Author Archives: Viktoriia Poliakova

My Favorite Museums in Vienna

Vienna is undoubtedly a paradise for those who are, like me, addicted to museums (one more reason why I love this city!). There is SO much to see museums-wise here, and I’m trying to be really careful and not go overboard with visiting all of them, because I want to save some of museums for my next semester here 🙂 So far there hasn’t been any single museum here which I didn’t like, yet some of them I found exceptional and they really stood out for me. So, here’s my personal Top-3 of Viennese museums. Hope some of you feel the same way about them!

Naturhistorisches Museum

Located at the Maria-Theresien-Platz, this enormous museum holds a unique collection of objects and artifacts related to the natural history. You can find anything from meteorites, minerals, precious stones to dinosaur skeletons here. This museum is home to more than 30 million objects! Fascinating, right?

Besides its huge and impressive collection, the Natural History Museum is simply beautiful on the outside and inside. Wandering through the museum, you feel yourself like in a palace; I didn’t know what I was supposed to concentrate on: objects behind the glass or all this beautiful architecture and paintings.

Recommended to: anyone, really! So far I haven’t me any single person who didn’t like this fantastic museum. Even you aren’t into museums very much, I can guarantee that this one will make you want to come back, so interesting it is.

MUMOK – Museum Moderner Kunst


Let’s be completely honest here, not everyone likes modern art. I am, apparently, a big fan of it, and I never miss a chance to visit a modern art museum. MUMOK was the first museum that I visited here in Vienna and it’s safe to say I loved it: I have returned back two times more ever since. MUMOK holds a pretty impressive collection, featuring such famous artists like Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso, Max Ernst and many others. There are also various temporary exhibitions going on all the time, and on top of all that, you can go to the cinema here.

One of the features of MUMOK is that it really stands out among all the other buildings in the MuseumsQuartier. And not only it is fabulous on the outside, it’s very interesting inside too, I’m totally fascinated by its design.

Recommended to: everyone, who is into modern art / is open-minded when it comes to art and knows how to appreciate the variety of it / wants to explore something new and non-traditional, or simply to anyone who wants to buy all the small, cute and unnecessary things in this world (I’m referring to the shop in MUMOK now, it’s amazing!)

Kunst Haus Wien. Museum Hundertwasser

Kunst Haus Wien is the home to the biggest and the only one permanent collection of works by Friedensreich Hundertwasser in the world. You have probably heard about this artist and architect before – he designed the famous Hundertwasser House here in Vienna. Kunst Haus Wien is a unique building too, and definitely worth at least looking at it outside. However, I really recommend you to find some time to see the museum inside and take a look at the collection. I was personally astonished by Hundertwasser’s works, their techniques and individuality, his philosophy, principles and life journey. Tip: plan your visit in the evening (the museum works until 18:00), because there are much less visitors at that time. I find this museum especially magnetizing when it’s quiet around and you are left alone with Hundertwasser’s works, free to interpret and ponder them as much as you like.

Unfortunately, it is not allowed to take pictures in the museum, so all I have is this ticket, which reminds me of that wonderful evening together with some of the greatest art I’ve ever seen in my life.

Recommended to: all of you who were fascinated by the Hundertwasser Haus, and to everyone who wants to learn more about Austrian art world.

A Day in Charming Baden

I was born and raised in a very big city, so things like traffic, noise and huge crowds of people are natural for me, I can’t live without this buzz. Vienna, in my view, is a perfect combination of busy and laid-back, yet you still feel this big city vibe here, with people rushing to work during their morning commute and tourist groups wandering around. Sometimes even a person like me can get a bit tired of this, but good thing I’m living in Vienna – this place offers plenty of opportunities to take a break from busy life. Actually, even not only in Vienna itself. Ever heard of Baden? This small and cute town, located around 30 km south of Vienna, is perfect for a day getaway, as me and my friend have discovered recently. 

Baden is famous as a spa town: many locals and tourists come here to enjoy thermal baths and to spend a day or two in complete relaxation. Also, this town is famous for one of the biggest casinos in Central Europe. Trying to discover something off the beaten track, we didn’t go neither to a spa, nor to the casino – something else was planned for our trip. Hiking, to be precise. We have downloaded offline smartphone maps, fueled ourselves with some coffee and went exploring. Baden is a part of  the famous Wienerwald, and the nature is truly beautiful there. We were wandering around the forest for good 3 hours, climbed some hills, breathed some fresh air, saw several caves in the forest and, of course, enjoyed the view over Baden.


After hiking we went to the city center to walk around for a bit. Baden is your typical small town with narrow streets, cute little cafes and relaxed atmosphere – that’s what makes it so cozy and welcoming. Now, even an urban child like me wants to come back.

