Am Hof Platz. The name means " At court" - in the second half of the 12th century Henry II Jazomirgott, ruler Austria, founded his residence here, that is, a courtyard. After some time, the square became a market square, and today it is the site of luxurious traditional Christmas and Easter markets. In the middle of the square - Column of St. Mary (1644), there are thirteen wonderful buildings around. Among them are those that deserve special mention Collalto Palace (13), Fire Museum (7), Park Hyatt Vienna (2) And Am Hof Church (1). In film Carol Reed's "The Third Man"(1948) on the square Am Hof there was a poster cabinet leading to the dungeon...
Office Verbund AG building (public communications), building 6, was built between 1952 and 1954 by Carl Appel; in 1982 and 2005 - 2006, it underwent some reconstruction by architects Sepp Stein and Christian Knechtl, respectively; but the most wonderful thing happened to the house on October 9, 2008. From that day on, it became part of the art installation "Yellow Fog" created by Danish artist Olafur Eliasson. He installed 32 fluorescent lamps into the sidewalk near the walls, which every day after dark illuminate the facade so much that it seems as if a yellow fog is spreading from the building along the sidewalk...
House 5 - Zum Hahnenbeiss- built from 1818 to 1820 according to the plans of the architect Ernest Koch, a residential building in the style of late classicism. In its place in 1683 there was either a cheese factory or a cheese shop (Das Kasehaus); and then there was an oil warehouse - meaning oil for refilling street lamps in the city.
Central the Austrian bank, Die Osterreichische Kontrollbank, occupies houses 3 - 4. Previously, from 1630 until 1912, the building of the Vatican diplomatic mission stood on this site, something like a papal embassy, the so-called Apostolic Nunciature. Then from 1912 to 1915 they were built modern houses, students of Otto Wagner are Otto Schönthal, Emil Hoppe, Marcel Kammerer. From 1933 to 1938 the headquarters were located here Fatherland Front(Vaterländische Front), a far-right Austrofascist party. On March 11, 1938, the day before the Anschluss, the headquarters was stormed by local National Socialists, political competitors of the “front-line soldiers”... And the bank has been here since 1946.
House 2- opened in June 2014, hotel
Finding the square is as easy as shelling pears; you just have to walk through the noisy and tourist street Graben, then along Naglergasse or Bognergasse and here it is, Am Hof! Or you can go from Judenplatz along the Drachtgasse to the same Am Hof. If you come from the north along Farbergasse you will also come out to the square.
And from the very first steps you find yourself in very distant times - it’s scary to even think how long ago it was...
On the site of the square, in the middle of the first century, the ancient Roman Vindobone was located. The meaning of the word has not been clarified - apparently, it is of Celtic origin and most likely means “forest”. Over the centuries, the name of the city was transformed from Vindobona to Venia. And already in the 11th century the modern one appeared - Vienna.
Historians know for certain that it was here that Marcus Aurelius died.
The boundaries of Vindobona have been precisely established by archaeologists and run along the current Kramergasse, Rotgasse, Salzgris, Tiefer Graben, Naglergasse, Graben. At the end of the fourth century, Vindobon was destroyed by the Marcomanni and Quadi. Then there were the invasions of the Huns and Ostrogoths. History has preserved the fact that Attila’s death occurred in Vienna...
There is also a legend that Charlemagne supposedly visited here and founded the Church of St. Peter in 791.
At the end of the 10th century, Vienna became part of the Bavarian March, subordinate to the Roman Empire, a little later renamed the Holy Empire of the German nation.
At that time, there were two small settlements - near the Church of St. Ruprecht and near the current Tuchlauben street, where there was a market. Throughout the 11th century, the settlements expanded, taking on the appearance of a city. Later a wall was built around the city.
It was only in the middle of the 12th century that Vienna was first called a city in historical sources that time.
By that time, power in Vienna was in the hands of the ducal family of the Babenbergs, the most powerful princes who owned the Austrian lands, now called the ancestral dynasty. Under them, Austria finally became an independent state.
