German Activities in Austria
Included cultural and leisure programme
Actilingua’s packed programmes of afternoon and evening cultural and leisure activities present a many-sided view of Vienna and Austrian culture. And the best of it is that everything is included in the price. We also want to teach you German and interesting things about Austria outside the classroom. For this reason, every one of Actilingua´s German courses features five lessons cultural programme a week.
We organize special talks, discussions and videos about Austrian music, art, literature, history and architecture. Films, tours of the many sights of Vienna, parties and sports all form part of this program.
Leisure in Vienna
During the afternoons as well as the evenings, the school organises numerous activities, most of which are included in the price. This way, students can practise the language while familiarising themselves with the Austrian culture. Each week, five lesson periods are dedicated to cultural life. Lectures, discussions and videos allow students to discover this rich literature, music, history and architecture. In order to encourage complete immersion, outings around the town, visits to Vienna’s main attractions but also parties and sports are on the program. On the weekends, our partner school offers excursions to Salzburg, Wachau, the Danube valley and lake Neusiedl.
City Walks
Our teachers take students into Vienna to explore the city’s nooks and crannies. There is a wealth of new perspectives to be discovered off the beaten track. For instance, Thomas, our established history expert, takes students along the Ringstrasse. "We know it already!" many will say. But not what Thomas has to tell you. Very few Viennese know the history and stories about the State Opera, the Burggarten and Imperial Palace, the museums of fine art and natural history, parliament, the Burgtheater, City Hall, Vienna University, the Stock Exchange, the Ringturm, Urania, Stadtpark, the Hotel Imperial and the many other attractions along one of Vienna’s most important roads - the "Ring". As its name implies, the boulevard encircles the city centre, separating the first district from Vienna’s other districts. Foot and tram are the best modes of transport for this tour. Tram lines "1" and "2" travel in opposite directions around the Ring, always in a circle. You simply hop on and off whenever you like.
Almost everybody knows St. Stephen’s Cathedral, at least to look at. But do you know the many tales and sagas surrounding this landmark in the heart of Vienna? For instance about the Zahnwehherrgott to whom the people went on pilgrimage to be healed of their toothache? Or about the Pummerin - the bell that rings in the new year on New Year’s Eve? Have you ever climbed up the tower and counted the steps? - Getting to the top is an unforgettable experience.
Around St. Stephen’s Cathedral there are also a lot of small alleys and corners that are almost impossible to find without help, for instance Blutgasse or the Deutsche Ordens Kirche hidden in a courtyard, or Schönlaterngasse with the "Basilisken", a dragon-like monster that lived in a well and instilled fear among the Viennese. All this, and much more besides can be experienced on our free weekly city walks.
Excerpt from CITY WALKS (free of charge)
Architecture
- Architecture from baroque to the modern age - from imperial splendour to functionality
- Jugendstil (art nouveau) in Vienna - the art of being useful
- Baroque in Vienna - Vienna in its heyday
- The Gothic period in Vienna - old Vienna and the city's origins
- In Hundertwasser's footsteps - Vienna vibrantly varied
History
- Around the Ring boulevard - history, architecture and anecdotes
- Medieval Vienna - old Vienna around St. Stephen's Cathedral
- Blutgasse district - legends from old Vienna
- The Imperial Palace (Hofburg) - political nerve centre past and present
Lifestyle, fun and adventure
- Student life in Vienna- university, campus and students
- The Vienna Prater - from the Giant Ferris Wheel to the Lusthaus
- Spittelberg - art studios and Christmas market
- Coffee houses in Vienna - introduction to a Viennese institution
- Parks in Vienna - green Vienna and its monuments
Literature
- Legends surrounding St. Stephen's Cathedral - a landmark and its stories
- Strudelhofstiege - a literature experience
- INCLUDED ACTIVITIES
- OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES
