City pack · Vienna, Austria
20 narrated stories about Vienna — streets, landmarks and the people behind their names — about 62 minutes of listening. Play them here, or download the pack and listen offline on the plane, the train, the walk.
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The MuseumsQuartier · 3 min · page
The MuseumsQuartier was originally built in 1723 as the Imperial Stables for Emperor Charles VI. Designed by Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach, the complex housed six hundred horses and carriages before being transformed into a cultural district in 2001.
The Kapuzinergruft · 3 min · page
The Habsburgs practiced separate burials: bodies are in the Imperial Crypt, hearts are in the Heart Crypt at the Augustinian Church, and internal organs are in the Ducal Crypt beneath St. Stephen’s Cathedral.
The Stock-im-Eisen · 3 min · page
The Stock-im-Eisen is a 15th-century spruce trunk where traveling blacksmiths and locksmith apprentices hammered nails for luck. Scientific analysis shows the tree grew around 1400 and is the last of the nail trees that once existed in south-eastern Europe.
The Plague Column on the Graben · 3 min · page
Emperor Leopold I built the monument as a vow to God after the 1679 Great Plague. It served as an act of public penance and gratitude, depicting the Emperor in humble prayer and faith conquering the personification of the plague.
Unlocks with the pack
Peterskirche · 3 min · page
According to local legend, Charlemagne founded the Peterskirche in 792 after his campaigns against the Avars. A stone relief on the church’s exterior wall depicts the Emperor founding the original Romanesque structure on what is considered Vienna's oldest church site.
Unlocks with the pack
The Roman ruins under Hoher Markt · 3 min · page
Beneath Hoher Markt lie ruins of Vindobona, including sophisticated Tenth Legion officers' villas with hypocaust underfloor heating systems. Tradition states Emperor Marcus Aurelius died here in 180 AD while leading the Marcomannic Wars to protect the empire from Germanic tribes.
Unlocks with the pack
Ruprechtskirche · 3 min · page
Ruprechtskirche is the oldest church in Vienna, with a legendary founding in 740. It contains the city's oldest bells from the 1200s and the oldest stained-glass window from the 13th century, overlooking the Danube Canal near the former Salt Office.
Unlocks with the pack
Karlskirche · 3 min · page
Visitors can take a panorama lift 32 meters into the dome to see Johann Michael Rottmayr’s frescoes. This allows you to view individual brush strokes and figures like Saint Charles Borromeo pleading with the Virgin Mary.
Unlocks with the pack
Lassallestraße, Vienna · 3 min · page
In 1919, during the Red Vienna era, the city government renamed the boulevard to reflect labor movement values. They chose Lassalle, a symbol of social democracy and founder of a German workers' association, to replace the name of Crown Prince Rudolf.
Unlocks with the pack
Just off Vienna's great shopping mile, the Mariahilf · 3 min · page
Joseph Haydn lived in the Mariahilf quarter, specifically on Haydngasse in what was then the suburb of Gumpendorf. It was in this house that he composed his monumental oratorio, The Creation.
Unlocks with the pack
Erlachgasse, Vienna · 3 min · page
Erlachgasse is named after Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach, the preeminent architect of the Austrian Baroque who designed Schönbrunn Palace. The street was named in 1864 to connect the working-class neighborhood of Favoriten to Vienna’s imperial history.
Unlocks with the pack
Schmerlingplatz, Vienna · 3 min · page
The figure of Justitia above the main entrance is unusual because she is not wearing a blindfold. In Schmerling’s square, justice was intended to keep its eyes wide open while holding a gilded sword and a pair of scales.
Unlocks with the pack
Pernerstorfergasse, Vienna · 3 min · page
Pernerstorfergasse is named after Engelbert Pernerstorfer, a journalist and Social Democratic politician who served as Vice President of the House of Deputies. The street was officially named in 1919 to honor his fight for the rights of common citizens.
Unlocks with the pack
St. Ulrich · 3 min · page
Grand Vizier Kara Mustafa Pasha pitched his red silk tent on the elevated ridge where the Church of St. Ulrich stands. From this vantage point, he could overlook the city walls and Hofburg Palace during the 1683 siege.
Unlocks with the pack
Schwarzenbergplatz, Vienna · 3 min · page
The statue depicts Prince Karl Philipp of Schwarzenberg, an Austrian field marshal. He was the commander-in-chief of the Allied armies that defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Leipzig in 1813.
Unlocks with the pack
Neilreichgasse, Vienna · 3 min · page
Neilreichgasse is named after August Neilreich, a jurist and respected botanist who published the Flora of Vienna in 1846. The city named the street in 1875 to honor his dedication to documenting the region's plant life.
Unlocks with the pack
Franz-Josefs-Kai, Vienna · 3 min · page
Named after Emperor Franz Joseph I, this street marks where Vienna’s ancient fortifications were removed following his 1857 decree. Officially named in May 1858, it connects the ends of the Ringstrasse and transformed the city into a modern European capital.
Unlocks with the pack
Columbusgasse, Vienna · 3 min · page
Named in 1864, Columbusgasse was part of a plan to give the new Favoriten district prestige and global connection. City planners named several streets after famous explorers to reflect the mid-nineteenth century spirit of discovery and progress.
Unlocks with the pack
Oswaldgasse, Vienna · 3 min · page
Oswaldgasse is named after King Oswald of Northumbria, a seventh-century ruler from northern England and southeast Scotland. The street received this name in 1894 because the local Altmannsdorf Parish Church is dedicated to Saint Oswald.
Unlocks with the pack
Escultura Ven a la Luz · 3 min · page
Created by artist Daniel Popper, Ven a la Luz is a ten-meter sculpture at Ahau Tulum. Made of wood and steel, it depicts a figure opening its chest to reveal a botanical heart, symbolizing our deep connection to nature.
Unlocks with the pack