August 7
* The readings for today focus on the Enlightenment, a particular topic of interest to me. Something that caught my attention was the fact that Austria did not fully experience this enlightening era because a dominant bourgeois class did not exist. There simply were not enough people to promote and spread the ideas that were so popular in such places as France and England. On the other hand, the Habsburgs became heavily involved, Maria Theresa and Joseph II in particular, with Enlightened Absolutism and one of their first priorities was catering to the people. The two aforementioned rulers did so much to accommodate to the circulating ideas of reason, religious tolerance, and to break away from the traditions of the dominating churches. The exponential increases of public welfare proved to be a bit too much at once for the people, so some of these overzealous leaders’ plans backfired. Nonetheless, mother and son did a lot to help the community and it’s subjects and they also created much growth for the city of Vienna.* Today a few of us ventured to the Military and Arsenal Museum (Heeresgeschichtliches Museum). Unfortunately, we got there only about an hour before it was closing, so it was a bit of a rushed experience, but great nonetheless. The museum has a very extensive collection ranging from the Thirty Years War to the Anschluss leading into World War II, and there are even jets and tanks surrounding the perimeter. They even have the car Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in, as well as the sofa and coat he died in, all stained with blood. It was rather morbid. Our attention, however, was mainly focused on the first floors which followed the Thirty Years War, the Napoleonic Wars, the Austro-Prussian War, and the Turkish Wars too. What captured my attention were the Turkish Wars. As mentioned in Past in the Present, the Ottomans became a new threat in the sixteenth century as they gravitated west and took siege of the city in 1529 and again in 1683. The latter proved to be a very significant victory over the Turks as Austria was able to regain Hungarian and Transylvanian territories, all under the guidance of military mastermind, Prince Eugene of Savoy. I particularly liked the Ottoman weaponry that was on display. The Turks had such a different military style, compared to Western forces, which can clearly be seen in the more barbaric weapons like bows and arrows and large staffs with crescent shaped blades. I found it interesting that a common feature on Ottoman headgear and uniforms was horse tails. Also, everything is very decorative, such as the gorgeous tents that were used to house soldiers. There was one large tent that was halfway set-up and I couldn’t help but feel in awe by the detail and design of it. There is just something about the Ottoman culture and the artistry involved that completely intrigues me.
posted by lauREN @ 9/11/2006
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