Maria-Theresien-Denkmal
Maria-Theresien-Denkmal stands on Maria-Theresien-Platz between Vienna’s Art History Museum and Natural History Museum. The monument honours Empress Maria Theresa, who ruled the Habsburg monarchy from 1740 to 1780.
Caspar von Zumbusch created the bronze figures, while Carl von Hasenauer designed the architecture. It rises 19.36 metres high. The monument covers 632 square metres and contains 44 tonnes of bronze. Maria Theresa sits six metres above the ground, holding a sceptre and the Pragmatic Sanction in her left hand. Her raised right hand greets the people below.
Four female figures represent justice, strength, mildness, and wisdom around the cornice. The four sides present advisers, administrators, military leaders, and figures from science and art. Equestrian statues of four field marshals occupy the monument’s diagonal axes around the central structure. Granite and serpentinite form the base, pedestal, and columns, while bronze forms every figurative element. The monument follows revivalist historicism and favours historical realism over extensive allegory. It was unveiled in 1888 and forms part of Vienna’s historic centre, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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