Vienna - Graben
Graben, a wide-open space which is half street and half square, is the hub of the great city of Vienna. In 1950 it was the first place to have fluorescent lighting. In 1971 it became the first pedestrian zone, and soon afterwards cafes took over for the summer months what was formerly a major thoroughfare. Graben was once the city moat around the Roman camp, then it became the flower and vegetable market, and from the 17th C. on it was the scene of Court festivities.
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Must-see attractions nearby:
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There are two old fountains, the Joseph Fountain and the Leopold Fountain. Both were altered many times and lead figures by Johann Martin Fischer were added in 1804. Of the many Baroque buildings that surrounded the Graben in the 18th C. only the Bartolotti-Partenfeld Palace (No. 11) remains.
The shop facade of the jewelers Caesar's by Hollein has long been on the itinerary of tourists interested in art. With its polished granite slab and a mass of metal pipes it is reminiscent of the decorative style of the early 70s nearby.
Also of interest in the Graben are the subterranean Art Nouveau toilets. They were built in 1905 by Adolf Loos and have been renovated to reveal their true glory. The cubicles are lined with wood and marble panels and have gilded fittings.
The shop facade of the jewelers Caesar's by Hollein has long been on the itinerary of tourists interested in art. With its polished granite slab and a mass of metal pipes it is reminiscent of the decorative style of the early 70s nearby.
Also of interest in the Graben are the subterranean Art Nouveau toilets. They were built in 1905 by Adolf Loos and have been renovated to reveal their true glory. The cubicles are lined with wood and marble panels and have gilded fittings.
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Kohlmarkt
The pedestrianized Kohlmarkt links Michaelerplatz and Graben. Wood and coal was once sold on the site of these luxurious shops and elegant boutiques. Two of these, Nos. 7 and 8/10, have facades designed by Hans Hollein in post-Modernist style decorated boldly in metal and marble. The fine Art Nouveau (No. 9) Artaria Publishing House where Chopin lived during his stay in Vienna is interesting.
Neidhart Frescoes
In 1400 a wealthy cloth merchant, Michael Menschein, had the great hall on the first floor of the house at Tuchlauben 19 (near the Graben square) decorated with frescoes depicting the Minnesänger Neidhart's poetry. In 1715/16 the house was refashioned in the Baroque style and most of the paintings were destroyed and the rest covered with a thick layer of plaster. The frescoes were discovered by accident during renovation work in 1979 and took three years to restore. They are the oldest secular wall paintings in Vienna and an important example of popular art in the late Middle Ages. The walls of the 15 ê 7.5m/50 ê 25ft hall were originally completely covered; the frescoes depict typical scenes from Neidhart's songs in the cycle of the four seasons.
