Secession, Vienna

Constructed in 1895-1896, the magnificent Secession building was conceived as a gallery for the movement of the same name, including artists such as Klimt, Schiele and Otto Wagner, which represented a break with the traditional Historicist school. The Secessionists' philosophy is encapsulated in the inscription above the entrance, reading "Der Zeit ihre Kunst, der Kunst ihre Freiheit" ("To the Age its Art, to Art its Freedom"). The building is remarkable for its gilded cupola (earning it the nickname "the golden cabbage") and numerous floral and animal motifs. Today it houses exhibitions of contemporary art and in the basement, Klimt's impressive unfinished Beethoven Frieze.