Page 89 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Austria

NOR TH OF M ARIAHILFER STR ASSE  87

Mary, Our Lady of street market, held on the first
Perpetual Succour, built weekend of each month and
in the late 17th century prior to Christmas. Among the
on the site of an older stalls with wood carvings, tie-
church, but not dyed fabrics and silver jewellery,
consecrated until 1730. waiters from the local bars
Its façade is an austere negotiate the busy crowds; there
pyramidal structure, are some 58 bars in this small
rising to a bulbous area, which contains just 138
steeple, and there are houses. The number of bars
lively Rococo reliefs set may change from one week
in its walls. In front of to the next, but the bustling,
the church stands a festive party atmosphere can
monu ment to the be experienced almost every
composer Joseph evening. The Spittelberg area
Haydn (see p28), who also comprises small art
lived at this address for galleries, and artists display
12 years. Mariahilfer their work in the restaurants.
Strasse No. 45 is the At one time, attractive
longest and most barmaids offered “additional
Schiele’s Kneeling Female Nude (1910), Museum of famous double-exit services”, and legend has it that
Modern Art, MuseumsQuartier house in Vienna, and Emperor Joseph II once decided
the birthplace in 1790 to explore the Spittelberg district
seminars, as well as Austria’s of the popular Austrian play- for himself. However, when in
first centre for museum and wright Ferdinand Raimund. disguise he entered the Witwe
exhibition studies. Children Bolte (Widow Bolte) restaurant,
can play, explore and learn o Spittelberg still open today, he was uncere-
about a variety of subjects in moniously thrown out.
the ZOOM Kindermuseum, Map 1 C5. % Volkstheater. v 49. Nos. 18 and 20 Spittelberggasse
an unconven tional centre. @ 48A. Amerlinghaus: Stiftgasse 8. are fine Baroque houses.
Amid this extraordinary Tel 52 36 475. Open during events. ( The beautifully restored
cultural setting are numerous ∑ amerlinghaus.at Amerlinghaus, in which the
cafés, bars, green spaces, shops painter Friedrich Amerling
and bookstores. Spittelberg is the oldest and most (1803–87) was born, is now
colourful part of the elegant 7th a cultural and community
i Mariahilfer District. In the 17th century, the centre, and a restaurant.
A little further along, between
cluster of streets between
Strasse Siebensterngasse and Burggasse, Siebensterngasse and Mariahilfer
around Spittelberggasse, was Strasse, is an enclosed area
Map 4 A1, B1. % Westbahnhof,
Zieglergasse, Neubaugasse, Vienna’s first immigrant worker around former barracks now
MuseumsQuartier. @ 2A, 13A. district. Its inhabitants were housing the Military Academy,
mainly craftsmen, merchants and the Stiftkirche, topped with
Mariahilfer Strasse is one of and servants from Croatia and an onion-shaped cupola, which
the longest streets in Vienna, Hungary, brought here to work serves as a garrison church.
a main artery running west at the court. Today, the district’s Its walls are lined with very
from the town centre to the crafts heritage lives on in the expressive late-Baroque reliefs.
area around Schönbrunn.
The part between
Getreidemarkt (Grain Market)
and Westbahnhof (the Western
Railway Station) is also the
busiest shopping street in this
part of the city. Here you will
find Vienna’s largest department
stores and its best window
displays. Shopping tends to
be better value here than on
Kärntner Strasse (see p75), but is
still more costly than at the mall
complex at the Meidling train
station, or further out in the
Favoriten district.
Mariahilfer Strasse took its
name from the church of St Amerlinghaus communitiy centre, Spittelberg

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