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The Freyung Passage from Herrengasse brings you out onto Freyung (meaning "Sanctuary") itself, a misshapen square centred on the Austria-Brunnen. Unveiled in 1846, the fountain bears bronze nymphs representing Austria and the key rivers in the Habsburg Empire at the time: the Danube, Po, Elbe and Vistula. Freyung boasts two major art galleries: the Harrach Palais ( www.khm.at ), adjacent to the Freyung Passage, which hosts temporary exhibitions put on by the Kunsthistorisches Museum; and the Kunstforum ( www.kunstforum-wien.at ), a major venue for visiting exhibitions of fine art. To the north stands the Schottenstift , a former Benedictine monastery, which contains an impressive art collection in its museum (Thurs-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 11am-5pm; oS50/?3.63). To view the paintings, you must buy a ticket from the Klosterladen (shop) beside the church, and take the stairs to the first floor of the monastery. The prize exhibit is the fifteenth-century winged altarpiece that used to reside in the Schottenkirche. Thirteen out of the original sixteen panels survive: one side depicts scenes from the life of the Virgin; the reverse side (originally shown only at Easter) features the Passion. The vivid use of colour, the plasticity of the faces and the daring stab at perspective single this out as a masterpiece of late-Gothic art.
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