Rathausplatz

From ice rink to open-air cinema

Originally the new city hall is supposed to be erected near Stadtpark. A plot nearly 15,000 m² in size is already available in 1863. The foundation ditch is dug but then construction is halted. The Viennese refer mockingly to the building site as the “municipal hole”.

The mayor of Vienna at the time, Cajetan Felder, sees an opportunity to have the city hall erected at a more exquisite address: the large parade ground between the city centre and Josefstadt, today’s Rathausplatz.

In 1883 the new Vienna City Hall is opened. The Rathausplatz means the growing bourgeois opposition has a large space for gatherings at its disposal. Nevertheless the Rathausplatz is rarely used until the 1950s. It is only the closing rally of the Social Democrats on May 1 that traditionally takes place here.

From 1959 a great Christmas tree decorates Rathausplatz each December, the other 8 Austrian states take turns in presenting one as a gift to Vienna. The much-loved, annual Christmas market, which takes place on Rathausplatz each December, is not introduced until 1975.

Nowadays Rathausplatz is used throughout the whole year for the most diverse events. In July and August a popular film festival is held here and from January to March Rathausplatz and Rathauspark are transformed into an ice rink in the middle of the city.