Undoubtedly Vienna is the finest city on the European continent next to
Paris, and it is often called the Northern Paris. It resembles the
French capital both in its social life and its architecture. The style
of the modern buildings is very attractive, displaying great richness
and beauty of outline, while the charming perfection of detail is by no
means neglected. At least one-quarter of Vienna is new, presenting broad
streets lined with noble edifices. The Ring Strasse is a notable example
of this, being an elegant avenue, which takes the place of the old city
wall that once surrounded the town, but which it has long since
outgrown. This metropolis now contains considerably over a million
inhabitants. It is situated upon an arm of the Danube where it is joined
by the two small streams known as the Wien and the Alster, from the
former of which the city takes its name. Vienna is not lacking in
antiquity. It was renowned in Roman times two thousand years ago, and
there is an ancient aspect quite unmistakable about its western portion
in the vicinity of the Emperor's palace. This imperial assemblage of
buildings, with the broad court about which they stand, presents no
claim whatever to architectural beauty, being exceedingly heavy and
substantial.
One of the principal attractions of the city is its numerous parks,
squares, and breathing-spots. Above all else in this regard is the
Prater, situated on the verge of the city, forming one of the most
extensive pleasure drives or parks connected with any European capital.
It was in this park that the famous exhibition buildings were erected,
covering twelve or fifteen acres of ground; but the Prater could afford
room for fifty such structures. All the fashionable citizens, including
the royal family, come here for the enjoyment of their afternoon drive
or horseback ride. The sight presented on these occasions is one of the
very gayest conceivable, recalling the brilliancy of the Chiaja of
Naples, the Maiden of Calcutta, or the Champs Elysées of Paris. One does
not see even in Hyde Park, London, more elegant vehicles and horses, or
more striking liveries than on the Prater at Vienna. Equestrianism is
the favorite mode of exercise here, both with ladies and gentlemen, and
the Austrians are better horsemen and horsewomen than the English.
Cavalry officers in uniform, as well as representatives of other arms of
the service, add much to the brilliancy of this park during the popular
hour. It is divided into a broad driveway, a well-kept equestrian track,
and smooth walks devoted exclusively to pedestrians. For spaciousness as
well as attractive gayety, the Prater is scarcely equalled--certainly
not surpassed--by any other European driveway.
There are two noble palaces at Vienna which must not be forgotten;
namely, the Upper and Lower Belvedere. They are intimately connected,
though divided by a large and splendid garden, and together form an art
collection and museum combined, only second to the Uffizi and Pitti
palaces at Florence, and the galleries of Paris and Rome. A simple list
of the pictures to be found here would cover many pages in print,
embracing the names of such artists as Salvator Rosa, Giorgone, Bassano,
Perugino, Carlo Dolce, Guido Reni, Rembrandt, Andrea del Sarto, Van
Dyck, etc. All of these paintings are high in artistic merit; many of
them are admirable, and all are beyond price in money. Various schools
are represented in the galleries, and there are among the rest a hundred
or so of modern pictures; but the majority are by the old masters or
their immediate pupils. The Flemish, Dutch, and Spanish schools are
especially well represented. The visitor will find in the Lower
Belvedere a marvellous collection of antiquities, perhaps the most
curious to be seen in Europe. Among other departments of interest is one
in which there are over a hundred warriors of life size clad in complete
armor, most of whom are mounted on mail-clad horses, all confronting the
visitor, with visor down and lance in rest. All of these effigies are
designed to be likenesses, and each is labelled with the name of the
warrior-king, emperor, or great general he represents, while we have
before us the real armor and weapons which he bore in actual life. Here
hangs the tattered banner which was carried through the Crusades, and
returned by the hand of the Archduke Ferdinand, beside hundreds of
similar tokens.
The Cathedral of St. Stephen's, between five and six hundred years of
age, is of very great interest, and forms a rare example of pure Gothic.
The Imperial Library contains over three hundred thousand volumes.
Vienna has all the usual Christian charitable institutions, schools, and
progressive organizations of a great city of the nineteenth century.
From Vienna we continue our journey to Prague, the capital of Bohemia, a
quaint old city, founded in 1722 by the Duchess Libussa, and which has
to-day nearly sixty thousand inhabitants. It is crowded with historical
monuments, ancient churches, and queer old chapels, some of which are
ornamented by frescoes hardly rivalled by the finest at Rome and
Florence. One is here shown underground dungeons as terrible as those of
Venice, and to which historic associations lend their special interest.
