Vienna - Maria-Theresien-Platz and Memorial

The monument to Empress Maria Theresa is one of the most impressive in all Vienna. It dominates the square of the same name which is flanked by the Kunsthistorisches Museum and the Naturhistorisches Museum. The square itself is laid out as a formal Baroque garden. It was Franz Joseph I who commissioned the sculptor Kaspar von Zumbusch to design the monument, and his work was unveiled in 1887. The Empress is seated on her throne, holding the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713 in her left hand. She is surrounded by major personages of her day: the standing figures are State Chancellor Kaunitz, Prince Liechtenstein, Count Haugwitz and her physician, van Swieten, while Generals Daun, Laudon, Traun and Khevenhüller are on horseback. The high reliefs depict illustrious figures from the fields of politics, economics and the arts, including Haydyn, Gluck and the child prodigy, Mozart. On the southwest side of the lawned square the Messeplatz (Exhibition Square) leads to the Museum Quarter.