Rathaus Vienna - Town Hall & Rathauspark
Accessibility: Metro U2 station Rathaus
Opening hours: The Rathausplatz is normally always accessible for pedestrians (except in cases of special events). The Town-Information-Center in the town hall opens Monday to Friday from 07:30 - 17:00 o'clock.
My Tip: Guided Tours for free through the building usually on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 13:00 o'clock (further details are available under the paragraph Visitor Info).
Visitor Info:
As a tourist you should not miss a visit of the Rathausplatz Vienna. Nearly all-the-year you can find here some special events like the film festival, circus, Christkindlmarkt (Christmas market), Wiener Eistraum (ice-skating rink) and some other seasonal events.
In the summer months July and August you can find a lot of different stands from the regional restaurants at the Rathausplatz Vienna. If you don't find a place to enjoy the different local and international food then just walk a few meters to the shady and a bit more peaceful Rathauspark and sit down on a bench. At nightfall (around 21:00 o'clock) you can also watch every evening some opera or concert recordings at a large screen which is directly in front of the town hall. There are also a lot of seats and you can enjoy the open air cinema-feeling free of charge.
In the advent season (mid of November till the 26th of December) the Christmas market takes place at the Rathausplatz with a lot of stands offering Christmas products, hot punch and gingerbread. Directly in front of the illuminated town hall you can also find the approx. 30 m high festively decorated Christmas tree. The trees in the Rathauspark are also decorated and glowing in the dark. Especially the small children will like a lot the different Christmas attractions in the park.
The free guided tours through the town hall building are provided normally on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 13:00 o'clock. (except on meeting days and public holidays). The starting point is the city information center of the town hall (entrance Friedrich-Schmidt-Platz 1). Unfortunately, the tours are quite popular and limited to maximum number of 50 people. It is therefore advisable to register on site on the day of the tour between 8:00 and 9:00 o'clock.
I found the tour informative and worth seeing. The group size bothered me a little, but everything is free of charge. The tour was given in German. An audio guide was available for other languages. I can recommend this tour, if you have just a little interest in the history of Vienna.
Further tourist info about the Rathaus Vienna and the guided tours are available at:
www.wien.gv.at
Visitor Info:
Further info about the Christmas market at:
Vienna Christmas Markets
Further info about the film festival at:
filmfestival-rathausplatz.at
Architecture:
The basic structure of bricks was covered by different natural stones like limestone, slate and marble.The -town hall man- decorates the main tower at the front, together with the figure the tower is 103 m high and is surrounded by 4 further towers.The bureaus of the municipal council, regional parliament, regional government and some municipal authorities are located in the 1575 rooms of the building. You can also find there the -town hall guard - which is a special unit from the Viennese fire brigade.
There are a lot of (cultural) festivities and celebrations in the pompous rooms like the Life Ball or the opening of the Vienna Festival. The center for such activities is the ballroom at the 1st floor which offers a double storey room height, 71 m length and 20 m width and that with a magnificent view at the Ringstrasse.
The Rathaus Vienna (A3) is the town hall and with the Rathausplatz and the Rathauspark it is located at the Wiener Ringstraße directly across the Burgtheater.
History:
The city-gardener Rodulph Siebeck designed the Rathauspark from year 1872 to 1873 with its green spaces, monuments and fountains. After completion of the park the construction of the Vienna Rathaus started with the layout of the foundation stone at the former parade ground. The administrative headquarter for the mayor was built in a neo-Gothic style from the architect Friedrich von Schmidt within 10 years.
