GRABEN

In the city center, the Graben is a long-established shopping street. It's Vienna's busiest pedestrian street, lined with sumptuous historic facades and piqued by the storefronts of luxury labels, ice-cream parlors and souvenir stores.

History. Urban occupation of the Graben dates back to Roman times. It was here that the Vindobona camp was established. The camp was surrounded by a moat along Naglergasse. In the Middle Ages, a fortified castle replaced the castellum. In the ^12th century, the Babenbergs enlarged the town with the ransom paid for the release of Richard the Lionheart, and filled in the moat to create the Graben, the town's main thoroughfare. Five streets intersected the Graben to the south, and new buildings sprang up. In the early ^14th century, a fire swept away the entire district. When it was rebuilt, the bourgeoisie began to settle here. During the Renaissance, the Graben became an important market and commercial area. By the end of the ^19th century, homeowners began to embellish their facades with Baroque elements. The market opened in 1753, followed by the Christmas market in 1772. The Graben became a promenade. At the beginning of the ^19th century, luxury stores moved in. In 1974, the Graben became Vienna's first pedestrian street. The pedestrian zone was extended to adjacent streets when the subway was built.

Buildings. The Anker House was built in 1894 by Otto Wagner. It was to become the residence of the artist Hundertwasser. The Baroque Bartolotti-Partenfeld palace (^18th century), the Generalihof built between 1794 and 1795, and the Grabenhof, designed by architects Thienemann and Wagner and built in 1873, are all worth seeing. Today, this building hosts a wide range of cultural events. At No. 21 Graben stands the monumental neoclassical building of the Austrian Savings Bank.

Monuments. The Plague Column stands in the middle of the Graben, along with the Holy Trinity. It was erected in 1679 at the request of Leopold ^I, following the great plague epidemic that ravaged the city. Two fountains also adorn the street. The one with the four lion heads, mentioned as early as 1455, was built to help fight fires. The other, to the south-east of the street, dates from 1561 and features lead statues by Johann Martin Fischer.

Not to be missed. The magnificent Art Nouveau underground toilets, built in 1905 by architect Adolf Loos.