The Ringstraße has several sections. It surrounds the central area of Vienna on all sides, except for the northeast, where its place is taken by the "Franz-Josephs-Kai", the street going along the "Donaukanal" (a branch of the Danube). Starting from the "Ringturm" at the northern end of the Franz-Josephs-Kai, the sections are:
Otto Wagner
Otto Koloman Wagner (13 July 1841 – 11 April 1918) was an Austrian architect and urban planner. He influenced the development of his hometown Vienna at the turn from the 19th to the 20th century. He also was the architect of important landmarks.
Otto Wagner was born in the Penzing district of Vienna. He studied in Berlin and Vienna. After work as brick layer he started as architect. His first buildings were in the historism style. In the late 1880s he became a proponent of the realism style. In 1890 he designed a city plan for Vienna but only the railway netwerk Wiener Stadtbahn was built. In 1894 he became Professor of Architecture at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna.In 1896 he published a textbook entitled Modern Architecture in which he wrote down his ideas about the role of the architect, it based on his first lecture in the Academy. He called for an architecture based on modern materials and modern construction methods. In 1897, he joined Gustav Klimt, Joseph Maria Olbrich, Josef Hoffmann and Koloman Moser shortly after they founded the "Vienna Secession" artistic group. He died in 1918 in Vienna.
Digitized books from the architecture collection of AMS Historica, the digital library of the University of Bologna.
Ninette de Valois
Dame Ninette de Valois OM CH DBE FRAD FISTD (6 June 1898 – 8 March 2001) was an Irish-born British dancer, teacher, choreographer and director of classical ballet.
Most notably, she danced professionally with Serge Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, reaching the rank of soloist. After Diaghilev's death she established what became The Royal Ballet. This became one of the foremost ballet companies of the 20th century and one of the leading ballet companies in the world today. She also established the Birmingham Royal Ballet and the Royal Ballet School. She is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of ballet and as the 'godmother' of English ballet.
Before de Valois there had been no permanent ballet company in London, though there were a few quality dance schools which offered shows from time to time. The company which became the Royal Ballet started as the Vic-Wells Ballet, founded by de Valois in 1931. It had Anton Dolin as its Guest dancer. In 1933 the company was joined by Alicia Markova, who was appointed "prima ballerina". At this point de Valois retired as a stage performer, and continued as Director. Her reputation was now made as an organiser and teacher. She was also a choreographer, with a number of ballets to her credit. Her ballet "Checkmate" is still danced today.
'Madame', as she was called by everyone, attracted great talents to the company. She engaged Frederick Ashton as Principal Choreographer and Constant Lambert as Musical Director, in 1935. Tamara Karsavina was a dance advisor. Eventually the company included many of the most famous ballet dancers in the world, including Margot Fonteyn, Svetlana Beriosova, and, most sensationally, Rudolf Nureyev.
As a manager, she had a fearsome reputation. She would stand for no misbehaviour, or for anything which stood in the way of the dance. One younger dancer said:
The Vic-Wells was given a Royal Charter in 1956, and became the Royal Ballet. Madame was its first Director. She retired from the Royal Ballet in 1963, but was a big influence for years. She was appointed a Companion of Honour, and awarded the Order of Merit. Madame died at the age of 102 in 2001.
A Wrinkle in Time
A Wrinkle in Time is a science fiction and fantasy novel by Madeleine L'Engle. It was first published in 1962. The book won the 1963 Newbery Medal and the 1965 Sequoyah Book Award. It also won the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award in 1964.
A live-action movie by Disney based on the book will be released in 2018.
"A Wrinkle in Time" is the story of Meg Murry, a high-school-aged girl who is transported on an adventure through time and space with her younger brother Charles Wallace and her friend Calvin O'Keefe to rescue her father, a gifted scientist, from the evil forces that hold him prisoner on another planet. At the beginning of the book, Meg is a homely, awkward, but loving girl, troubled by personal insecurities and her concern for her father, who has been missing for over a year. The plot begins with the arrival of Mrs. Whatsit at the Murry house on a dark and stormy evening. Although she looks like an eccentric tramp, she is actually a celestial creature with the ability to read Meg's thoughts. she loves me so much the way, they meet Calvin O'Keefe, a popular boy in Meg's school whom Charles considers a kindred spirit. The three children learn from Mrs. Whatsit and her friends Mrs. Who and Mrs. Which that the universe is threatened by a great evil called the Dark Thing and taking the form of a giant cloud, engulfing the stars around it. Several planets have already succumbed to this evil force, including Camazotz, the planet on which Mr. Murry is imprisoned.
The three Mrs. W's transport the children to Camazotz and instruct them to remain always in each other's company while on their quest for Mr. Murry. On Camazotz, all objects and places appear exactly alike because the whole planet must conform to the terrifying rhythmic pulsation of IT, a giant disembodied brain. Charles Wallace tries to fight IT with his exceptional intelligence but is overpowered by the evil and becomes a robot-like creature mouthing the words with which IT infuses him. Under the control of IT, Charles leads Meg and Calvin to Mr. Murry and together they confront IT. However, they, too, are unable to withstand IT's power; they escape only at the last minute, when Mr. Murry appears and seizes Meg and Calvin, "tessering" away with them (traveling via another tesseract) to a gray planet called Ixchel inhabited by tall, furry beasts who care for the travelers. Charles Wallace remains possessed by IT, a prisoner of Camazotz.
On Planet Ixchel the three Mrs. W's appear once again, and Meg realizes that she must travel alone back to Camazotz to rescue her brother. Mrs. Which tells her that she has one thing that IT does not have, and this will be her weapon against the evil. However, Meg must discover this weapon for herself. When standing in the presence of IT, Meg realizes what this is: her ability to love. Thus, by concentrating on her love for Charles Wallace, she is able to restore him to his true identity. Meg releases Charles from IT's clutches and tessers with him through time and space, landing in her twin brothers' vegetable garden on Earth, where her father and Calvin stand waiting. The family joyously reunites, and the Mrs. W's visit the happy scene en route to further travels.
Meg Murry -  The book's heroine and protagonist, a homely, awkward, but loving high school student who is sent on an adventure through time and space with her brother and her friend Calvin to rescue her father from the evil force that is attempting to take over the universe. Meg's greatest faults are her anger, impatience, and lack of self-confidence, but she channels and overcomes them, ultimately emerging victorious.
Charles Wallace Murry  -  Meg's extraordinarily intelligent five-year-old younger brother who is capable of reading minds and understanding other creatures in a way that none of the other Murry children can.
Calvin O'Keefe -  A popular boy and talented athlete in Meg's high school who accompanies the Murry children on their adventure. Calvin comes from a large family that does not really care about him, but he nonetheless demonstrates a strong capacity for love and affection, and shows a burgeoning romantic interest in Meg.