It would seem that human beings could hardly exist in such holes for a
month, and yet in some of these, prisoners are known to have lingered
miserably for years. Prague was remarkable for its institutions of
learning and its scientific societies. The university, founded by
Charles IV. in 1348, had at one time a hundred professors and three
thousand students. This university enjoyed a world-wide reputation, but
all this has passed away. There are two or three large libraries, a
museum of natural history, a school for the blind, and several public
hospitals. We find here some beautiful specimens of glass manufacture,
for which Bohemia has long been celebrated, though she is now rivalled
in this line by both England and America.
Prague has had more than its share of the calamities of war, having been
besieged and taken six times before the year 1249. In the war of the
Hussites it was taken, burned, plundered, and sacked with barbarous
ferocity. The Thirty Years' War began and ended within its walls, and
during its progress the city was three times in possession of the enemy.
In 1620 the battle was fought just outside of the city in which
Frederick V. was conquered, and after which he was deposed. During the
Seven Years' War it fell into the hands of different victors, and in
1744 capitulated to Frederick the Great of Prussia. Indeed, until within
the last half-century Prague and its environs may be said to have been
little better than a constant battle-field. Seen from an elevated
position the city presents a very picturesque aspect. A fine view may
be had of it from either of the bridges which cross the Moldau, but a
more satisfactory one is to be had from the Belvedere, a large public
garden situated on an eminence just outside the city proper. This garden
forms a beautiful park and is a favorite drive with the citizens. One of
the bridges is called the Karlsbrücke (Charles Bridge); the other is the
Suspension Bridge, also known as Emperor Francis's Bridge. At the end of
the latter is the memorial which commemorates the five hundredth
anniversary of the founding of the university. The niches on either side
are filled with statues representing the several sciences, added to
which are statues of two archbishops. The Charles Bridge, built of stone
over five hundred years ago, is the most interesting of the two bridges,
and has its two extremities protected by lofty towers. The arches of the
bridge are ornamented with groups of saints numbering thirty life-size
figures. It is not surprising that Prague appears in decay; but as it is
a sort of half-way place between Dresden and Vienna, it is insured a
certain amount of business from travellers of all nations.
[Illustration: BRIDGE CROSSING THE MOLDAU.]
One prominent feature of Dresden, the capital of Saxony, which strikes
the stranger, is that the military appear in such large numbers
everywhere, in the streets, the hotels, in the shops and parks. The
expense and waste of supporting such large numbers of soldiers is
enormous. The student of art, music, and history finds a rich field for
educational purposes here, where there are so many choice collections of
antiquities, museums, and remarkable paintings. The Zwinger Museum
contains among other treasures a collection of three hundred and sixty
thousand engraved plates, all of great value. Art treasures and
libraries are freely open to the public, as in all parts of Europe.
Dresden is a busy city, commanding a large trade, and containing over a
quarter of a million inhabitants. Gold and silver manufactures form a
large share of the industry; artificial flowers, china ware, and paper
hangings also, constitute a large portion of its extensive exports. The
Royal Public Library contains four hundred thousand volumes, and is
particularly rich in the several departments of literature, history, and
classical antiquity. There are many volumes in this Dresden library
which are not to be found elsewhere in Europe, and learned men come
thousands of miles to consult them.
The Green Vaults, so called from the style of the original decorations,
are a portion of the Royal Palace, and contain an extraordinarily
valuable collection, belonging to the State, consisting of works of art,
jewels, royal regalia, etc., classified in eight connected saloons. One
sees here a certain green stone, a most brilliant gem, esteemed of great
value. Whether it be really a diamond or an emerald, it is intrinsically
of equal worth. The weight of this rare gem is forty carets. The Grosse
Garten is the favorite public park of the city, containing about three
hundred acres of land. It is very beautifully laid out in ornamental
sections, drives, walks, and groves. The historical associations about
this park are interesting, it being the spot where the French and
Prussians more than once encountered each other in battle, the last time
in 1813.
