Best places to visit in Austria

St Peter’s church, one of Vienna’s oldest, was, according to legend, founded in 792 by Charlemagne, as commemorated in a marble relief on the church’s fa?ade, The Placing of the Cross by Charlemagne, by Rudolf Weyr (1906). The site was occupi ...

This fully pedestrianized street, running through a bustling part of the city centre, is one of the most fashionable shopping areas in Vienna, full to bursting with lively restaurants and caf?s. There are two identical fountains in the square, St J ...

The cathedral museum contains a large collection of sacral paintings and sculptures, as well as fascinating examples of folk art. Many pieces were donated to the cathedral by Duke Rudolf IV. Star exhibits include the famous portrait of the duke (c. ...

Domgasse 5 is the most famous of Mozart’s various homes in Vienna. He lived here with his family in 1784—7, and composed many of his masterpieces here, including The Marriage of Figaro. Restored for the anniversary year of 2006, the Mozarthaus ...

The knights of the Teutonic Order arrived in Vienna in the 13th century. They established their quarters near the Stephansdom, but only the tower still stands today. In the 15th century, they built the present Gothic church of St Elizabeth. Its Bar ...

In the 14th century, the Franciscans took over this church, originally built by wealthy citizens as a “house of the soul” for prostitutes wishing to reform. The present church, designed in the South German Renaissance style by Bonaventura D ...

Dr. Ignaz Seipel, a conservative politician, was twice Chancellor of Austria in the 1920s. The square bearing his name is one of the most attractive in Vienna. At its centre (at ) stands a Rococo structure designed by Jean Nicolas Jadot de Ville-Is ...

The Dominican monks came to Vienna in 1226, at the invitation of Duke Leopold VI. They built and consecrated their first church and convent here in the second half of the 13th century. The church that stands now, built between 1631 and 1674, was de ...

The Austrian Museum of Applied Arts (MAK), founded in 1864, the first of its kind in Europe, exercised a strong influence on the development of the applied arts for some time. It houses the archives and collections of the Wiener Werkstatte — work ...

On the south side of Julius-Raab-Platz, on the banks of the Danube Canal, stands a round building with a distinctive dome that is visible from afar. Urania, named after the Greek muse, was built in 1910 to designs by Max Fabian. It is the home of V ...

Schwedenplatz, the Swedish Square, is one of Vienna’s busiest spots. Here, on the banks of the Danube Canal, under Schwedenbrucke, is a landing stage with riverboats inviting visitors on to a variety of pleasure cruises. Another attraction awaits ...

The church of St Ruprecht, rising on an escarpment overlooking Ruprechtsplatz, is Vienna’s oldest church. At one time, an arm of the Danube flowed nearby with a landing stage for salt transported from Salzburg. According to legend, the church was ...

The church of St Mary’s on the Riverbank was once flooded by the waters of an old Danube canal, but today it rises on a steep escarpment, its lofty, 56-m (180-ft) high Gothic steeple dominating the town. The stone helmet at the top of the steeple ...

Vienna’s oldest town hall probably first stood at neighbouring Tuchlaubenstrasse. The building at Wipplingerstrasse was once owned by the rich and influential brothers Otto and Heymo Neuburg, who headed a burghers’ rebellion against the Habsbur ...

The Habsburg rulers were also kings of Bohemia, which was initially governed from Prague; in 1627, however, Emperor Ferdinand II transferred the administration to Vienna. In 1714, the Bohemian Court Chancery moved into this grand palace, designed b ...

Schulhof is a small alley connecting the imperial Am Hof square with the elegant, Baroque residential area of Kurrentgasse. The building, the former Obizzi Palace (1690), now houses a fascinating Clock Museum, which has more than 3,000 exhibits. Th ...

The name of the square (meaning “by the Court”) refers to the medieval princes’ residence nearby. It later housed the mint, and then the royal military chancery. Today it is a bank. The main architectural gem of present-day Am Hof is the ...

The square derives its name from the right of sanctuary (frey is an old word for “free”) granted to any fugitive seeking refuge in the Schottenkirche (Scottish church), now at . The priory church was founded by Irish Benedictine friars, who ...

The dominant feature of the square is Minoritenkirche. Built originally by Minor Friars in 1224, the present structure is a Franciscan church from the 14th century. It was rebuilt during the Baroque period, and restored to its original Gothic form ...

Michaelerplatz faces the grand main entrance into the imperial residence, the Michaelertor (St Michael’s Doorway), which leads to the Hofburg’s inner courtyard. On both sides of the doorway are 19th-century wall fountains, designed by Rudolf We ...

Volksgarten (the People’s Garden) was created in 1820, when Napoleon had the city walls destroyed. The formal plantations created in the French style, particularly the splendid rose gardens, became a place of relaxation for fashionable society. P ...

imperial forum that was to adjoin the old Hofburg complex, surrounded by new buildings housing the emperor’s art collection. Neue Burg (New Castle) was completed in 1913, but by then the monarchy was dying out. The vast, undeveloped Heroes’ Squ ...

The Imperial Palace is a vast complex. Its construction was started by the Babenbergs, but the Neue Burg (New Castle) was not completed until 1913. A part from housing several museums, including in the royal apartments a museum dedicated to Empress ...

In the centre of Josefsplatz stands an equestrian statue (1807) of Joseph II portrayed as a Roman emperor, by Franz Anton Zauner. Behind the statue, to the right, is the entrance to the National Library building designed by Johann Bernhard Fischer ...

The 14th-century Gothic Augustinian church was refurbished in the Baroque style, but some 100 years later was restored again to its original character. Inside is one of the most powerful works by Antonio Canova (1805), the tomb of Maria Christina, ...

The Albertina was once the Habsburg palace of Duke Albert of Sachsen-Teschen and his wife Archduchess Marie-Christina, the favourite daughter of Maria Theresa. The beautiful Neo-Classical Historic State Rooms in the palace are among the most valuab ...

The Capuchin church stands at the southwestern corner of Neuer Markt, formerly a cereal and flour market. In 1617, Anna of Tyrol, wife of Emperor Matthias, founded a crypt in its vaults in which the Habsburg family members were laid to rest. Today, ...

The palace was commissioned in 1694, by Prince Eugene of Savoy, one of the most brilliant military commanders of his day, who entrusted the task to Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach. It was subsequently extended by Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt. It ...

Karntner Strasse was once the main road running south across town to Karnten (Carinthia), hence its name. Today, the view down the street is blocked at its Ring end by the silhouette of the opera house, and at the Stock-im-Eisen-Platz end by the mo ...

The new town hall, built in 1872—83 by Friedrich Schmidt, lies in an attractive park. The symmetrical, triple fa?ade of the Neo-Gothic building faces Ringstrasse. Its huge central tower, 98 m (321 ft) high, is topped by the statue of a knight-in- ...