Spektrum Iran

Vienna and the Orient: A Historical Journey From Ottoman Aversion to Oriental "Appropriation"

Document Type : Original Research Paper

Author

Gottfried Riegler-Cech

Secretary of the Catholic Academics Association, Vienna, Austria

https://doi.org/10.22034/spektrum.2023.184272
Abstract
In 1922, Hugo von Hofmannsthal described the city of the Kingdom of Vienna in his „Viennese Letter” as the eastern gateway to Europe. His perception of the Orient probably referred to the Ottoman territory, which also meant the Iranian and Arab world. He considered himself a citizen of the Habsburg Empire, which housed various nations and whose capital was a gateway that reached the West from the outside. Furthermore, it could also open the world of culture to the nations of the East. In the 19th and 20th centuries, interest in the Orient was not only found in literature, but also in paintings, architecture and music. For example, the Arsenal in Vienna is influenced by Andalusian-Islamic architecture. And the Zacherl factory in the Döbling district of Vienna has a mosque-like appearance under the influence of Islamic architecture. Moreover, traces of oriental melodies can be recognized in some of Franz Schubert’s pieces of music.

Keywords

Vienna
Ottoman
Orient
Architecture
Music
Painting
Subjects
Hofmannsthal, H. von. (1922). Wiener Brief. [Essay].
Hammer-Purgstall, J. von. (1812–1813). Divan des Hafis: Aus dem Persischen zum ersten Male ganz übersetzt. Wien: Camesina.
Mozart, W. A. (1782). Die Entführung aus dem Serail [Opera]. Wien: Burgtheater.
Werfel, F. (1933). Die vierzig Tage des Musa Dagh. Wien: Zsolnay.
Kafka, F. (1919). In der Strafkolonie. Leipzig: Kurt Wolff Verlag.
Spektrum Iran
Volume 36, Issue 1
July 2023
Pages 97-100

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