The most attractive portion of this really fine city is the Theatre
Platz, about which lie the principal objects of interest to the
traveller. Here are situated the Royal Palace, the Zwinger with its
choice collections, and the theatre. The old bridge over the Elbe is a
substantial stone structure. The palace forms a large square of
spacious edifices surmounted by a tower nearly four hundred feet high.
The principal picture-gallery of Dresden is the finest in Germany, and
contains between three and four thousand admirable examples of high
art,--the work of such artists as Raphael, Holbein, Corregio, Albert
Dürer, Rubens, Giotto, Van Dyck, and other masters already named in
these pages. Among them all the favorite, as generally conceded, is
Raphael's Madonna di San Sisto, believed to be one of the last and best
examples produced by this great master. We are sure to find a goodly
number of Americans residing in this European capital, gathered here for
educational purposes in art, literature, and music.
Berlin, the capital of Prussia, contains about a million inhabitants,
and is one of the finest cities of Europe. The principal street is the
Unter den Linden, and most of the objects of interest centre here
between the Royal Palace and the Brandenburg Gate. This thoroughfare is
planted in its centre with four rows of trees, having a capacious
pedestrian section, an equestrian road, and two driveways, one on each
side of the broad street. It resembles Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, both
in size and design, though the architecture of the American street is
far superior to the German. The Unter den Linden is a hundred and
ninety-six feet wide, and receives its name from the double avenue of
linden trees extending through the centre. The street is flanked with
fine buildings, a few hotels, three palaces, a museum, a school of art,
public library, etc. At one end is the famous bronze statue of Frederick
the Great. The Brandenburg Gate, where the Linden commences, forms the
entrance to the city from the Thiergarten, and is a sort of triumphal
arch, erected in 1789. It is seventy feet in height, and two hundred in
width, being modelled after the entrance in the gateway of the temple of
the Parthenon at Athens. It affords five passage-ways through its great
width.
This proud capital, six hundred years ago, was only of small importance,
since when it has grown to its present mammoth proportions. Frederick
William made it his home and started its most important structures.
Frederick I. added to it, and so it has been improved by one ruler after
another until it has become one of the most important political and
commercial centres in Europe. It is divided by the river Spree, which at
this point is about two hundred feet in width, and communicates with the
Oder and the Baltic by canal. No continental city except Vienna has
grown so rapidly during the last half-century. The late emperor did
little or nothing to beautify the capital, whose growth has been mostly
of a normal character, greatly retarded by a devotion to military
purposes.
The Unter den Linden is the charm of Berlin, so bright, shaded, and
retired, as it were, in the very midst of outer noise and bustle. At
nearly all hours of the day the long lines of benches are crowded by
laughing, flaxen-haired children, attended by gayly dressed nurses, the
groups they form contrasting with the rude struggle of business life
going on so close at hand. A regiment of soldiers is passing as we gaze
upon the scene, accompanied by a full band, their helmets and bright
arms glittering in the sunlight; the vehicles rattle past on both sides
of the mall; here and there is seen an open official carriage with
liveried servants and outriders; well-mounted army officers pass at a
hand-gallop on the equestrian division of the street, saluting right
and left; dogs and women harnessed together to small carts wind in and
out among the throng, while girls and boys with huge baskets strapped to
their backs, containing merchandise, mingle in the scene.
The Thiergarten is the grand park of Berlin, situated along the banks of
the Spree; it is two miles long by a mile in width, with an abundance of
noble trees, well-kept drives, and clear, picturesque lakes. The ponds
and canals intersecting this park afford a choice resort for the lovers
of skating in winter. In the southwest corner of the Thiergarten is the
famous zoölogical garden of Berlin, established nearly fifty years
since.
The Royal Palace is an imposing structure six hundred and forty feet
long by about half that width, and is over a hundred feet in height. It
was originally a fortress, but has been altered by successive monarchs
until it is now a very perfect royal residence, containing six hundred
rooms and state departments.
