Vienna, Austria
Posted by: BakaGaijin
N 48° 12.642 E 016° 21.492
33U E 600901 N 5340610
The Rathaus is a building which serves as the seat both of the mayor and city council of the city of Vienna. It's located at the Ring, directly across from the Burgtheater, between the Parliament and the University.
Waymark Code: WM7T04
Location: Wien, Austria
Date Posted: 11/28/2009
Views: 75
Neues Rathaus (New City Hall) is the seat of the Vienna City and Provincial Assembly. Built from 1872 to 1883 to replace the Altes Rathaus, it is Neo-Gothic in style.
A huge central tower, 105 m high, topped by the 3.5 m statue of a knight with a lance, dominates the front facade. Known affectionately as the Rathausmann, it was designed by Franz Gastell and made by the wrought-iron craftsman Alexander Nehr. The most attractive feature of the facade is the lofty loggia with its delicate tracery and curved balconies.
The building is 152 metres long and 127 metres wide. Its 1,575 rooms and halls have 2,035 windows. It has seven courtyards and summer concerts are held in the Arkadenhof courtyard. At the top of the first of the two grand staircases is the Festsaal, a ceremonial hall that stretches the length of the building (71*20 metres). Round all four sides are Neo-Gothic arcades and statues of Austrian worthies, including prominent Habsburgs. Recently finished renovations (2000) include the re-opening of the Neo-Baroque Salon Ziehrer and the redesigned Lanner-Lehar Hall with wall and ceiling murals by German artist Rainer Maria Latzke.
Beneath the town hall is the Wiener Rathauskeller, a popular restaurant.
List of mayors of Vienna since 1945:
Rudolf Prikryl, 1945
Theodor Körner, 1945–1951
Franz Jonas, 1951–1965
Bruno Marek, 1965–1970
Felix Slavik, 1970–1973
Leopold Gratz, 1973–1984
Helmut Zilk, 1984–1994
Michael Häupl, since 1994