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Graben Shopping Street

Vienna's famous pedestrian streets

Graben is Vienna's most famous pedestrian street with its 300 meters of fashionable shops, open-air restaurants and cafes. There are several modern historical buildings and a memorial column for the Great Plague in 1679.

Graben is Vienna's Famous Pedestrian Shopping Street, about 300 meters long. The western end of the street is connected with the Kohlmarkt, forming an “L” shape with a collection of fashionable shops such as Chanel, Gucci and Hermes, as well as numerous open-air restaurants and cafes, not far from the Hofburg Palace.

In the middle of Graben, a 19-meter-high Plague Column (Pestsäule) was erected to commemorate the tens of thousands of Viennese who died during the Great Plague of 1679. The memorial column bears a statue of Emperor Leopold I, who kneels beneath it in homage to the Holy Trinity and the angels at the top of the column. Not far from either side of the Plague Column are the St. Leopold's Fountain and St. Joseph’s Fountain.

Manywhere Trivia:
Originally a moat in Roman times, the Graben was expanded in the 12th century. In German “graben” means “ditch”. Besides, Vienna also has a Tiefer Graben Street, which means “deep ditch”.

Located on the east side of the street, Stephansplatz is the busiest place in Vienna, where the St. Stephen’s Cathedral stands in. The cathedral was built in the 12th century and is considered a symbol of Austria.

St. Stephen's Cathedral

National Symbol of Austria

St. Stephen's Cathedral is the symbol of Austria, located in the heart of Vienna. It has a Romanesque facade and a 136-meter-high Gothic tower. The church's collection includes the tomb of Frederick III and Triptychs of The Wiener Neustädter Altar.

Most of the buildings along Graben date from the 19th and 20th centuries, including the Ankerhaus by Otto Wagner, a representative of the Viennese Art Nouveau movement, and buildings by Viennese architect Adolf Loos. The only exception among them is St. Peter’s Church (Peterskirche), the oldest church in Vienna, located on the north side of the street.

St. Peter's Church

Magnificent Sculptures and Murals

St. Peter's Church in Vienna dates from the 4th century and the present Baroque church was completed in 1733. With its green dome and twin towers, the interior of St. Peter's Church is rich in ornate sculptures and decorations, and the oval dome features a large ceiling fresco of the Coronation of Our Lady.