At first, the Babenbergs ruled the country from a residence on the Leopoldsberg hill near Vienna, but in the second half of the 12th century, Henry II Babenberg decided to build his residence in the middle of the city of Vienna. The court square near the residence turned out to be a very nice and attractive place and, without hesitation, they called it Am Hof, “At the Court.”
So this square appeared on the map of Vienna, full of history, legends, stories and fairy tales...
The layout of the network of streets that was established in those days has been preserved in modern map Vienna. The memory of the Babenberg dynasty is preserved in the names of squares and streets - Tuchlauben (Clothmakers' Village), Schustersteig (Shoemakers' Street), Goldschimdgasse (Goldsmiths' Lane). And the Am Hof square, of course!
Almost no historical buildings of that era have survived, only isolated fragments of churches.
A retinue followed Henry, followed by knights and beautiful ladies. Tournaments began, troubadours performed, minnesingers competed... And, alas, executions also took place here...
Here Henry the Second met his future wife... From here Frederick Barbarossa led his third crusade to the Holy Land... And it was Frederick Barbarossa who issued the “Little Privilege” to Henry the Second, elevating the Macgraviate of Austria to the rank of a duchy and proclaiming complete independence from Bavaria. With the same document, the Babenberg dynasty received the right to inherit the throne through both the male and female lines. Here the title “Archduke” was first mentioned, which elevated the Austrian rulers above all other dukes of the empire. It was only in the 16th century that the title of Archduke ceased to designate the monarch of Austria and began to be used by all members of the Habsburg dynasty.
Henry's son, Leopold the Fifth, reigned during Crusades. Austria was at the crossroads of all roads and by collecting tolls, the Babenbergs became the richest and one of the most powerful families in Europe. And sometimes the Babenbergs, not content with just taxes, captured rich knights, demanding a ransom for them. This is how Richard ended up captured Lion Heart.
Leopold the Fifth and Richard the Lionheart were enemies and did not hide it. Richard's army defeated Leopold's army at the Battle of Acre. The Austrian Duke was distinguished by his rare touchiness and vindictiveness. He vowed to take revenge on his offender and began to wait for the hour of vengeance. Returning home from a trip, Richard's ship encountered a storm and was thrown ashore onto Leopold's lands. Having changed his appearance beyond recognition, Richard tried to get into the possessions of his friend, the Duke of Bavaria, but was recognized and captured while sleeping. Richard was imprisoned in the Durenstein fortress, and rumors spread throughout Europe about Richard’s death...
All christian world led by the Pope, demanded the release of Richard. For a huge ransom of 150,000 marks in silver, Richard was released and the king was able to return to England. Part of the ransom went to Leopold the Fifth, since he “had a share”, and Vienna received a ring city wall (Ring), which was built with this money...
In the 13th century, the residence was moved to the Hofburg, at the behest of Leopold the Sixth the Glorious, son of Leopold the Fifth. Vienna was experiencing an unprecedented boom cultural life and the prestige of the Babenbergs on the international stage rose to unprecedented heights.
The “Golden Age” began in Austria...
What about Am Hof Square? The square forgets its imperial past and becomes completely different.
Am Hof is one of the oldest squares in Vienna. Once upon a time there was a court of the Babenbergs and the residence of the emperor, in different time tournaments, wedding ceremonies, executions were held there, and there was a market. On the square there is the beautiful Am Hof church and buildings, each of which attracts attention with something special.
Am Hof is a historical square located in Vienna. From time immemorial, it was a market square, an area for knightly tournaments, a stage for performances, and also served as a place for public executions. In the middle of the Am Hof stands the “Mariensäule” (1664-1667) - a column in honor of the Virgin Mary Mother of God- monument to the Thirty Years' War.
The terrace on the baroque façade (Kirche am Hof) or the “Nine” looks unusual for a temple. angel choirs"(Kirche zu den neun Chören der Engel) (XVII century). Standing on it on Easter Sunday 1782, Pope Pius VI performed a blessing ceremony during his visit to the city.
