City Hall in Vienna

Vienna City Hall is the seat of the mayor, the city council and the Vienna state parliament. Built in 1872–1883 to designs by Friedrich von Schmidt, it stands on the Ringstrasse, the boulevard laid out on the line of the old city walls. Although it is a 19th-century building, it looks like a Gothic town hall from Flanders, with arcades, pointed spires and dozens of statues.

The central tower is 98 metres high. On top stands the Rathausmann, a 3.4-metre copper figure of a knight in armour that has become one of the symbols of Vienna; with it, the tower reaches about 103 metres. Inside are seven courtyards, including the large Arkadenhof, and grand halls used for balls, receptions and concerts. The tower itself is not open to visitors.

Free guided tours of the interior take place on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 13:00, except on council sitting days, public holidays and between 24 and 31 December. They are held in German, with audio guides in English, French, Italian, Spanish and Russian; online registration is required, and the meeting point is the City Information centre at Friedrich-Schmidt-Platz 1.

In front of the building, Rathausplatz and the landscaped Rathauspark host events all year round. In summer the free Film Festival shows opera and concert films on a giant screen. From mid-November to 26 December the square is filled by the Christmas market with a small skating rink, and from mid-January to early March the Wiener Eistraum turns it into a large ice rink (adult tickets around €10).

How to get there:
Vienna City Hall is easy to reach. It is located on the Ring, close to other attractions such as the Austrian Parliament, Hofburg Palace, University of Vienna, and Burgtheater. It takes about 5–7 minutes to walk from the Hofburg to the Town Hall. The nearest metro station is Rathaus on line U2.