Vienna

Rathaus

It is hard to think that the Rathaus in Vienna is 'just' a town hall: this extraordinary neo-Gothic building will leave you speechless with its beauty.

One building that inevitably steals the attention of tourists strolling along the Ringstrasse is the Rathaus (Vienna’s City Hall), a stunning neo-Gothic building constructed between 1872 and 1883.

It is a superb building and a clear symbol of the Viennese people’s pride in their city: designed on the model of the Flemish city halls by Friedrich von Schmidt, former master builder of Cologne Cathedral, the Vienna City Hall is a surprisingly opulent administrative building.

Today, the Rathaus houses the mayor’s offices and the meeting rooms of the regional senate and city council, a library and the Vienna City and Regional Archives: more than 2000 people work there.

One envies them a little when visiting the beautiful halls of the Rathaus: how many other workers can boast such a beautiful office?

The halls of the Rathaus

For a ‘banal’ administrative building, the Rathaus is truly opulent. Strolling through its halls, decorated with red carpets, velvet, gilded stucco and frescoes, you’ll wonder if this really is the mayor’s palace or not just another palace of the Habsburg nobility. You can tell that the Viennese have elegance in their blood!

The most stunning room is the opulent Ballroom, which with its precious details would not look out of place in an imperial palace: lit by sixteen magnificent chandeliers, it has a barrel-vaulted ceiling that makes the enormous hall seem even larger, a loggia with windows, a corridor with a view of an inner garden, two niches for the orchestra, and a gallery on three sides of the hall.

Once used for large events such as concerts, balls, exhibitions, it has such a large surface area that it could hold 1500 dancing couples. Unfortunately, the fire protection authorities decided that the time for big parties is over…

Other magnificent rooms of the Rathaus that are worth mentioning (and especially visiting) are:

The tower and the Rathausmann

The most distinctive element of the Rathaus is the town hall tower that towers into the Vienna sky, visible from several points in the city centre.

By the will of Franz Joseph, this tower could not exceed the 99 metres of the Votivkirche, a church founded by the emperor himself. Friedrich Schmidt then had an ingenious intuition: he built a 97.90 metre high tower, thus complying with the emperor’s wishes, on the top of which he added a statue, however, which raised the overall height to more than 100 metres.

You can climb to the top of the tower by ascending two spiral staircases for a total of 331 steps: who knows what a splendid view awaits you up there!

The statue at the top of the tower, known as the Rathausmann, depicts a medieval knight whose armour was modelled on that of Emperor Maximilian I. This statue has also become a symbol of Vienna.

To get an idea of its mammoth size, you only need to know that the medieval gentleman has a ‘little foot’ that corresponds to a size 63 shoe! Holding him firmly in place atop the tower, braving winds and weather, is a sphere weighing over 800 kg.

To admire it more closely, you can take a look at the replica of the statue on the square in front of the town hall.

Mercatini di Natale Rathaus
Rathausplatz during the Christmas markets © Österreich Werbung, Photo: Viennaslide

The Rathaus in numbers

The Rathaus is a building of gigantic dimensions:

Rathauspark and Rathausplatz

The space in front of the town hall is the Rathauspark, an elegant city park with fountains, statues and benches, divided in two by the Rathausplatz. Some of Vienna’s most famous events take place on this square, such as the famous Christmas market and the Musikfilmfestival.

Rathausplatz is also home to the city’s most famous ice-skating rink, much loved by Viennese young and old. At night, with the illuminated City Hall in the background, the atmosphere is truly magical.

Visit the Rathaus

You can take a free look at the inner courtyards of the Rathaus, while a visit to the palace halls requires a guided tour, which only takes place three times a week when the city council is not in session.

Audio guides in several languages are available but can only be used during guided tour times.

How to get to the Rathaus

Vienna City Hall is located in the city centre and can be easily reached by tram or underground (line U2, Rathaus stop).

Useful information

Address

Friedrich-Schmidt-Platz 1, 1010 Wien, Austria

Contacts

TEL: +43 1 4000

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