Schweizergarten

The Schweizergarten is a public park located in the third district of Vienna, specifically in Landstraße. It is situated between the Park des Belvederes or the Landstraßer Gurtel to the north, the Quartier Belvedere (the former Südbahnhof area) or Arsenalstraße to the west, and the Arsenal or Ghegastraße to the southeast.

Since 1859, the region has been traversed by the connecting railway that was opened at that time, linking the southern and northern railways.In the late 1950s, the railway route within the park underwent a change to accommodate the main route of the Schnellbahn, which commenced operations in 1962. Previously, the route had run parallel to Ghegastraße in a cutting and then proceeded to undercut the Ostbahngleise towards the Favoriten station and the Steudeltunnel. However, a new tunnel was constructed in the western part of the park to connect to the Südbahnhof (S-Bahn) stop, situated at the intersection of Landstraßer Gurtel and Arsenalstraße. Since 2012, this stop has been referred to as the Wien Quartier Belvedere stop.Consequently, the section of the surgical wound that was deemed unnecessary was filled.Due to the demolition of the Südbahnhof in 2010, new exits were constructed for the station from the Schweizergarten in 2009.

Since 1958, the region has been traversed by Schweizer-Garten-Straße and Heeresmuseumstraße, which diverges from it and provides direct access to the primary entrance of the arsenal.Following the conclusion of the 1958 World Exhibition in Brussels, Karl Schwacher oversaw the relocation of the Austrian pavilion to its current location, where it was repurposed as a museum dedicated to the 20th century, known as the “20er Haus.”The building underwent renovation and expansion, and on November 15, 2011, it was reopened as a branch of the Austrian Gallery Belvedere. It is now commonly referred to as 21er Haus, although its official name is Belvedere 21, reflecting its contemporary approach to art viewing. The museum currently exhibits Austrian art from the 20th and 21st centuries within a global framework.

History

Due to strategic considerations, the military has requested that the area in front of the arsenal be kept free from construction. It is worth noting that the line wall, which previously served as the city’s line of defense and was situated in the vicinity of today’s Belt Road, had been dismantled in 1894.Consequently, a municipal park was established at this location during the years 1905 and 1906.The park was initially named Maria-Josefa-Park after Archduchess Maria Josefa, the spouse of Archduke Otto.On June 5, 1906, Mayor Karl Lueger inaugurated the park in question, which was named after a person whose identity is not specified. At the time, the Gürtelstrasse in this area was not yet fully developed.Following the reign of Archduke Karl Franz Joseph, Austria’s last emperor in 1916, the park was briefly designated with the name of the emperor’s mother, Maria Josefa.

Following the conclusion of the First World War, the park underwent a renaming in 1920 to “Red Vienna.” Designed in the style of an English landscape garden, this gesture of gratitude was extended to Switzerland for their generous aid to the Viennese population in need post-war.The park was distinguished by its alpine plant garden and the presence of rocks adorned with water fountains.Similar to the Arsenal, the park area was situated in the 10th district of Vienna and underwent a change in jurisdiction to become part of the 3rd district during the Nazi era in 1938.

Vienna, Austria