We still pursue our course northward, bearing a little to the west,
until we reach Hamburg, which contains some three hundred thousand
inhabitants, and is one of the most important commercial cities on the
continent. It is not only situated on a navigable river, the
Elbe,--seventy miles from its mouth,--but is connected by railway with
every part of Europe. Hamburg was founded by Charlemagne a thousand
years ago, the older portions being dark and dirty; but the modern
section of the city is very fine in the size of its streets and its
architectural aspect. Its commercial connections with America exceed
that of any other northern port, and form its main features of business
importance. Vessels drawing eighteen feet of water can ascend the Elbe
to the wharves at high tide. The city is intersected by canals and
branches of the Alster River, and was once surrounded by a series of
ramparts, but these have been converted into attractive, tree-planted
promenades. The public library of Hamburg contains over two hundred
thousand volumes, and there is no lack in the city of hospitals,
schools, colleges, churches, charitable institutions, museums, and
theatres. The botanical gardens and the zoölogical exhibition are
remarkable for excellence and completeness. It would be difficult to
conceive of a more attractive sight than that afforded by the broad
sheet of water in the centre of the town known as the Alster Basin, a
mile in circumference, bounded on three sides by streets ornamented
liberally with trees, while its surface is dotted with little omnibus
steamers and pleasure boats darting hither and thither like swallows on
the wing. Snow-white swans, tame and graceful, are constantly seen
floating over the surface of this attractive city-lake. The environs of
Hamburg are rendered very charming by pleasant villas and numberless
flower-gardens, with an abundance of ornamental trees.
Our journey northward continues by railway and steamboat via Kiel,
crossing an arm of the Baltic to Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark,
situated on the island of Zeeland. This city, which now contains a
population of about two hundred and fifty thousand, was a large
commercial port centuries ago, and has several times been partially
destroyed by war and conflagration. The houses are mostly of brick, some
of the better class being built of Norwegian granite, while the newer
portion of the town presents many examples of fine modern architecture.
The streets are of good width, laid out with an eye to regularity,
besides which there are sixteen public squares. Taken as a whole, the
first impression of the place and its surroundings is remarkably
pleasing and attractive. As one approaches the city the scene is
enlivened by the many windmills in the environs, whose wide-spread arms
are generally in motion, appearing like the broad wings of enormous
birds hovering over the land. Perhaps the earliest association in its
modern history which the stranger is likely to remember as he looks
about him in Copenhagen, is that of the dastardly attack upon the city,
and the shelling of it for three consecutive days, by the British fleet
in 1807, during which reckless onslaught an immense destruction of human
life and property was inflicted upon the place. Over three hundred
important buildings were laid in ashes on that occasion, because Denmark
refused permission for the domiciling of English troops upon her soil,
or to withdraw from her connection with the neutral powers in the
Napoleonic wars.
As in the Mediterranean, so in the Baltic, tidal influence is felt only
to a small degree, the difference in the rise and fall of the water at
this point being scarcely more than one foot. Owing to the comparatively
fresh character of this sea its ports are ice-bound for a third of each
year, and in the extreme seasons the whole expanse is frozen across from
the coast of Denmark to that of Sweden. In 1658 Charles X. of the latter
country marched his army across the Belts, dictating to the Danes a
treaty of peace; and so late as 1809 a Russian army passed from Finland
to Sweden, across the Gulf of Bothnia.
The territory of Denmark upon the mainland is quite limited, consisting
of Jutland only; but she has a number of islands far and near, Zeeland
being the most populous, and containing, as we have shown, the capital.
As a state she may be said to occupy a much larger space in history
than upon the map of Europe. The surface of the island of Zeeland is
uniformly low, in this resembling Holland, the highest point reaching an
elevation of about two hundred and fifty feet. To be precise in the
matter of her dominions, the colonial possessions of Denmark may be thus
enumerated: Greenland, Iceland, the Faroe group of islands, between the
Shetlands and Iceland; adding St. Croix, St. Thomas, and St. John in the
West Indies. Greenland is nearly as large as Germany and France
combined; but owing to its ice-clothed character in most parts, its
inhabitants do not quite reach an aggregate of ten thousand. Iceland is
nearly the size of our New England States, and has a population of
seventy-five thousand. The Faroes contain ten thousand inhabitants, and
the three West Indian islands united have a population of a little over
forty thousand.