City Arsenal
GPS coordinates: 48° 12" 40"" N, 16° 22" 04"" E
The oldest and historically significant big square Vienna, located in the Inner City. The ensemble of the square is formed St. Mary's Column in the center and several interesting buildings around: Church of the Nine Angels Choirs, Collalto Palace and etc.
On the site of the modern Am Hof square and the surrounding areas, there was an ancient Roman outpost of Vindobona, which became the prototype of the city of Vienna. Therefore, we can say that the city was founded here and it grew from here. But, at the same time, since there were remains of an ancient Roman camp here, this place remained uninhabited for some time.
Only in the 12th century. The Babenbergs built their residence here, which was protected by the already standing Roman walls, and in the center of it a square was formed, hence its name - “at the court.” A market was set up on it, and in subsequent years the area was also used for tournaments, musician performances, and executions. In the 13th century The Habsburgs had already moved their residence to , and the mint was located here, and then the weapons Arsenal.
In 1848, some important events of the German revolution of 1848-49 took place on the square. – On March 14, the Arsenal building was stormed, and on October 6, Minister of War Theodor von Latour was hanged by a crowd from a lamppost. From the middle of the 19th century. Christmas markets began to be held on Am Hof Square and this tradition continues to this day, with the exception of a few decades of interruption.
Am Hof Square has the shape of a rectangular trapezoid. In its center rises Column of St. Mary (Marienzoile). It was erected by order of Ferdinand III to commemorate the end of the Thirty Years' War, after in 1645 the Swedish army, moving towards Vienna, retreated and abandoned the city without even attacking it. The bronze monument was cast in 1667 by Balthasar Herld, Carlo Martino Carlone and Carlo Canevale, based on a design by Johann Jacob Pock.
In the center of the south-eastern side, with its large baroque facade, it faces the square Am Hof Church, or Church of the Nine Angel Choirs. It was originally built by the Carmelites in 1386-1403. V gothic style. But after the Reformation it fell into decline and passed to the Jesuits. In 1607, the church was badly damaged by fire, after which it was rebuilt.
The modern Baroque facade, not typical of the church, was built in 1662 on behalf of the Duchess of Urbino Eleonora Gonzaga by the Italian architect Carlo Antonio Carlone. Gives it originality large balcony. From it, in 1782, Pope Pius VI blessed those present, and in 1806, Emperor Francis II announced the end of the Holy Roman Empire and his abdication from its throne.
On the right side of the church Am Hof, separated from it by an arch, is located Collalto Palace(house no. 13). It was built in the 17th century, and the modern Baroque façade dates back to the early 18th century. As the sign on the house says, on October 8, 1762, six-year-old Mozart made his first appearance before the Viennese public here.
It is also worth noting located in the northern corner of the square Arsenal (Zeighaus)– house number 10. The building was built in the 16th century. for storing weapons issued to residents in the event of an attack on the city. But during the second siege of Vienna by the Turks in 1683, it was badly damaged. AND modern look The Arsenale with a baroque façade is the result of the work of the architect Anton Ospel in 1732. Since 1883, the building has housed the city fire department, and the adjacent building No. 9 has housed a fire station.
"Am Hof" is a historical site because the area was originally part of the location of a Roman military legionary camp. The Babenberg dynasty first built its first Palatinate on it in 1135-1150 (translated from the old language as “courtyard”).
In later times, the public square was the site of tournaments, executions, bloody conflicts, but at the same time - festivals, poetry readings by poets and singers chanting the imperial dynasty. It also historically housed the capital's market, where food was traded and the first flea market in Vienna was located. Currently, the square is located in front of New Year holidays only large Christmas markets.
In 1983, Pope John Paul, during his visit to Vienna, held a blessed mass on Easter Eve in this square, and in 2007, the new Pope Benedict visited Vienna and planned to hold his speech on the square, but bad weather conditions prevented him.
The fastest way to get there is by metro line U3 from Herrengasse station.
