Graben Street, Vienna
The Graben鈥擵ienna鈥檚 glitzy catwalk of history, high fashion, and a bit of medieval ditch drama. Yes, believe it or not, this elegant boulevard began life as鈥� a trench. That鈥檚 right鈥斺�淕raben鈥� means 鈥渄itch鈥� in German, and it once ran right in front of the city walls back when this area was still the Roman outpost of Vindobona.
Fast forward to the 12th century: the ditch gets filled in鈥攖hanks in part to a juicy ransom paid for none other than Richard the Lionheart鈥攁nd suddenly, Vienna鈥檚 growing faster than a Baroque wig in a windstorm. The Babenberg Dukes extended the city, and voil脿鈥攖he Graben became a proper street. Still called "the Ditch," though. Old names die hard...
Look closely and you鈥檒l notice the split personality of this street. On the north side, it's a bit of a chaotic maze. On the south, neat side streets fanning out like clockwork鈥攑roof of some seriously medieval city planning chops. Over time, the Graben morphed into Vienna鈥檚 main artery, pumping life, gossip, and powdered wigs through the city鈥檚 heart.
By the Baroque era, the Graben was the place to see and be seen. Think of it as 18th-century Instagram, but with actual human interaction. Nobles strolled, markets bustled, and the elite shopped, dined, and judged your fashion choices in real time. Come the 19th century, luxury shops arrived, and by the mid-20th, it became the pedestrian haven we know today鈥攄itch-free and proudly strut-worthy.
Start your walk at Stock-im-Eisen-Platz, end at Tuchlauben, and enjoy a lineup of architectural heavyweights along the way. There鈥檚 the Ankerhaus, once home to architect Otto Wagner, and Bartolotti-Partenfeld Palace, the summer hangout of one very well-to-do Baron family.
Music lovers鈥攄on鈥檛 miss the Generalihof, once headquarters of the Musikalisches Magazin, which first published some of Mozart鈥檚 work back in 1784. And keep going till you reach the Grabenhof, built in 1876, now radiating all the grandeur of a Viennese power pose.
And before you go: tip your metaphorical hat to the Plague Column, that theatrical swirl of angels and anguish, erected by Emperor Leopold I after the Great Plague of 1679. A monument to survival, faith, and the baroque love of a dramatic statue.
Happy strolling鈥攎ind the history underfoot...
Fast forward to the 12th century: the ditch gets filled in鈥攖hanks in part to a juicy ransom paid for none other than Richard the Lionheart鈥攁nd suddenly, Vienna鈥檚 growing faster than a Baroque wig in a windstorm. The Babenberg Dukes extended the city, and voil脿鈥攖he Graben became a proper street. Still called "the Ditch," though. Old names die hard...
Look closely and you鈥檒l notice the split personality of this street. On the north side, it's a bit of a chaotic maze. On the south, neat side streets fanning out like clockwork鈥攑roof of some seriously medieval city planning chops. Over time, the Graben morphed into Vienna鈥檚 main artery, pumping life, gossip, and powdered wigs through the city鈥檚 heart.
By the Baroque era, the Graben was the place to see and be seen. Think of it as 18th-century Instagram, but with actual human interaction. Nobles strolled, markets bustled, and the elite shopped, dined, and judged your fashion choices in real time. Come the 19th century, luxury shops arrived, and by the mid-20th, it became the pedestrian haven we know today鈥攄itch-free and proudly strut-worthy.
Start your walk at Stock-im-Eisen-Platz, end at Tuchlauben, and enjoy a lineup of architectural heavyweights along the way. There鈥檚 the Ankerhaus, once home to architect Otto Wagner, and Bartolotti-Partenfeld Palace, the summer hangout of one very well-to-do Baron family.
Music lovers鈥攄on鈥檛 miss the Generalihof, once headquarters of the Musikalisches Magazin, which first published some of Mozart鈥檚 work back in 1784. And keep going till you reach the Grabenhof, built in 1876, now radiating all the grandeur of a Viennese power pose.
