Page 109 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Vienna

HOFBURG QU AR TER  107

pausing in cafés, or listening tiny, with every detail carefully
to the street musicians. constructed by Loos, such as
No. 37 is the Malteser kirche. the tables lit from below and
This church was founded by the exquisite glass cabinets
the Knights of Malta, who were for storing glasses. One of
invited to Vienna early in the his hallmarks is the use of
13th century by Leopold VI. mahogany panelling, and
The interior retains lofty Gothic this bar is no exception.
windows and vaults. Mirrors give the impression
At No. 1 is the Lobmeyr that the interior is larger than
Museum, which houses glass it actually is, and onyx and
designed by Josef Hoffmann marble panels reflect the soft
(see p58), among others, for the lighting used throughout.
Viennese firm of Lobmeyr. The Loosbar is often cited as
Around the corner at No. 5 the first instance of rampant
Johannesgasse is the superb architectural modernism. Loos
Questenberg-Kaunitz Palace, took his inspiration from a
which dates from the early three-year sojourn studying
18th century. Its design has the buildings of New York City,
Tomb of Karl VI by Balthasar Moll been attributed to the between 1893 and 1896. Today,
architect Johann Lukas von it is a preferred hangout of
The last reigning Habsburg, Hildebrandt (see p154). movie stars, who come for
Empress Zita, died in 1989 the celebrated cocktails.
and her remains are also , American Bar
buried in the crypt. . Stock-im-
Kärntner Strasse 10. Map 4 D1 & 6 D3.
n Neuer Markt Tel 5123283. % Stephansplatz. Open Eisen-Platz
noon–4am daily. ∑ loosbar.at
Map 4 D1 & 5 C4. % Stephansplatz. Map 2 D5 & 5 C3. % Stephansplatz.
Beneath a garish depiction This square is at the inter-
Known as the Mehlmarkt or of the Stars and Stripes section of Stephansplatz,
flour market until around 1210, is this bar designed Kärntner Strasse and Graben.
the Neuer Markt was also used by Adolf Loos Opposite Haas-Haus (see p81)
as a jousting area. Of these (see p94) in is the Equitable Palace (1891),
origins nothing is left, though 1908. The once headquarters to the
a few 18th-century houses interior, Equitable Life Insurance
remain. In the middle of the restored Company. An old tree
Neuer Markt is a replica of the in 1990, is trunk, dotted with nails,
Donner Fountain (1737–9) by impres sive. stands in the square.
Georg Raphael Donner, a The bar is Passing locksmiths’
symbolic celebration of the apprentices would bang
role played by rivers in the in a nail to ensure a safe
economic life of the Habsburg The Donner Fountain in passage home.
Empire. The four figures denote Neuer Markt
tributaries of the Danube, while
the central figure represents
Providence. The original figures
are in the Lower Belvedere
(see p159).

m Kärntner Strasse
Map 4 D1 & 5 C5. % Stephansplatz.
Malteserkirche: Open 7am–7pm daily.
Lobmeyr Museum: Open 9am–5pm
Mon–Fri.
This pedestrianized street was
the main road to Carinthia in
medieval times. Now it is the
old city’s principal retail street.
Day and night, it is packed
with people shopping, buying
fresh fruit juice from stands,

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