The Winter Riding School

Perhaps the most beautiful riding hall in the world

In the peace time following the second Turkish siege, Emperor Charles VI commissioned numerous monumental structures. Between 1725 and 1735 he had the Winter Riding School built on the former imperial “Paradeisgartl” between the Redouten Wing and the Michaelertrakt. Architect Joseph Emanuel Fischer von Erlach (1693-1742) carried out construction, realising the ideas of his father, Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach (1656-1723).

Primarily built for the riding instruction of the imperial family, the Baroque riding hall was often the scene of carousels, masked feasts, equestrian games and court balls, such as Maria Theresa’s “Damenkarussell” to celebrate the re-conquest of Prague on January 2, 1743. The main attraction was “Türkenkopfstechen”, a much-loved pastime of the Hapsburgs whereby the female guests, riding in carriages, had to impale wooden or paper maché heads of Turks mounted on poles with épées.

The foundation concert of the Society of Friends of Music in Vienna, seen in the above image, also took place in the Winter Riding School on November 29, 1812 and went down in history on account of its scale. 600 participants, including 120 violinists and 280 singers, presented George Frederic Handel’s Alexander’s Feast. Today the Winter Riding School can be transformed into an event location in no time at all thanks to modern technology.