Johann Strauss monument, 1921
Stadtpark (City Park)
Parkring
Vienna, September 2017
“The locals call Johann Strauss Jr. (1825 – 1899) the Walzerkönig (King of the Waltz), which is a clue to some of his more famous works. This is the man who gave us the ‘Blue Danube’ waltz... perhaps the composition most closely associated with Vienna and also the music used to welcome in the Viennese New Year and end the New Year's Concert. Anyway, in 1903, a few years after Strauss's death, plans were in place to build a memorial to this Viennese great. Unfortunately, the financing turned out to be trickier than was hoped and the outbreak of the first World War didn't help matters either. The resulting delays meant the memorial first saw the light of day in 1921, based on a design by Edmund Hellmer. The ‘gold’ statue is actually gilded bronze, and early damage saw removal of the gold decoration in 1935. It returned in 1991 following restoration work.” (The golden Strauss memorial, Visiting Vienna)
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