Believed to have been founded in 1572, The Spanish Riding School of Vienna is the oldest Riding School in the world and is regarded as the pinnacle of the classical art of riding. The precise and graceful manoeuvres of the white Lipizzaner stallions and their elegant riders date back to Ancient Greece.
80-minute performances of Lipizzan horse riding take place in the Winter Riding School building, which was built in 1735 by Josef Emanuel Fischer von Erlach. Shows are normally on Sundays, Saturdays and sometimes Fridays. There are no shows in July & August.
The world famous Lipizzaner horses take their name from the village of Lipica (Italian: Lipizza), in modern day Slovenia which was the home of the original royal stud. The unique white horses are the result of centuries of breeding from Spanish, Italian and Arab-Oriental stock.
(The Lipizzaner Museum (daily, 09:00 - 18:00 -price 5 Euro) can be found nearby at Reitschulgasse 2.)
Opening Times
Visitor Centre...
Tues - Sat 09:00 - 16:00 (later if there is a performance)
Sun 09:00 - 12:00
Address
Imperial Palace Hofburg
Michaelerplatz 1,
A-1010, Vienna
Tel: +43 1 533 90 31
How to Get There
U-Bahn: U3 Herrengasse
External Links
Spanish Riding School Web Site
Lipizzaner Museum Web Site
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