Graben - Plague Pillar

In the middle of the Graben stands the famous Plague Pillar. This 21m/70ft tall Baroque pillar (also called the "Trinity Pillar") owes its existence to a vow made by Emperor Leopold I. He swore that when the plague ceased he would pay for the erection of a pillar which would reach up to heavens. The plague of 1679 cost 75,000 Viennese their lives, other estimates even reach 150,000. The first plague pillar was erected in the same year.