And before you go: tip your metaphorical hat to the Plague Column, that theatrical swirl of angels and anguish, erected by Emperor Leopold I after the Great Plague of 1679. A monument to survival, faith, and the baroque love of a dramatic statue.
Happy strolling鈥攎ind the history underfoot...
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Graben Street on Map
Sight Name: Graben Street
Sight Location: Vienna, Austria (See walking tours in Vienna)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Sight Location: Vienna, Austria (See walking tours in Vienna)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Walking Tours in Vienna, Austria
Create Your Own Walk in Vienna
Creating your own self-guided walk in Vienna is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Mozart Walking Tour
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart spent a significant portion of his life in Vienna. Here, he achieved recognition, and the city holds enormous historical and cultural significance for his legacy. Mozart first visited Vienna as a child prodigy in 1762, and in 1781 came here to stay.
The city met the composer with a vibrant and cosmopolitan atmosphere brought about by some of the top musicians and artists... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.0 Km or 1.2 Miles
The city met the composer with a vibrant and cosmopolitan atmosphere brought about by some of the top musicians and artists... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.0 Km or 1.2 Miles
Vienna Old Town Walking Tour
Vienna鈥檚 Old Town鈥攖he historic core of Austria鈥檚 capital and a UNESCO World Heritage Site鈥攊s where cobblestones gossip, rooftops sparkle, and emperors still seem to whisper from the walls. Indeed, this is the kind of place where every alley seems to have a PhD in European history.
Once wrapped in medieval walls鈥攂efore they rolled out the grand Ringstrasse boulevard in the 19th... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.9 Km or 1.8 Miles
Once wrapped in medieval walls鈥攂efore they rolled out the grand Ringstrasse boulevard in the 19th... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.9 Km or 1.8 Miles
Famous Homes of Vienna
Throughout centuries, the Austrian capital has been home to numerous famous individuals, from creative people of arts to thinkers, scientists, and politicians. Vienna's illustrious history is closely intertwined with the abodes of its celebrated residents, where artistic virtuosos and luminaries of their time found solace and inspiration.
The often modest apartments of Vienna's famous... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.9 Km or 2.4 Miles
The often modest apartments of Vienna's famous... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.9 Km or 2.4 Miles
Vienna's Art Nouveau Architecture Tour I
Among the plethora of other things, the capital of Austria, Vienna, is renowned for its contribution to Art Nouveau 鈥� the popular art movement emerged and flourished at the turn of the 20th century. Stemming from it the Viennese Secession movement, also known as the Austrian Art Nouveau, or Jugendstil (in German), gave rise to a number of architectural marvels.
By far the most colorful of... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.4 Km or 2.1 Miles
By far the most colorful of... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.4 Km or 2.1 Miles
Vienna Introduction Walking Tour
A city of green parks, opulent architecture, elegant shopping, crowded theaters, and boulevards for leisurely sauntering 鈥� Vienna, the capital of Austria, embodies a blend of regal tradition and contemporary vibrancy. The origin of the city's name is rooted in Roman times, stemming from the Celtic word Vedunia, meaning 鈥渇orest stream鈥�, which later evolved into Vindobona, a Roman... view more
Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.6 Km or 2.9 Miles
Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.6 Km or 2.9 Miles
Klimt Paintings Tour
"I have the gift of neither the spoken nor the written word, especially if I have to say something about myself or my work. Whoever wants to know something about me - as an artist, the only notable thing - ought to look carefully at my pictures" 鈥� Gustav Klimt.
Klimt's name is indelibly linked to Vienna. The renowned symbolist painter was a prominent figure in the city. As a... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.7 Km or 2.3 Miles
Klimt's name is indelibly linked to Vienna. The renowned symbolist painter was a prominent figure in the city. As a... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.7 Km or 2.3 Miles
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