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Streets and Squares in Vienna
Visiting the centre of Vienna, you'll pass through some of the city's landmark streets and squares. The famous Ringstrasse is possibly the most famous. This wide avenue lined with splendid historical buildings dating back to the late 19th Century encircles the whole old town of Vienna. Another important street, Der Graben, can be traced as far back as Ancient Roman times. Today, it's a pedestrian zone where you can go both shopping and sightseeing. It takes you to the Stephansplatz, where the Stephansdom is located, the beautiful cathedral with a colourfully tiled roof and a tall tower. If you want to enrich your visit to Vienna further still, go to the monumental Maria-Theresien Platz, which is home to two major museums: the Museum of Natural History and the Fine Arts Museum.
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Guglgasse
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Address: Guglgasse
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Guld gasse is home to one of the most attractive malls and department shops in Vienna. The one-of-a-kind Gasometer is a modern, grandiose construction. Four gas towers, dating from the 20th Century, were turned into an exclusive art and shopping centre with an adjacent apartment wing. Besides shops, the Gasometer centre also houses offices and living space, combining administrative and residential functions. The shops and boutiques attract the attention of the most demanding shoppers even though both world-renowned brands and popular designers’ names can be found here. After shopping, most visitors relax enjoying a delicious meal or watching a film. Gasometer provides capacity for both – there is a cinema and 14 eateries and cafes on its premises. This is a vibrant spot where you can spend your leisure time in Vienna excitingly.
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Mariahilferstrasse
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Address: Mariahilferstrasse
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Mariahilferstrasse is the most famous shopping street in Vienna. One of the grandest shopping centres located at this prestigious address, right behind the Neubaugasse U-Bahn station, is the Generali Centre. There is no doubt that this is the biggest shopping centre in Vienna. Those that are keen on shopping will definitely like this place – it features thirty stores, situated on two levels. Mariahilferstrasse is also the longest retail street in the city and thus the choice of shopping venues is really astounding. Famous names such as Swarovski, Yves Rocher, Nike and many more attract you as you walk along the street. Here youcan buy both elegant clothing and the right gift or souvenirs to take home with you.
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Der Graben
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Address: Der Graben
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Der Graben must be included in your sightseeing tour, since it’s one of the most popular streets in Vienna’s first district, situated in the city centre. It connects Stock-im-Eisen Platz, located next to the Palais Equitable with the junction of Kohlmarkt and Tuchlauben. You can discover other famous streets in the same area, such as Tiefer Graben and Wipplinger Strasse, the latter set under the Hohe Brücke Bridge. Der Graben’s origin dates back to the old Roman times and the encampment of Vindobona’s settlement, which was situated along the present-day street. Later, the trench was filled and levelled to become one of the first residential streets in the new city district. At first, Der Graben was used as a marketplace and gained various additional names for the type of products sold there, such as Grüner Markt, Kräutermarkt and Brotbänke.
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Maria-Theresien-Platz
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Address: Maria-Theresien-Platz
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Maria-Theresien-Platz is a large square and popular tourist site in Vienna. It’s located in the city centre, adjacent to the large Ringstrasse and Museum of Modern Arts (taking up part of the area with the former Imperial Stables). Built in 1819, the square and its venues attract both local residents and foreign tourists who come to the beautiful park here. The square boasts impressive cultural sights, including two museums – the Natural History Museum and the Art History Museum. There’s also a large statue of the great Empress Marie-Theresa of Austro-Hungaria.
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Ringstrasse
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Address: Ringstrasse
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Ringstrasse is a circular road surrounding the Innere Stadt district of Vienna, Austria, and is one of its main sights. It was built to substitute for the city walls that stood as fortification until 1850, when they were demolished with a decree issued by Emperor Franz Joseph I. Over the years, a large number of imposing buildings have been erected along the Ringstrasse, one of which belonged to Heinrich Drasche, a brewer. Renowned personalities such as Sigmund Freud were often seen taking a stroll in the tranquil area surrounding this street.
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Stefanplatz
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Address: Stefanplatz
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Stephansplatz is probably the most famous square situated right in the centre of Vienna. Always lively and cheerful, with plenty of people taking strolls or sightseeing tours, it ranks among the most-visited sites in the city. The square is named after Stephansdom, which is the most prominent building in Austria’s capital and one of the tallest churches in the whole world. In the period before the 20th Century, there were houses separating Stephansplatz from the adjacent Stock-im-Eisen-Platz, but after their destruction the wide area of both squares received the name Stephansplatz.
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Ballhausplatz
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Address: Ballhausplatz
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Ballhausplatz is an imposing square, situated in the Innere Stadt (first district) that makes part of the Vienna’s city centre, on the edge of the Hofburg Imperial Palace’s grounds. The square exists since 1754; earlier there was an imperial hospital on this site. It owes its name to the fact that during the rule of Ferdinand I, a tennis house (Ballhaus) was built on this location. Later it was used as Hofbauamt (Imperial Court Construction Office). On the square there is a building, which used to house the official residence of the Austrian Cabinet Minister and the State Chancellor, and nowadays it is the office of the Chancellor of Austria. For the same reason, the name of Ballhausplatz often stands for the house of the Austrian Federal Chancellery. For a certain period of time, the square housed the building of the foreign ministry and all these facts made it the symbol of the Austrian power. Thus, the function of Ballhausplatz became similar to Downing Street in London, or Quai d’Orsay in Paris.
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Heldenplatz
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Address: Heldenplatz
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The name Heldenplatz, means Heroes’ Square and the square is one of the most famous historical sites in Vienna. It borders the Leopoldinian Tract of the Hofburg in north, the Neue Hofburg in the south and the Ringstrasse in the south-west. In the north-western part of the square there are no buildings, but there is a nice view of the Parliament, the Burgtheater and the Rathaus. On the Heldenplatz visitors can see the equestrian statues of Prince Eugene of Savoy and Archduke Charles of Austria, who were known as great military leaders. This place witnessed important historical events in 1938, when the Hitler’s announcement of the Anschluss of Austria to the German Reich. Other events took place on the square, but Hitler’s speech remains the most remarkable in the history of this place. The Heldenplatz has been also a subject of the famous play by Thomas Bernard entitled ‘Heldenplatz’ and the Ernst Jandl’s poem ‘Wien: Heldenplatz’.
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