In the year 1880 the Danish monarchy reached the thousandth anniversary
of its foundation under Gorm the Old, whose reign bridges over the
interval between mere legend and the dawn of recorded history. Gorm is
supposed to have been a direct descendant of the famous Regnar Lodbrog,
who was a daring and imperious ruler of the early Northmen. The common
origin of the three Baltic nationalities which constitute Scandinavia is
clearly apparent to the traveller who has visited Denmark, Sweden, and
Norway. The race has been steadily modified, generation after
generation, in its more important characteristics by the progressive
force of civilization. These Northmen are no longer the haughty and
reckless warriors who revelled in wine drunk from the skulls of their
enemies, and who deemed death respectable only when encountered upon
the battle-field. Clearer intelligence and culture have substituted the
duties of peaceful citizens for the occupation of marauders, and the
enterprises of civilized life for the exaggerated romance of sea-rovers.
Reading and writing, which were once looked upon by them as allied to
the black art, are now the accomplishment of nearly all classes, and
nowhere on the globe do we find people more cheerful, intelligent,
frank, and hospitable than in the three kingdoms of the far North.
The Denmark of to-day, typified by Copenhagen, its capital, is a great
centre of science and art. The spirit of Thorwaldsen, the contemporary
and brother-sculptor of Canova, permeates everything, and in making his
native city his heir, he also bequeathed to her an appreciation of art
which her eminent scientists have ably supplemented in their several
departments of knowledge. The Thorwaldsen Museum contains over forty
apartments, ample space being afforded for the best display of each
figure and each group designed by the great master. The ceilings are
elaborately and very beautifully decorated with emblematical designs by
the best Danish artists. This enduring monument is also Thorwaldsen's
appropriate mausoleum, being fashioned externally after an Etruscan
tomb. It contains only this master's own works, and a few pictures which
he brought with him from Rome. He revelled in the representation of
tenderness, of youth, beauty, and childhood. Nothing of the repulsive or
terrible ever came from his hand. The sculptor's fancy found expression
most fully, perhaps, in the works which are gathered here, illustrating
the delightful legends of the Greek mythology. No one can be surprised
at the universal homage accorded to his memory by his countrymen.
The Ethnological Museum of the city, better known as the Museum of
Northern Antiquities, is considered to be the most remarkable
institution of the sort in Europe. Students in this department of
science come from all parts of the civilized world to seek knowledge
from its countless treasures. One is here enabled to follow the progress
of our race from its primitive stages to its highest civilization. The
national government liberally aids all purposes akin to science and art;
consequently this museum is a favored object of the state. Each of the
three distinctive periods of stone, bronze, and iron forms an elaborate
division in the spacious halls of the institution.
This government was the first in Europe to furnish the means of
education to the people at large on a liberal scale; to establish
schoolhouses in every parish, and to provide suitable dwellings and
income for the teachers. The incipient steps towards this object began
as far back as the time of Christian II., more than three centuries ago,
while many of the European states were clouded in ignorance. Copenhagen
has two public libraries: the Royal, containing over six hundred
thousand books; and the University, which has between two hundred and
fifty and three hundred thousand volumes.
Though Denmark is a small kingdom containing scarcely three million
people, yet it has produced many eminent men of science, art, and
literature. The names of Hans Christian Andersen, Rasmus Rask, the
philologist, Oersted, the discoverer of electro-magnetism, Forchhammer,
the chemist, and Eschricht, the physiologist, occur to us in this
connection. It is a country of legend and romance, of historic and
prehistoric monuments, besides being the very fatherland of fairy tales.
The Vikings of old have left their footprints all over the country in
mounds. It is not therefore surprising that the cultured portion of the
community is stimulated to antiquarian research.
The Palace of Rosenborg, situated near the centre of the city, was built
by Christian IV., in 1604. It is no longer used for its original
purpose, but is devoted to the preservation of a chronological
collection of the belongings of the Danish kings, spacious apartments
being devoted to souvenirs of each, decorated in the style of the
period, and containing a portion of the original furniture from the
several royal residences, as well as the family portraits, gala
costumes, jewelry, plate, and weapons of war. Altogether it is a
collection of priceless value and of remarkable historic interest,
covering a period of over four hundred years. One is forcibly reminded
of the Green Vaults of Dresden while passing through the several
sections of Rosenborg Castle. Many of the royal regalias are profusely
inlaid with diamonds, sapphires, emeralds, rubies, and other precious
stones, forming all together a value too large for us to venture an
estimate. The toilet sets which have belonged to and been in daily use
by various queens are numerous, each set embracing a dozen pieces more
or less, made of solid gold, superbly inlaid with many precious stones.
