7. August

The weekend is finally here! But it doesn’t really feel like a weekend, because this program is almost like a vacation, just with extra work. After getting up at a reasonable hour, several friends and I went to the Schatzkammer to see some of the more ornate and elaborate relics of the Habsburgs. We saw garments from the Archduchy of Austria, when Rudolph IV ordered the forgery of documents known as the Privilegum maius which elevated the Duchy to Archduchy and increasing the Habsburg’s power to rival that of the Elector rulers that chose the Emperor. We also saw Rudolf of Habsburg’s crown, scepter, and orb. The cross on the orb represents the four directions—north, south, east, and west—and the orb itself represents the earth. Combined, these two objects symbolize the fact that Austria has the right to rule the world. This ideal empire is again idealized by the AEIOU philosophy (Alles Erdreich ist Oesterreich Untertan). In addition to the objects themselves, the museum pointed out the small details and symbolism of each artifact that made it significant.

This museum also contains a number of artifacts said to come from biblical times. Contained in an ornate gold reliquary is a nail that supposedly pierced Christ’s right hand on the cross. There is also several pieces of cloth said to be from the table cloth at the Last Supper, Jesus’s loincloth, and his sweat rag. As I look at this collection of random objects, I ask myself why anyone would want Jesus’s sweat towel, for Christ’s sake, and my audio guide tells me. Relics back then were a sign of power (for Catholics, not Protestants, but the world was pretty much Cathoic back then), so authority figures would collect these relics to legitimize their claims to power.

(picture on left) This is a picture of the symbol of the Order of the Golden Fleece. The necklace depicts interlocking fire irons and flintstone. Each link represents a member, and the golden fleece itself is hung from this necklace, indicating how each member has a duty to support the order and how the order would collapse if one link were to "break."

After the Schatzkammer we went down to the Danube canal and caught a ferry out of Vienna to Bratislava. I was a little apprehensive about leaving Vienna, but the boat ride soon alleviated my fears and I managed to enjoy the scenery of the Danube. On our way we saw small fisherman’s huts and castles that may have stood as a lookout for Austrianson the Danube looking for war. One thing we noticed as soon as we arrived was how much more friendly everybody was towards us. The clerk at the first hostel we went to, for example, told us his rate was 80 euro per night, and seeing our hesitant looks, kindly recommended us to a cheaper place and in addition pointed out areas of the city where we could enjoy the Slovenian culture and night life. Much of the city's activity was concentrated on only a few streets, which we didn't always follow. The architectural style was not as extravagantly baroque as Vienna is, but there was an elegance in the castles and churches we saw.