DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.44973#0150
A Defcrzpnon of Vienna. .
The whole compass, taking in the Suburbs, makes a very large Cir-
cuit, but the City it self, which is walled in, may be abut three miles
in Circumference, and is exceeding populous, as full of People, for ti e
bigness of the place, as moil of the great Cities. And I could not but
take delight to behold so many Nations in it, as Turks* Tartars* Gre-
cians Tranfy Iranians* Sclavtonians* Hungarians* Croatians* Spaniards*
Italians* French* Germans* Polandtrs* &c. all in their proper Habits.
The chief Gates are six : i. Stubvtthor* or the Stulen Gate towards
the East. 2. Karntertbor* or the Gate of Carinthia towards the South.
3. Burghor* the Town Gate* or Cajlle Gate. 4. Schottcntbor* or the
Scotch Gate. 5. Newthor* or the Neu gate; these two la st towards the
West: And 6. the Gate os the reel Tower towards the North, which
leads unto the Bridge over the Danube : and towards the water-side
there is also a Port by the Emperor’s palace,and a Cloystcr or Nunne-
ry in the Town hath the Name of a Port called Himmel port* or the
Gate of Heaven. The five first of these Gates are vaulted and arched
with long passages through the Town-wall, and have good Bridges of
Wood, with Draw-bridges to pass over the Town ditch : The sixth is
under a Tower, and leads to the Bridges of the Danube : For that River
runs here in a ssat low Country,divides its slreams, so that to pass it
quite over, there are at present seven long Bridges made up of many
thousand Trees laid one by another, after their way of making Bridges.
There is also a Bridge within the City of Vienna* called the Hochbrug*
or High-bridge, which is made by the crossing of two Streets at equal
Angles; the ground of one street being as high as the tops of
the Houses of the other, so th t to Continue it,they were forced to biii d
a Bridge or Arch in the Lowerfireet* to let the upper to pass over
it.
, The City is fairly built of stone, and well paved ; many Houses are
of six stories high ; they are somewhat ssat roosed after the Italian
Way ; the Streets are not narrow, but the compass of ground will not
admit them to be very broad ; and their Buildings are remarkable both
above and below ground ; their Cellars are very deep. To satisfie my
curiosity, I went into some of them, aqd found sour Cellars one under
another; they wrere arched, and had two pair of Stairs to deseend into
them. Some have an open space in the middle of each roof, to let the
Air out of one Cellar into another, and from the lowed: an adit or tu-
be unto the top,to let the Air in and out from the street, somewhat af-
ter the manner of the Mines. <
TEnteas Sylvius* about two hundred years since, commending the
City os Nurnburg* among other expressions lets sall this : Cuperent Sco-
torum Reges tam egregie quam mediocres Cives Norinbergenses habit are.
The Kings of the Sro/r would be content to dwell so well as the mid-
dle sorts of Citizens os Nurnbury I must confess, when I first entred
Nurnburg* I was much surprized to see such a noble, large, spruce,rich,
and well built City : but Vienna doth also deserve the commendation
which he afsords it: Ubi Palatia digna Regibus* & Templa qute mira*
ri Italia posfit. Where there are Palaces fit for Kings, and Churches
which Italy may admire. And this being spoken so' long ago, is now
better verified of it.
The Imperial Palace is very Noble, Sijbstantial,and Princely furnish-
ed, consisting chiessy of two Courts; the one very large, the other les-
fer.
r
The whole compass, taking in the Suburbs, makes a very large Cir-
cuit, but the City it self, which is walled in, may be abut three miles
in Circumference, and is exceeding populous, as full of People, for ti e
bigness of the place, as moil of the great Cities. And I could not but
take delight to behold so many Nations in it, as Turks* Tartars* Gre-
cians Tranfy Iranians* Sclavtonians* Hungarians* Croatians* Spaniards*
Italians* French* Germans* Polandtrs* &c. all in their proper Habits.
The chief Gates are six : i. Stubvtthor* or the Stulen Gate towards
the East. 2. Karntertbor* or the Gate of Carinthia towards the South.
3. Burghor* the Town Gate* or Cajlle Gate. 4. Schottcntbor* or the
Scotch Gate. 5. Newthor* or the Neu gate; these two la st towards the
West: And 6. the Gate os the reel Tower towards the North, which
leads unto the Bridge over the Danube : and towards the water-side
there is also a Port by the Emperor’s palace,and a Cloystcr or Nunne-
ry in the Town hath the Name of a Port called Himmel port* or the
Gate of Heaven. The five first of these Gates are vaulted and arched
with long passages through the Town-wall, and have good Bridges of
Wood, with Draw-bridges to pass over the Town ditch : The sixth is
under a Tower, and leads to the Bridges of the Danube : For that River
runs here in a ssat low Country,divides its slreams, so that to pass it
quite over, there are at present seven long Bridges made up of many
thousand Trees laid one by another, after their way of making Bridges.
There is also a Bridge within the City of Vienna* called the Hochbrug*
or High-bridge, which is made by the crossing of two Streets at equal
Angles; the ground of one street being as high as the tops of
the Houses of the other, so th t to Continue it,they were forced to biii d
a Bridge or Arch in the Lowerfireet* to let the upper to pass over
it.
, The City is fairly built of stone, and well paved ; many Houses are
of six stories high ; they are somewhat ssat roosed after the Italian
Way ; the Streets are not narrow, but the compass of ground will not
admit them to be very broad ; and their Buildings are remarkable both
above and below ground ; their Cellars are very deep. To satisfie my
curiosity, I went into some of them, aqd found sour Cellars one under
another; they wrere arched, and had two pair of Stairs to deseend into
them. Some have an open space in the middle of each roof, to let the
Air out of one Cellar into another, and from the lowed: an adit or tu-
be unto the top,to let the Air in and out from the street, somewhat af-
ter the manner of the Mines. <
TEnteas Sylvius* about two hundred years since, commending the
City os Nurnburg* among other expressions lets sall this : Cuperent Sco-
torum Reges tam egregie quam mediocres Cives Norinbergenses habit are.
The Kings of the Sro/r would be content to dwell so well as the mid-
dle sorts of Citizens os Nurnbury I must confess, when I first entred
Nurnburg* I was much surprized to see such a noble, large, spruce,rich,
and well built City : but Vienna doth also deserve the commendation
which he afsords it: Ubi Palatia digna Regibus* & Templa qute mira*
ri Italia posfit. Where there are Palaces fit for Kings, and Churches
which Italy may admire. And this being spoken so' long ago, is now
better verified of it.
The Imperial Palace is very Noble, Sijbstantial,and Princely furnish-
ed, consisting chiessy of two Courts; the one very large, the other les-
fer.
r