Among them one is especially interested in the jewelled casket of Queen
Sophia Amalie, wife of Frederick III., a relic inlaid with scores of
diamonds. Here, too, we see the costly and beautiful bridal dresses of
several royal personages, all chronologically arranged, so that the
intelligent visitor clearly reads veritable history in these domestic
treasures.
The Round Tower of Copenhagen is a most singular structure, formerly
used as an observatory. It consists of two hollow cylinders between
which is a spiral, gradually inclined foot-way leading from base to top.
It is quite safe for a horse to ascend, and the Empress Catharine is
said to have reached the summit on horseback. From the top of the Round
Tower, the red-tiled roofs of the city lie spread out beneath the eye of
the visitor, mingled with green parks, open squares, tall steeples,
broad canals, wide thoroughfares and palaces. To this aspect is added
the multitude of shipping lying along the piers and grouped in the
harbor, backed by a view of the open sea. The Swedish coast across the
Baltic is represented by a low range of coast-line losing itself upon
the distant horizon. The ramparts which formerly surrounded Copenhagen
have been demolished, the ground being now improved for fine
garden-walks, planted with ornamental trees and bright-hued flowers,
which add greatly to the attractive aspect of the Danish capital. The
former moats have assumed the shape of tiny lakes, upon which swans and
other aquatic birds are seen at all hours; and where death-dealing
cannon were formerly planted, lindens, rose-bushes, and tall white
lilies now bloom in peaceful beauty.
No finer scenery is to be found in Europe than is presented by the
country lying between Copenhagen and Elsinore, composed of a succession
of forests, lawns, villas, cottages, and gardens, for a distance of
twenty-five miles. Elsinore is a small seaport, looking rather deserted,
bleak, and silent, with less than ten thousand inhabitants. From out of
the uniformity of its red brick buildings there looms up but one
noticeable edifice; namely, the Town Hall, with a square tower flanked
by an octagonal one built of red granite. The charm of the place is its
remarkable situation, commanding a view of the Baltic, with Sweden in
the distance, while the Sound which divides the two shores is always
dotted with myriads of steamers and sailing-vessels. The position of
Elsinore recalls that of Gibraltar and the Dardanelles as surely as its
name reminds us of the play of Hamlet, and Shakespeare. North of the
town, on the extreme point of the land, stands the famous castle of
Kronborg, with its three tall towers, the central one overtopping the
others to the extent of some forty or fifty feet. The tower, upon the
most seaward corner, is devoted to the purposes of a lighthouse. The
castle is about three centuries old, having been built by Frederick II.
for the purpose of commanding the Sound, and of enforcing the marine
tolls which were exacted from all foreign nations for a period of two
hundred years and more.
If you visit Elsinore, the guide will show you what is called Hamlet's
grave, situated in a small grove of trees, where some cunning hands long
ago erected a rude mound of stones. Shakespeare, who had a most royal
way of disregarding dates, made Hamlet live in this place after the
introduction of gunpowder, whereas if any such person ever did exist, it
was centuries earlier and hundreds of miles farther north upon the
mainland, in what is now called Jutland. However, that is not important.
Do not leave Elsinore without visiting Ophelia's fatal brook! To be
sure, this rivulet is not large enough for a duck to swim in, but a
little stretch of the imagination will overcome all local discrepancies.
Far back in Danish legendary story, a time when history fades into
fable, it is said there was a Hamlet in Northern Denmark, but it was
long before the birth of Christ. His father was not a king, but a famous
pirate chief who governed Jutland in conjunction with his brother.
Hamlet's father married the daughter of a Danish king, the issue being
Hamlet. His uncle, according to the ancient story, murdered Hamlet's
father and afterwards married his mother. Herein we have the foundation
of one of Shakespeare's grandest productions.
The Sound, which at Copenhagen is about twenty miles wide, here narrows
to two, the old fort of Helsingborg on the Swedish coast being in full
view, the passage between the two shores forming the natural gate to the
Baltic. There are delightful drives in the environs of Elsinore
presenting land and sea views of exquisite loveliness, the water-side
bristling with reefs, rocks, and lighthouses, while that of the land is
charmingly picturesque with many villas, groves, and broad, cultivated
meads.