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By: Nigel Robinson

There's more than one way to have a ball in Vienna

 

 

 

To the strains of strings and horns, the gallant Franz is leading me in a stately polonaise.

Around us nimble-footed men in white tie and tails, elegant women in sumptuous gowns, remind me that my patent leather dancing shoes can’t hide the fact I was born with two left feet.

I barely register that most of the couples gliding beneath the glittering chandeliers of the ornate classical ballroom are of the same sex.

Despite the drag queens who opened the evening, this isn’t some gay edition of Strictly Come Dancing. This is the annual Rainbow Ball, raising money for Vienna Pride (3 July,).

It should be camp, but it isn’t. And as Franz fills out my dance card with the promise of a cheeky fox-trot before dawn, I realise that his courtly manners make a refreshing change from the more frenetic, tops-off and hands-in-the-air dance establishments I’m used to.

Formal balls, gay or straight, are as much a part of the Viennese whirl as Strauss or Strudel, with hundreds taking place throughout the year. Grandest is the Opera Ball at the Viennese State Opera House where Austrian A-listers turn out to preen and be seen. The Rose Ball is the gay alternative, held on the same night, with feather boas and glitter replacing white tux and tails. I’m not too sure what the very proper and precise Franz would think of that.

The Life Ball in the neo-gothic splendour of Vienna’s Rathaus is the most flamboyant of all. The ultimate in over-the-top glamour, it’s Europe’s largest and classiest HIV fundraiser, where if you don’t find yourself performing a pasodoble with the likes of Donatella or the Austrian President, then you’ve gone to the wrong place.

The Austrian Emperor started the tradition for public balls in the eighteenth century, and Vienna’s streets constantly remind you that for over six centuries the city has been home to Emperors and Empresses and more than its fair share of queens.

Gothic Saint Stephen’s cathedral contains the hearts of over seventy members of the Hapsburg dynasty and is also the resting place of Prince Eugene of Savoy, well known for his male lovers. With its distinctive chevron-tiled roof of blue green and yellow, “Steffi” dominates the old town, and a climb to the top of its 137-metres high southern tower gives you some of the best views of Vienna. From there you can see the impressive Imperial Palace. A grandiose complex of royal buildings, built and added to over the years, it covers a whole range of architectural styles from late-medieval to the nineteenth century. Its sixteenth-century stables are the home of the Spanish Riding School and its famous snow-white Lipizzaner horses. It’s the only place in the world where the classic equestrian skills of haute école are still practised and the morning training sessions are a must-see.

Just outside town is the Baroque magnificence of Schönbrunn Palace, the former summer residence of the imperial family that rivals Versailles. It’s well worth a day’s visit to explore forty of the Palace’s 1441 state rooms and apartments, as well as a park and maze, a bakery to watch Strudel being made, and the oldest zoo in the world.

Here as in the rest of Vienna, there’s no escape from the Empress Sisi. Sisi was a famously beautiful and free-spirited member of the imperial family who met a violent end in 1898: a Princess Di of the nineteenth century, she’s unsurprisingly a gay icon.  She  even has her own museum in the Imperial Palace where you can view her jewellery and summer dresses (she had a 20-inch waist).

But for all its imperial past, Vienna is transforming itself into a city for the twenty-first century. The MuseumsQuartier (or MQ) arts complex (www.mq.at) is the hip and happening heart of modern Vienna with galleries and installations, and buzzing cutting-edge bars and restaurants.

The Leopold Museum contains the world’s biggest collection of Egon Schiele, and the nearby Museum of Modern Art has an impressive choice of international twentieth-century works. 

Just down the road, is the 400-year-old Naschmarkt, a foodie’s delight, 1.5 mouth-watering kilometres of market stalls, selling produce from around the world, and more varieties of Wurst than you knew existed. Stop at one of the outdoor Würstelstands for a Käsekrainer, sausage made of pork and cheese, or just people-watch from the cheap restaurants and bars.  On Saturdays pick up a bargain at the flea market.

Say no to Starbucks and experience real Viennese coffee house culture by spending your day sipping a classic Einspänner (mocha with whipped cream) in the historic grandeur of the Café Central (Herrengasse 14). Or try the Café Berg  (Bergstrasse 8), next door to the  Löwenherz gay book store which has a selection of English language gay guides. The Naschmarkt is in trendy Mariahilf, and near Vienna’s gay quarter, where the Rosa Lila Villa centre is a great source of queer information.

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THE GAY STUFF

Compared to other European capitals, Vienna’s scene is small but what it lacks in size it makes up for in friendliness. The Village bar pulls in a young up-for-it crowd and gets packed at the weekend, while the hard-core hang out at Sling (Kettenbrückengasse 4,).

Felixx (Gumpendorferstrasse 5) attracts a more mixed-age group and does some fantastic breakfasts at the weekend, perfect when you’ve just left the popular Why Not? disco (Tiefer Graben 22,).

Worth a visit for its stunning marbled interior alone, the Kaiserbründl sauna (Weihburggasse 18) recalls an opulent Turkish hamman and has been a feature of Viennese gay life for over a century. Architecturally the most beautiful sauna in the world, it was here that the Emperor’s brother Archduke Ludwig Viktor (“Luziwuzi” to his friends) caused a scandal after making inappropriate advances to a member of the imperial army.

Not to be missed is the weekly Heaven at the notorious Camera Club (Neubaugasse 2), a Vienna clubbing institution presided over by the inimitable Miss Candy. Two rooms playing pumping house, and cheesy pop, it’s a fun and friendly party attracting mostly men of all ages, and just the right side of messy for a good night out.

(It’s definitely not the sort of place I’d expect to see my well-mannered ballroom partner of the previous evening.

But this is precisely where I do run into Franz again, and he gives me a sheepish smile as he dances topless on a podium in a pair of skimpy gold lamé shorts.

In Vienna, it would seem, there’s more than one way to have a ball.)