Reality Check: Judenplatz and other Vienna, Austria Things to Do Tips

Putting Judenplatz first on my 'To Do' list is a very conscious decision. In a week filled with pleasurable and interesting things to see and do this was the place that jolted my complacency and made me remember that Vienna wasn't always a home for everyone. For Jews it was never a secure place and long before Anschluss they had already been expelled twice, in 1420 and in 1670. When I arrived at Judenplatz, the centre of the old Jewish ghetto I got very taken up with admiring the proportions and buildings of this really pretty square. I knew the jewish Museum was here but was in no way prepared for the Rachel Whiteread Holocaust Memorial which by some oversight I had not read about. It's at the opposite end of the square from the statue of the playwright Ephraim Lessing and turning round I actually wondered what 'that shed' was doing obstructing my view. The 'Shed' was the memorial and going closer I felt a real physical shock quickly followed by emotional meltdown. It's described as a bunker but to me it was a gas chamber and nothing else. Bleak and uncompromising, it has no ornamentation apart from the bricks shaped like book spines, symbolising the thousands of burned books. It's a sickly greyish-white colour with a large locked door and no means of escape. On the raised kerb surrounding it are lists of the Nazi death camps.
Is this a fitting memorial to the 65,00 Austrian jews exterminated by the nazis ? Personally, I still find it hard to decide and it's a memorial that has caused huge controversey. The levels of loathing and revulsion that it aroused in me were quite hard to cope with but I suppose that could be seen as a measure of its success.

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Phone: 535 04 31
Address: Judenplatz in the Innere Stadt
Directions: Between Am Hof and the Hoher Markt
Website: www.vienna.info/www.jmw.at

Leaving Judenplatz and moving closer to Stepansdom, you come to the Hoher market . This square was once the centre of the Roman camp at Vienna but now it's a messy mishmash of cars and office buildings. It does have one fairly stunning feature though, its clock the Ankerhur. This is a massive piec eof tick-tockery and joins two buildings of the Anker insurance company. It's dark green and gold, designed in Jugendstil by by Franz Matsch in 1914. Every hour a figure moves across the clock but the big show is at noon. This reminded me very much of the glocken-und-figurenspiel displays I had seen in Germany and I was determined to be there. However we lingered too long in Judenplatz and arrived just in time to see Joseph Haydn bringing up the rear. The full quota consists of 12 figures who move across the clock rather slowly, accompanied by organ music. A pleasant diversion, worth seeing if you're in the area.

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Address: Hoher Markt 10/11
Directions: About five minutes walk from Stephandsom
Website: www.vienna.info

This area between the Hoher Markt and the canal is one of Vienna's oldest and, for me anyway, certainly one of its most charming areas. It's the old meat market quarter in the heart of the medieval city but there is little evidence of this left. Approaching from Scwedenplatz you climb up some steep steps and arrive in the tiny and unbelievably picturesque, Griechengasse. This is quite a short street leading up to Fleischmarkt but if you want a change from Imperial Vienna, then this is the place for sure. At one end there's a little pub and art gallery and at the top, Greichenbeisl, the oldest restarant in Vienna. This restaurant was apparently frequented by Mozart, Brahms, Schubert and Beethoven and of course by Dar Liebe Augustin ( see local custom tips ). Arriving on Fleischmarkt itself you can visit the wonderful Greek church, as different from most Viennese churches as chalk and cheese.

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Address: Griechengasse/ Fleischmarkt.
Directions: Heading from Scwedenplatz in the direction of Stephandsom you will come to it immediately you head inland from the canal.
Website: www.vienna.info
Other Contact: Tourist office at Albertinaplatz

The Leopold museum is based on the extensive art collection of Rudolf and Elisabeth Leopold and was established in 2001. It's a modern building, light, airy and easy to navigate. No matter which temporary exhibition is running, most people come here to see the works of Austria's finest Expressionist and Secessionist painters, Schiele and Klimt. In truth, the Klimt is sparse to say the least but it does have the amazing 'Life and Death' which makes a trip here worthwhile all on it's own. This is not as famous as 'The Kiss' but it is every bit as colourful and dramatic and much more detailed. There are several rooms of Schiele's work and some of it is very dark indeed. His mother and child pictures I found particularly disturbing : Mother and Child; Dead Mother; Blind Mother - all frankly, scary ! The German Expressionist Exhibition, running during my trip in December was absolutely spectacular, with paintings and sculpture by such greats as Franz Marc, Kirchner, August Macke and Kandinsky.
Comfort Note: The Leopold provides gold velvet seats to rest your weary bones on. Very comfortable indeed.
To see more Klimt, including 'The Kiss' you must go to the Belvedere Palace in the 3rd District.

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Phone: 43 1 525 70 0
Address: Museumplatz
Directions: Cross the road behind the Kunsthistoriche museum and you will come to the Museum Quarter.The Leopold is directly opposite the arch when you enter the platz
Website: www.leopoldmuseum.org

One of the two large public gardens seperated by the Neue Hofburg, the Burggarten is actually part of the Hofburg Palace complex. This means it's a little more formal than your average park and it has lots of rules and restrictions: No dogs, no football, no walking on the grass and (God forbid!) No LYING on the grass. Coming in from the Opern Ring you pass the statue of Goethe reclining magestically on his chair and casting an appraising eye over everything he surveys. Inside, the garden is really idyllic with a pretty pond, loads of trees and grass, statues all over the place and the whole thing framed by the huge glasshouses of the Palm House and Schmetterlinghaus.The morning of my visit the sun was so brilliant there were actually peole sunbathing and lying around ( but not on the grass ) relaxing. On leaving, I discovered that there is one area reserved as a 'Liegewiese' ie., a rest-cure meadow and here you CAN actually lie on the grass. Hurrah !
The photo shows the burggarten and the whole thing reflected in the pond. Don't miss this park, it's a real treat.

