Vienna Town Hall
Each city has its own town hall, but in the Austrian capital it is a building of delightful beauty. It is located in the Inner Historic City. It is occupied by the office premises of the burgomaster, and also meetings of the Zemstvo parliament and the city parliament are held here. The beauty of the building is emphasized in the evening, when the backlight turns on. You can see the tower of the Vienna Town Hall from afar, it serves as a beacon for lost tourists.
Until 1885, the building where the old town hall was located, with a beautifully decorated baroque facade, housed the local parliament, the municipality administration and the burgomaster’s office. After joining the capital in the 19th century, the number of inhabitants of the city increased, the town hall became crowded in the old building. 64 architects fought in the competition for the best embodiment of the design project of a new facility for urban management. The winner of the competition in 1868 was the architect Baron Friedrich von Schmidt. In 1896, a monument to the outstanding Austrian and German architect was erected on the back of the city hall, and Friedrich-Schmidt-Platz was named after him. In 1873, the construction of the building was launched, which lasted 10 years.
Town Hall Architecture
The building of the Vienna Town Hall was designed and erected in the neo-Gothic style, which is characterized by: gear walls, stained glass windows, openwork parts, structures pulled up, columns holding arches and arches. It was built according to the model of the town hall in Brussels. The length of the structure is 152 m, and the width is 127 m. On the main facade of the building, along its central axis, risalit stands out, protruding beyond the main line of the facade at its entire height. From the main facade side there are 5 towers: the highest reaches 103.3 m, the remaining 4 towers 65 m high. On the central tower rises a sculpture of the iron keeper Rathausman. This is a 3.5-meter statue of the keeper of freedoms and privileges. At the foot of the sculpture is a observation deck, which you can get to by overcoming 256 steps.
Interior of the Vienna City Hall
The Town Hall building has 1,575 rooms and halls that cover 2,035 windows. Most rooms are office rooms of officials. The ceremonial hall with a length of 71 m and a width of 20 m is decorated with figures of urban residents who glorified their city. One of the most luxurious and large halls is the Community Council Hall, which occupies 2 floors. A three-ton chandelier made in 1873 hangs on the ceiling covered with gilded. Here is a 25-meter sculptural frieze, on which the most significant events that occurred in Vienna are painted. Annual balls are held in the Trickets Hall, you can get here on several front stairs. Under the tower is an equally luxurious People's Hall, made in a combination of different styles. The building has 2 libraries and 2 archives belonging to the land parliament and the Vienna municipality. There are 7 small yards in the Vienna City Hall, the largest of which is the arcade courtyard. Here in the summer, concerts of music festivals are held annually.
Events and excursions
More than 800 events are held annually in the town hall: festive and thematic fair bazaars, culinary festivals, balls, parties, carnivals and other holidays. 3 times a week for guests of the capital and everyone, excursions are held, except for the days when the meetings are held, on holidays, December 24, 31 and on Good Friday. In front of the Vienna City Hall, Rathauspark Park spread out. The area of the park covers an area of 40 thousand square meters. m. Round fountains were built in both parts of the park, and monuments of prominent personalities were erected along the road passing through the park.
In summer, the area in front of the ( Rathouseplatz ) becomes a platform for musicians and dancers. During festivals, the square turns into an open-air cinema. In winter, a skating rink is poured over the square, and before Christmas the entire area is decorated with garlands, beautifully highlighted. The Christmas fair in front of the town hall is considered the best in the city. Going on a tour of Austria will certainly visit the Vienna City Hall, especially if the tour falls on holidays.
