Virtual tour panorama showing the outside of the Rathaus in Vienna. When this image was taken, the area in front of the Rathaus had been laid out with a large screen and seating for outdoor concerts.

Rathaus (Neues Rathaus) - Vienna visitor guide showing a virtual tour of 'Rathaus (Neues Rathaus)' linked to an interactive map with local and travel information. 360° panoramas from Wien.

The (Neues) Rathaus in Vienna was built 1872 and 1883, opening in 1884. It was designed by Friedrich Schmidt as an imitation of the Hotel de Ville in Brussels. The central tower of this Gothic structure is 97.5m high topped with 5.4m statue of a medieval night in full armour, making the structure just over 100m high. This statue is the Rathusmann

Over 2000 people work in the Rathaus, the head office of Vienna's municipal administration. Visitors are able to access the 7 courtyards, but to see the magnificent appointments of the state rooms you must join a guided tour.

Rathaus Façade
The dominant feature of the Rathaus is the central tower, described below. Friedrich Schmidt intended the Rathaus to be a monumental symbol of the bourgeoisie as well as a public building. The neo-Gothic style he chose is found in the city halls of the free cities in medieval Europe. The central 100m tower is flanked by four towers 61m high. The tall pointed-arch windows look out from the Grand Festival Hall of the Rathaus which is accessed by a massive decorated stairway inside the building.

Rathausmann and Tower
The Rathausmann is one of the symbols of Vienna. The statue, an iron standard bearer in full armour, was modeled on rmour of Emperor Maximilian I. It is made of melted-down Russian kopecks and weighs 650 kilograms. Below the Rathausmann is an 800 kilogram sphere which acts as a counterbalance in storms.

An exact replica of the Rathausmann stands in the Rathauspark, the open space between the Rathaus and the Burg Theatre. This was made as a surprise gift for Vienna in 1985 by the Vienna gasworks who were commissioned to restore the original Rathausmann.

331 steps ascend almost 98m up the tower to a lookout point higher than that at St. Stephansdom.

Rathauspark
In this panorama you can see part of the Rathauspark which separates the Rathaus from the Ringstraße. It was commissioned by Emperor Franz Joseph I in 1863 as a park for the Viennese people. In the summer it is often used for outdoor projections of classical concerts onto a massive screen suspended in front of the Rathaus as seen here. This is accompanied by various food stalls. The bigger market is the Christkindlmarkt (Christmas Market) which takes place between mid November to Christmas and sees the area packed with stalls selling various arts, crafts and food. For the New Year the area is turned into a temporary ice skating ring.

Address:
Vienna City Administration,
Rathaus,
A-1082 Wien

Transport:
U-Bhan : (U2) Rathaus
Tram / Bus : 1, 2, J, D