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Address: Burggarten, Ringstrasse
Directions: Betweenthe Opera and Burg rings - you can't miss it.
Website: www.vienna.info

Vienna's Rathaus is an elaborate gothic confection which you certainly can't miss. It stands on it's own platz, with the Burg Theatre opposite and this part of the Ringstrasse is about as impressive as it gets. At Christmas the Rathaus is one of the city's principal festive showpieces. Immediately to the front stands the 150-year old spruce Christmas tree with no less than 1000 lights illuminating it. In front of this there is a crib and then the 143 stalls of the Christmas market. As if this wasn't enough all the trees growing in the platz are also decorated. This year the lovliest was the Herzerlbaum - tree of hearts, hung with 280 glowing red hearts . The town hallhas seven courtyards and these are open to visitors without any retrictions. To visit the inside, however you must take a guided tour. These tours are free and take place Monday, Wednesday and Friday ( except during council sessions and holidays). Groups must register in writing a month in advance.

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Phone: 525 50
Address: Friedrich-Schmidt Platz 1
Directions: Opposite the Burg Theatre on the Ringstrasse
Website: www.wien.gv.at/ma55/fuehrungen

Walking between the Rathaus and the Schottenstift I was pleased to find this small gem all by myself. It's elevated, running uphill and is surrounded in places by high walls. I was immediately intrigued and on doing some research discovered that this little enclave is one of the few parts of the city which retains some of the original zig-zag ramparts. It extends to behind Schottengasse where there is another entry via some really steep steps. On Friday morning I finally got the chance to explore and it was a near-perfect experience. Beautiful houses, narrow cobbled lanes and not a single person in sight. That was really weird because you are perched above the Ringstrasse with all its frenetic activity but on Molker Bastei, the only activity was asmall bird singing on a holly tree. The Pasqualatihaus, where Beethoven once lived and is now a museum is here at no.8 and scenes from the movie 'The Third man' were shot here also

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Address: Molker Bastei
Directions: Elevated fom street level, between the Ringstrasse and Scottengasse.
Website: www.vienna .info

Frequently on this page I have noted December 8th 2006 as being an amazing day. That morning sitting in The Volksgarten I felt the need to write as well as photograph, so here's what I wrote.

December 8th in Vienna must be some sort of meteorological error. Back in my room are the boots, raincoats and gloves iI packed to combat the cold and now I sit here sweating under my open coat and cursing the fact that I have no shades. Next to me a blackbird sings out his joy and gets a response from neigbouring trees. These trees still have their golden Autumn leaves and look like trees tarted up for Christmas with gold spray and minimal chic. All round the Volksgarten, people are lounging and turning their faces up to the sun. I can smell that sweet Vienna confectionary smell and sitting here with the sun on my face, trambells clanging and birds singing, I achieve a moment of grace.
If you pass The Volksgarten, which you almost certainly will, do come in to join the local dog-walkers and have a little chill-out from sight-seeing.
The garden is open daily 8 am -10 pm April to October and 8 am- 8 pm November to March.

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Address: Voksgarten, Wien
Directions: On the ringstrasse, opposite the parliament and near the Neue Hofburg
Website: www.vienna.info

Ringstrasse is one of the most enduring legacies of the Hapsburgs to Vienna. Concieved in 1857 by decree of Emperor Franz-Joseph 1, it replaced the old zig-zag fortifications with a string of Imperial avenues, strung rond the throat of the Innere Stadt like a necklace. It's monumental buildings are well known, among them The Kunsthistoriche Museum, The Staatoper, The Rathaus, Burg Theatre etc. On my many meanders around the Ringstrasse (cut in half incidentally when I realised that I could take a short-cut through the Hofburg) one of them made an immediate and different impression on me. The Parlament building with its perfectly classical structure is quite noticeable among the other, mostly Baroque buildings. Part of the square that comprises the Rathaus, Burg Theatre and University, it was sesigned by the Danish architect , Theophil Hansen. Establishing the classical tradition a massive statue of pallas Athena lords it over a fountain representing the Elbe, Danube, Inn and Moldova. The impediment on the main portico is outstanding and would do Athens or Rome proud. All along the top of the building are statue, horses and chariots. A feast for the classsicaly inclined eye.
Guided Tours aavailable. Check website.

If you're not a great walker you can catch tram no 1 or 2 and go round the Ringstrasse as often as it takes to see all the sights.

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Phone: 40 110 2715
Address: Parlament, Dr. Karl-Renner-Ring 3
Directions: Next to the Rathaus on the ringstrasse
Website: www.parliament.gv.at

The most outstanding feature in Karlsplatz, apart from Karlskirche is the bijou, green, gold and white pavillion by Otto Wagner. Wagner designed the city transit railway stations and the finest are these two at Karlsplatz (1898) and the one at Schonbrunn. The pavillion is a very fine example of secessionist architecture and the details on it are well worth examining. Flowers, leaves and loads of gilding break up the rather dull green. Unfortunately, the Pavillion is only open from April to October so I could only see it from outside. Opening hours in season are from 9 am- 6 pm daily except Monday.

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Phone: 505 87 47
Address: Karlsplatz, Wien
Directions: Near Karlskirche
Website: www.wienmuseum.at