18 Stunning Architecture Landmarks in Vienna
18 landmarks with verified facts and stories
Albertina
Albertinapl. 1, 1010 Vienna
Duke Albert of Saxe-Teschen started collecting drawings in 1776 the way some people start collecting stamps — obsessively, expensively, and with impeccable taste.
Austrian Parliament
3 Dr-Karl-Renner-Ring, Innere Stadt, Vienna, 1010, Austria
Theophil Hansen designed Austria's Parliament in the Greek Revival style because he wanted to invoke the birthplace of democracy — a pointed statement in a country still run by an emperor.
Belvedere Palace
27 Prinz-Eugen-Straße, Landstraße, Vienna, 1030, Austria
Prince Eugene of Savoy was one of Europe's greatest military commanders, and he spent his war spoils on one of Europe's greatest palaces.
Café Central
14 Herrengasse, Innere Stadt, Vienna, 1010, Austria
In January 1913, you could have walked into Café Central and found, at various tables on any given week, Leon Trotsky, Joseph Stalin, Sigmund Freud, Josip Broz Tito, and Adolf Hitler — all living in Vienna simultaneously, all unknown to history, all nursing coffees in the same neighbourhood.
Graben & Plague Column
Graben, Innere Stadt, Vienna, 1010, Austria
You're walking on a filled-in Roman ditch.
Heldenplatz
Heldenplatz, Innere Stadt, Vienna, 1010, Austria
Heroes' Square was supposed to be one half of a grand Imperial Forum connecting the Hofburg to the Natural History and Art History museums across the Ringstrasse.
Hofburg Imperial Palace
Innere Stadt, Vienna, Austria
For over six centuries, this was the nerve centre of one of history's most powerful dynasties.
Hundertwasserhaus
36 Kegelgasse, Landstraße, Vienna, 1030, Austria
Friedensreich Hundertwasser hated straight lines.
Karlskirche
1 Kreuzherrengasse, Wieden, Vienna, 1040, Austria
In 1713, with the last great plague epidemic barely over, Emperor Charles VI made a promise to his namesake saint: end the suffering, and I'll build you the most impressive church in Vienna.
Kunsthistorisches Museum
Maria-Theresien-Platz, Innere Stadt, Vienna, 1010, Austria
The Habsburgs spent centuries hoarding art the way other families collect holiday photos, and in 1891 Emperor Franz Joseph finally gave their collection a proper home.
MuseumsQuartier
1 Museums-Platz, Neubau, Vienna, 1070, Austria
In 1713, Emperor Charles VI needed somewhere to park 600 horses and 200 carriages, so he commissioned Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach to build the most magnificent stables in Europe.
Musikverein
1 Musikvereinsplatz, Innere Stadt, Vienna, 1010, Austria
Every New Year's Day, roughly 50 million people in 90 countries tune in to watch the Vienna Philharmonic play waltzes in what is widely considered the finest concert hall ever built.
Ringstrasse
1010 Riedstraße, Penzing, Vienna, 1140, Austria
In 1857, Emperor Franz Joseph ordered the demolition of Vienna's medieval city walls and the construction of a grand boulevard in their place.
Schönbrunn Palace
Schönbrunner Schloßstraße 47, 1130 Vienna
Maria Theresa received this palace as a wedding gift in 1740 and immediately set about turning it into the most extravagant summer house in Europe.
Secession Building
Friedrichstraße 12, 1010 Vienna
In 1897, Gustav Klimt and eighteen other artists walked out of Vienna's conservative art establishment and founded their own movement.
St. Stephen's Cathedral
Stephansplatz 3, 1010 Vienna
The south tower of Stephansdom took sixty-five years to build, and when it was finished in 1433, it was the tallest structure in Christendom.
Vienna Rathaus
Friedrich-Schmidt-Platz 1, 1010 Vienna
Friedrich von Schmidt designed Vienna's City Hall in the neo-Gothic style because he wanted to invoke the great medieval town halls of Flanders and Belgium — the places where European civic democracy first flourished, independent of kings and emperors.
Vienna State Opera
Opernring 2, 1010 Vienna
The Vienna State Opera was the very first building completed on the Ringstrasse, and its architects didn't live to enjoy it.
Explore architecture in Vienna
GPS-guided narration at every landmark. Tap a spot on the map, hear the story. Every fact verified.