The extraordinary story of a family of horses founded in the 16th century, combined with the architectural splendors of imperial Vienna, form the backdrop to one of the most famous and remarkable equestrian institutions of our time. It all began in 1556: Maximilian II of Habsburg reigned in Vienna, while his brother – Charles II – received the northern provinces of the former Yugoslavia, as well as the south of present-day Austria. In 1565, the emperor, who had already imported a number of horses from Spain – it was this geographical origin of the horses that would later give the school its name – decided to invest one hundred florins in the creation of an open-air riding arena on the site of what is now Josefplatz, from where the public can access the imperial riding arena today.
Spanish School of Vienna: The long epic of the winter carousel
A small investment for a modest facility that would have to be put up with for a long time, given the Habsburgs’ chronic cash shortage!
Such was the inconvenience of this riding arena in winter that it was finally decided to build an enclosed, covered structure. A letter dated August 20, 1572, which may be regarded as the founding act of the Spanish School in Vienna, stipulates that “20 tree trunks should be made available to the Secretary of Court Construction for the construction of the columns of the Spanish riding hall”. This building, where the emperor’s horses would be trained daily, was to be extremely simple: 3 sides enclosed by a wall, the 4th by a columned gallery. Thus, was built, entirely of wood, the “manège du jardin des promenades impériales”. In 1640, its advanced state of disrepair necessitated the construction of a new riding hall, but imperial finances were still at a low ebb. In 1653, Leopold I reigned over an Austria that was to suffer the second Turkish invasion and a sixteen-year war against the Ottomans. These events further delayed the realization of this great project.
It wasn’t until 1681 that he was able to begin building the new manège: a two-story structure, with the first floor reserved for the Spanish School and the second floor for the Court library. The roof was laid in 1683, and the horses were immediately installed.
Unfortunately, the Turks laid siege to the city, causing extensive damage, particularly to the new riding arena. After the enemy’s departure, Leopold I ordered that “the imperial riding arena be rebuilt and that His Imperial Majesty be allowed to ride during the winter, and that the exercise and training of the horses begin without delay”. Alas, it would be another fifty years before this order was carried out, a new siege by the Turks and other financial obstacles having interrupted its implementation. The Court Library was built – the quadriga above it still bears witness to its original purpose; the first floor was used as a coach house for the Court carriages.
The Spanish School of Vienna: a masterpiece of academic equitation
Leopold, I died in 1705, and his successor in 1711. It was not until 1722, therefore, that Charles VI – the last Baroque emperor – ordered work to resume. The Austrian sovereigns had already set about rejuvenating their residence and transforming the medieval Hofburg into a modern palace. An intense artistic life was developing in the Danube countries, accompanying Austria’s rise to great power.
Heirs to the Italian architects, the new masters of Baroque art were now subjects of the emperor. Johann Bernhard Lischer von Erlach was to be one of those who, combining a powerful originality of invention with a great artistic culture, renewed a style in the same tradition. It was to him that the emperor entrusted the completion of the Imperial Library on the former walls of the Foundation. It was completed in 1726. A few years later, the Winter Armoury as we know it was finally built on part of the Court’s pleasure gardens known as the “Paradise Garden”. Begun in 1729, this ceremonial equestrian hall was completed in 1735. A masterpiece of harmonious simplicity, this marvelous creation of Viennese architecture is devoid of sculptural decoration. The four-story building includes two galleries supported by 46 Corinthian columns. Its harmonious proportions echo those of the Classical school: 55 m long, 18 m wide, under an elaborate stucco ceiling suspended 17 m from the roof structure.
High side windows bathe the immaculate whiteness of the walls in unreal light. On one of the short sides, the vast imperial box surmounts that of the Court, opposite the riders’ entrance. The huge equestrian portrait of Charles VI on his stallion Lipizzaner dominates the scene and is greeted every morning by the squires as they enter the arena.
Spanish School of Vienna: The tumultuous life of the Lipizzaner at the imperial court
The reputation of the Spanish horse was undisputed throughout Europe, but importing it posed almost insurmountable and financially unbearable problems. It became imperative to produce horses on imperial lands. In 1576, Maximilian asked his brother to find suitable land in the southern provinces to establish a stud farm to breed horses for the imperial court. Charles II set off in search of a suitable location to breed noble horses. He settled south of Trieste, finding a region with a terrain and climate like that of Andalusia, the cradle of the horses already available to the empire. History also helped: the bishops of Trieste owned an agricultural and forestry residence in the hamlet of Lipizza, which had been quite ruined by the Turkish invasion of 1559. Delighted to find a buyer, they offered it to Charles IL. The deed of sale was signed in 1580, and the 320-hectare estate was cleared, irrigated, and developed for the imperial court’s livestock. At the same time, the prince commissioned Baron Kevenhüller to buy the first Andalusian stallions in Spain, from which the future Lipizzaners would be bred after the most rigorous selection process. The following year, 24 mares and 6 Andalusian stallions joined the new Imperial Stud at Lipizza. From this period dates the lovely tradition of planting three trees in the main aisle of the stud every time a 3-year-old stallion is sent to Vienna. The empire’s remount was assured, and, at the school, squires competed with talent in the purest equestrian tradition. But Austria’s fate put an end to this serenity.
Spanish School of Vienna: from exodus to exodus
In 1796, Bonaparte attacked the Austrians, who immediately evacuated their horses to Hungary, waiting for the Peace of Campoformio to repatriate them to their fiefdom. An earthquake ruined the stables in 1804. Barely rebuilt, Napoleon returned to Vienna in 1805, and the horses retreated to Hungary for another six months. The next exodus took place in 1809 and lasted six years. Back at the decaying stud farm, which Franz Joseph ordered to be restored, the horses were finally able to enjoy the peace and quiet of yesteryear. The peace lasted for a hundred years, during which time the stud reached the peak of its development and renown. Vienna celebrated these golden years with all the pomp of an imperial court. Ballets, carousels, and other festivities followed one another. The horses sent to Vienna were exceptional, and the equestrian level of the squires reached its peak, even more so as they had benefited from the teaching of the great French squires dispersed by the revolution; the “bible” of the Spanish School was none other than La Guérinière’s book!
The twentieth century once again brought major conflicts that threatened the horses of Vienna and its school. Barely recovered from a forced exodus in 1915, Austrian horses were to experience sad times from 1919 onwards. Italy seized Lipizza and wanted the horses. Bitter negotiations led to the division of the herd: 107 horses and a few mares were ceded to Italy, while Austria kept only 87, plus those from its Radantz stud, which were moved to Piber in 1920, a stud which has since been exclusively dedicated to remounting the school. In 1942, on the orders of the Reich, the Piber stud was transferred to Czechoslovakia, along with the Italian horses.
350 Lipizzaners were now under German control. Despite the firm opposition of the school’s director, Colonel Podhajsky, 40% of the horses were sold! In 1945, the few remaining horses in Vienna were sent 300 km from the capital, most of the riders were drafted and the school closed. It was General Patton who ensured the return of the horses and riders to their fiefdoms.
It wasn’t until 1955 that the great gate of the Hofburg riding arena was reopened one evening to twelve immaculate white horses, harnessed in leather and gold. At their head, Colonel Podhajsky would advance to the imperial box and uncover himself before the President of the Republic: “Mr. President, I have the honor of announcing the return of the Spanish Cavalry School after ten years of exile.”
Since that moving moment, the wonderful story of these white horses, which have fascinated mankind for over four hundred years, has continued at Lipizza, Piber and the Imperial Palace.
