Vienna - Parliament Building 
Since 1918 the meetings of the National and Federal Parliament have been held in these impressive buildings. Measuring 137m/450ft wide and 145m/475ft long, they had been built between 1873 and 1883 by Theophil Hansen for the Imperial and Provincial delegations which had been called into being by the 1861 Declaration and survived until 1918. It was in allusion to Greece, the birthplace of democracy, that he chose Greek forms for the building, with Corinthian columns and rich decoration on the metopes and pediments.
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Must-see attractions nearby:
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The carvings in the pediment above the portico depict the granting of the Constitution by Franz Joseph I to the 17 peoples of Austria, while the attica is decorated with 76 marble statues and 66 reliefs.
Mon.-Fri. 11am (except when Parliament is in session), mid-July-Aug. 9, 10 and 11 a.m., 1, 2 and 3 p.m.
Mon.-Fri. 11am (except when Parliament is in session), mid-July-Aug. 9, 10 and 11 a.m., 1, 2 and 3 p.m.
Hours
Always opened on:
Easter - Christian (Apr 08)
Guided tours are at 11am and 3 p.m. (except the day before and the day after a session). From mid-July to August, tours are at 9am, 10am, 11am, 1 p.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m.
Photography prohibited.
Disabled
Full facilities for persons with disabilities.
Guides
Guided tour included with admission.
Related Attractions
Horse Tamer Statue
Josef Lax's bronze "Horse-tamer" statue stands guard over Parliament's flight of steps in Vienna; on the left can be seen the seated marble figures of Herodotus, Polybius, Thukydides and Xenophon, and to the right those of Sallust, Caesar, Tacitus and Livy.
Pallas Athene Fountain
The Pallas Athene Fountain was erected in front of the main portal of Vienna's Parliament Buildings in 1902. The 4m/13ft high figure of Pallas Athene with gilded helmet and armed with a lance is the work of the sculptor Kundmann. The recumbent figures symbolize the Rivers Danube, Inn, Elbe and Moldau.
Parliament Monuments
To the left of the Parliament building in Vienna stand memorials to the Social Democrats Jakob Reumann (mayor of Vienna 1919-23), Viktor Adler (in 1918 founder and first Foreign Minister of the First Republic) and Ferdinand Hanusch (Minister of Social Affairs, 1918-20).
On the right stands a memorial to Dr Karl Renner, who led Austria when the Republics were founded in 1918 and 1945 and who held the office of Federal President until 1950.
On the right stands a memorial to Dr Karl Renner, who led Austria when the Republics were founded in 1918 and 1945 and who held the office of Federal President until 1950.
