Vienna Media News 3/2013 VIDEO: Vienna for children
Video "Vienna for Children" (MP4, 115 MB)
(Artwork: Oliver von Feistmantl, www.olivervonfeistmantl.com)
The House of Music in the first district is famous for bringing music to life for all the senses. Giant instruments, computers and state-of-the-art technology are just some of the ways that visitors can experience music. Children can conduct the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, have a go at banging the kettle drums, compose their own tunes on a computer, burn a CD or even discover what a baby can hear from the safety of its mother's tummy. There is also plenty to discover about the great composers of bygone years, including fascinating stories for the children about the life and times of Beethoven and Mozart.
The Aqua Terra Zoo in the Esterházypark is the place to see tropical freshwater and saltwater fish, sea creatures from the Mediterranean and examples from local waterways. In the Tropenhaus and Krokipark visitors will come face to face with free roaming birds and monkeys, while the giant terrariums are home to venomous snakes and giant constrictors, lizards, leafcutter ants and tarantulas. At the aquarium, children can almost literally immerse themselves in the underwater experience by poking their heads into the integrated "diving bells" and watching the tropical fish swimming around directly in front of their eyes. Elsewhere in the building, an artificial cave contains more than 100 nocturnal species and cave dwellers, including poisonous millipedes and scary scorpions bathed in ghostly UV light. The shark feeding sessions are a particularly popular fixture. The Butterfly House in the Burggarten gives children a taste of the tropics in the heart of the city. Inside this beautiful Jugendstil (Austrian Art Nouveau) greenhouse the temperature is kept at a constant 26° Celsius, with humidity hovering around the 80 percent mark to create the ideal conditions for the hundreds of species of rare butterflies that can be seen flying around freely.
At the ZOOM Children's Museum in the MuseumsQuartier children are free to explore, research and play to their heart's desire. Here, hands-on learning is definitely the name of the game. Adults are also welcome to join in the fun! The 1,600-square-meter ZOOM Children's Museum is divided into four different areas: a cartoon studio (for eight to 14 year olds), an art studio (for three to 12 year olds), the ZOOM Ocean (indoor play area for children of primary school age and under), as well as an interactive exhibition area with shows devoted to science, art, everyday culture and architecture.
- Haus der Musik. Das Klangmuseum, Seilerstätte 30, 1010 Vienna, www.hdm.at
- Haus des Meeres - Aqua Terra Zoo, Fritz-Grünbaum-Platz 1 (Esterházypark), 1060 Vienna, www.haus-des-meeres.at
- Schmetterlinghaus - Butterfly House, Burggarten, 1010 Vienna, www.schmetterlinghaus.at
- ZOOM Children's Museum, MuseumsQuartier, Museumsplatz 1, 1070 Vienna, www.kindermuseum.at
Contact:
Vienna Tourist Board
Helena Hartlauer
Media Relations UK, USA, Canada, Australia
Tel. (+ 43 1) 211 14-364
helena.hartlauer@vienna.info