Prague, Vienna & Budapest

The union of the Austrian, Slav and Magyar peoples was the core of the empire developed by the Habsburgs as they acquired, by marriage or conquest, lands stretching from Italy to Poland and the Balkans and the title, Holy Roman Emperor. Prague, the Slavic capital to the north, and Budapest, the Magyar capital to the east, are thus inextricably linked with the imperial capital of Vienna, even though the 20th-century ‘Iron Curtain’ has thrown up fascinating contrasts of development. In fact 20 years ago the border between historically linked Austria and Hungary was the first ‘breach’ in the ‘Iron Curtain’, swiftly followed by the fall of the Berlin Wall and independence for Hungary and Czechoslovakia.

A greater understanding of their history, architecture and character is attained by visiting these three capitals consecutively. The narrow streets of the original medieval centres are a counterpoint to the grand boulevards and open squares created in the 19th century.

VJV Special Event - Musical Performances
In Prague a private tour and short private Chamber Music concert at the Estates Theatre, where Mozart premiered 'Don Giovanni'; in Vienna a concert featuring the music of Strauss & Mozart with opera singers and ballet soloists at the Kursalon, where the Strauss brothers celebrated their greatest triumphs; in Budapest a dinner with Gypsy Music and a Folklore performance.