Vienna Parliament
with Pallas Athene Statue
Accessibility: Metro U3 and U2 station Volkstheater
Opening hours: The visitor center Demokratikum is open Monday to Friday from 8:00 - 18:00, Thursday till 21:00 and Saturday from 9:00 - 17:00 o'clock.
Tip: You can visit the plenary meetings of the National Council and the guided tours free of charge. You only need an online registration and a valid photo ID. More Info
The Vienna Parliament building (A2/A3) with the Pallas Athene statue at the front is one of the most important splendor building at the Wiener Ringstraße. Built from 1874 to 1883 according the plans of architect Theophil Hansen in the Greek-Roman style the historical rooms are used as residence for the Austrian National and Federal council.
Architect Hansen created a total art work and as Greece is know as the cradle of the democracy the Parliament is designed like a temple. A tour through the building brings the visitor back to the ancient Greece. Hansen equipped also the rooms elaborately with self designed furniture, chandeliers and pictures.
Interesting facts and figures:
This building in Vienna is 151 m long, 132 m wide, the construction costs (at that time gulden) would be today approx. 200 million Euro, the biggest of the 1.600 rooms -the pillars hall- sizes approx. 1000 m², an inspection walkway through all the rooms would mean to walk approx. 13 km.
Architecture:
If you stay at the front of the parliament the view of the visitor is dominated by a 5,5 m high statue of Pallas Athene which stands in the middle of a large fountain. The sculptor Carl Kundmann created the statue according to the plans from architect Hansen. He was not able to see the finished statue as Hansen was already dead when it was revealed in the year 1902.
The goddess of wisdom Pallas Athene holds in her right hand a small figure of Nike the goddess of victory and in her left hand a spear. She is surrounded by personification of the legislation (right side) and the execution (left side) of the laws. Directly at the fountain bowl, which consists of granite, the both main rivers of Austria, Donau and Inn, are represented by a female and male figure.
Also the inside of the building is full of history and art. Whether entrance hall, atrium, pillars hall, reception room or the historical meeting hall which is reserved for special occasions: The history and architecture impresses the visitor.
Visitor Info:
If you want to visit the Parliament, you need a valid photo ID and a QR code. To get this code you need to make an online registration directly on the website of the Parliament (link further below). The premises are only accessible with a guided tour which is offered in German or English with different topics (e.g. architecture, art installations or library and archive, duration approx. 1 hour, currently free of charge).
The plenary meetings of the National Council are also open for public access without charge. The visitor places are located in the guests gallery at the National Council meeting hall.
At the ground floor of the Vienna Parliament, you can find the visitor center Demokratikum. Here you have the possibility to get some information about the tasks, processes and history of the Austrian parliament by using interactive media stations (free of charge). The Demokratikum is also the starting point for the guided tours and you will find here also a souvenir shop. The entrance is behind the statue of Pallas Athene.
Further info about the Viennese Parliament with its visitor center, the meetings and the guided tours are available at:
www.parlament.gv.at
