The story
Welcome to the Neuer Markt, one of Vienna’s oldest and most storied squares. If you look toward the simple, unadorned facade of the Capuchin Church, you might be surprised to learn that beneath this modest exterior lies the most concentrated assembly of imperial power in European history. This is the Kaisergruft, the Imperial Crypt, where the Habsburg dynasty has come to rest for over four hundred years.
Step closer to the entrance and imagine the heavy bronze doors swinging shut behind you. As you descend into the cool, silent air of the vaults, you are walking into a space that holds more than one hundred and fifty members of the Habsburg family, including twelve emperors and eighteen empresses. But there is a macabre secret to these burials.
While their bodies lie here in ornate lead and bronze sarcophagi, their hearts and their internal organs are not with them. In a tradition that seems strange to us today, the Habsburgs were divided in death. Their hearts were taken to the Augustinian Church, and their entrails were placed in the Ducal Crypt of St.
Stephen’s Cathedral. They are, quite literally, scattered across the foundations of Vienna. The atmosphere here is heavy with the scent of oxidation and old stone.
As you wander through the different vaults, you’ll see the evolution of art and ego. Look for the massive, double sarcophagus of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Francis Stephen. It is a masterpiece of Baroque drama, showing the couple reclining on their tomb, waking as if from a dream.
In contrast, look at the coffin of her son, Joseph the Second. He was the "People’s Emperor," and his simple, undecorated copper casket reflects his desire for humility, even in the face of eternity. Perhaps the most poignant corner is the final resting place of Emperor Franz Joseph the First, his beloved Empress Sisi, and their son, Crown Prince Rudolf.
You’ll often see fresh flowers placed near Sisi’s tomb, a testament to her enduring legend. Before you leave, remember the "Knocking Ceremony." When an Emperor was brought here for burial, the Master of Ceremonies would knock on the door.
A monk inside would ask, "Who is there?" The Master would list all the Emperor's grand titles. The monk would reply, "We do not know him."
A second knock, a shorter list of titles, and the same reply. Only on the third knock, when the Emperor was introduced simply as "A mortal, sinful man," would the doors finally open. As you step back out into the sunlight of the Neuer Markt, remember that beneath your feet, the rulers of half the world eventually had to accept the same humble fate.