How to get here: you can take either a train or a bus, both stop near the Vienna Opera. If you’re taking a train (Badner Bahn), get off at Baden Josephsplatz. Bus #360 from the Opera will also take you to the same station in Baden. Alternatively, you can get off near the Casino, which is also in the center of the town. Travel time is around 50-60 minutes and a one-way ticket costs 5,50 euros. Tip: if you already have the Wien Kernzone ticket, you can save a couple of euros by choosing the ticket, which is valid from Vösendorf-Siebenhirten station. The other way around from Baden also works perfectly fine!

A Winter Walk in Belvedere

Belvedere is one of those places in Vienna that I will never get tired of. It’s like a safe haven for me: a  beautiful, quiet and peaceful place to get away from daily worries, take a walk and recharge your mind. The first time I’ve visited it was more than 6 years ago on a rainy autumn afternoon during my 1-day trip to Vienna: I remember very well how impressed I was by the size of the area and the building complex, and especially by the contrast with the modern city around it.

When I arrived to Vienna last September, Belvedere was one of the first places that I’ve visited again. I have no idea how many hours I have stayed there, but I do remember this amazing sunset, which I enjoyed from its hills. Belvedere is truly magical during warm and bright days when everything around is blossoming; yet, not everyone has an idea how wonderful it is during winter time as well. I didn’t have either. Yesterday I took my camera and went exploring, and it’s safe to say that it was worth getting out of bed on a gloomy winter day. Anyway, this place is truly special regardless of a season: you haven’t been to Vienna if you haven’t visited Belvedere.

 

B1.2 is over!

Yesterday was the last day of my B1.2 intensive course here in DeutschAkademie. Long story short: it was so, so, SO good! That’s why in this post I want to tell you more about my progress, the course itself and my impressions about it.

To be honest, before the beginning of the classes, I was slightly worried about the course level I was put into, but eventually it turned out to be a perfect fit. I have already done a couple of intensive courses in my home country before the beginning of this one, so I knew what to expect from it. An intensive course is usually a perfect and balanced mix of reading, listening, writing, and, of course, speaking: your brain works non-stop during the class, and even after the end of it you still think about German 🙂 However, don’t worry about the big amount of workload – doing an intensive course is easier than it sounds! The atmosphere in the class is very nice and informal, everyone has more or less the same language level – that’s a perfect environment to learn (also from each other’s mistakes!). And of course I totally must mention the importance of the teacher: my class had an absolutely professional, competent and super friendly one! He was keeping us motivated and concentrated during the whole course, and he was very supportive, which I find very important in learning. But I’m pretty sure that this description applies to all teachers in DeutschAkademie.

Class routine at DeutschAkademie

So, did I learn a lot during this month? No. In fact, I learned a massive amount of stuff! Finally all the grammar gaps in my mind have started to fill themselves, now I’m able to express myself much better, both in speaking and writing. One thing I need to work harder though, is my vocabulary. But this 100% depends on me: I can access all the possibly existing German words straight from my laptop, which can be used not only for endless Internet surfing 🙂 Just a little less procrastination and it’s all good!

P.S. The course was so much fun, that I’ve decided to continue further! Very excited to start B2.1 next Monday and to learn more of those cheeky grammar rules & verb conjugations!

Hallo to all fellow German learners!

Hi there!
My name is Viktoriia and during this month I will be sharing my experience in learning German and exploring Vienna. Well, actually, the last thing we will be doing together with you, my dear reader! 🙂

Something about me: I’m 19 years old and I’m originally from the capital of Ukraine – Kiev. I’ve spent half of my childhood in Kazakhstan, then returned back to my homeland and at the age of 17 I’ve moved to Finland to study in a university. But I guess an inner wanderlust has always been hidden inside me, probably that’s the explanation of why I’ve changed places again? Now I’m here in beautiful Vienna doing my Erasmus exchange year since September 2016 and I absolutely love it. I couldn’t make up my mind about the place for my exchange for a very long time, but finally Vienna won my heart, because of all amazing things and opportunities this city offers, and of course because I can improve my German here. And you know what? I didn’t regret my decision for any single second! There’s so much to see, try and experience here – in this city, “more” is never “enough”.

At some point of my stay I have realized that maybe it was the time to take the opportunity of living in a German-speaking city more seriously, and that’s how I ended up doing an intensive course here at DeutschAkademie. I’m studying B1.2 level now, and have already secured my spot for the next-level course – B2.1. To be fair, I couldn’t have wished for a better German course, I love everything about it! But I’ll tell you more about it in the future posts. For now, enjoy these pictures of wonderful Vienna 🙂

 

Stay tuned!

Cheers, Viktoriia