah of Persia. At the latter's reception, a military band performed the famous Persian march, composed a few years earlier by Johann Strauss Jr., in honor of this sovereign, the first Persian monarch of modern times to visit Europe.
Palaces dedicated to industry, fine arts and agriculture were built in the Prater, as well as numerous pavilions. Among them, a pioneering one, that of women, which focused on the female world of work. Through the exhibition of artisan and industrial products, visibility was given, for the first time, to the different tasks carried out by women in a wide variety of sectors, such as agriculture, leather, metal, wood, glass, the production of food and beverages or telegraphy, among others.
That initiative marked a before and after in the projection of women's work. Figures like Marianne Hainisch, involved in the creation of this pavilion, championed the fight in Austria for the right to academic and professional training for women, as well as the improvement of their working and salary conditions.
Along with industrial innovations from all over the world, which symbolized the progress and modernity of the 19th century, the Viennese bourgeoisie wanted to make this exhibition a mirror of their achievements, with a pavilion dedicated to the Ringstrasse. That new urban setting reflected in stone the values of this class. Precisely, Karl von Hasenauer, chief architect of the exhibition, was one of the greatest representatives of the historicist style, which left its mark on the great buildings of the Ring.
Another of the objectives prior to the event was to attract international tourism. For this, an offer of establishments to match had to be created. In 1873, a few days before the start of the exhibition, the Imperial Hotel, a paradigm of Viennese luxury, was inaugurated. Located in the former palace of the Prince of Württemberg on the Ringstrasse, this exclusive place has housed, over a century and a half, figures such as Richard Wagner, Charles Chaplin, Michael Jackson and Queen Elizabeth II of England. In addition to its iconic imperial cake and the splendor of its suites, one of the hotel's hallmarks are the lavish chandeliers by the Viennese firm J.
Also on the Ringstrasse, the Palais Hansen Kempinski, designed by architect Theophil von Hansen for the event, was built and combines Viennese charm with architectural opulence. Another notable establishment was the Höller hotel (now called Sans Souci), located next to the famous Volkstheater and the current MuseumsQuartier (museum quarter). Next to the historic building of the Höller hotel was the restaurant in which Johann Strauss premiered his famous Tritsch-Tratsch polka years before.
And in 1873 the elegant Landtmann café was opened next to the Burgtheater. That place was the meeting point for major figures of the end of the century, such as the composer Gustav Mahler or Sigmund Freud, father of psychoanalysis. One hundred and fifty years later it continues to receive visitors from all over the world.
Unfortunately, the expectations created before the universal contest were cut short a few days after its inauguration, on May 1. Heavy rains flooded the Prater fairgrounds. In turn, the speculative fever that had thrown the Viennese into debauchery in stock market investments and the real estate bubble that was unleashed caused the stock market to fall, the closure of numerous entities and the increase in inflation, to the point of tripling prices. Added to this was an epidemic of cholera.
These factors influenced the decrease in the number of visitors throughout the sample: the expected 20 million fell to 7.3. The Universal Exposition left a tremendous hole in the State's finances.
However, despite this obvious setback, the legacy of the show was favorable in many respects. The event became a technical and artistic showcase, Vienna (and therefore the West) opened up to other cultures and the city's public transport improved considerably, with the inauguration of six new stations and several train lines that turned this map point on a railway axis for central Europe.
On the other hand, the construction of new hotels and restaurants gave a quality boost to urban tourism. In the case of traditional crafts, manufacturers such as Jarosinski
In engineering, Vienna's first aqueduct from the mountains (I. Wiener Hochquellenleitung) was put into operation. This infrastructure milestone made it possible to transport drinking water from the springs of Lower Austria and Styria to the Austrian capital. A precedent for the sustainability policy that prevails in the country.
Apart from these achievements in the medium and long term, the day after the closing of the Universal Exposition, the city was plunged into the gloom caused by the financial disaster. As he already did after the defeat of Sadowa with The Blue Danube, Johann Strauss wanted to restore joie de vivre to Vienna.
On April 5, 1874, Die Fledermaus (The Bat) premiered at the Theater an der Wien, whose first act concluded with these words: "Glüklich ist, wer vergisst, was doch nicht zu ändern ist" (happy is he who forgets what It can not be changed). With that same apparent frivolity, in a capital that hoarded talents, the tremendous end of the Viennese century began to take shape.
This text is part of an article published in number 664 of the Historia y Vida magazine. Do you have something to contribute? Write to us at redaccionhyv@historiayvida.com.
