For a long time, while Paris, London and Frankfurt were being turned into models of city development with modern urban skylines, Vienna did not seem to rise above the nostalgic charm of the former imperial and royal capital. Austria has been a member of the EU for seven years, however, and it is now doing everything conceivable to shake off this image. The numerous restructuring measures that are being implemented bear witness to this. It is a Viennese tradition, though, to adapt existing building fabric rather than resort to new construction; and, of course, in planning the museum district, it would have been inconceivable to demolish the former court stables of Emperor Charles VI. Frank Kaltenbach