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. 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.