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Heldenplatz

Tribute to Austrian War Heroes

Heldenplatz (Heroes' Square) in Vienna is part of the Hofburg with statues of Prince Eugene and Archduke Charles, who fought off the Turkish and Napoleonic armies in the past and are considered heroes of Austria.

Heldenplatz (Heroes’ Square) in Vienna is part of the Hofburg, Austrian Royal Palace , located in the southwest of the palace complex, adjacent to Vienna’s Burgring Road.

The New Castle (Neue Burg) on one side of the square is the youngest building of the Hofburg, the construction of which began in 1871. The interior of the arc-shaped palace houses the Neue Burg Museums, which is divided into several exhibition spaces as the Ephesos Museum, the Collection of Arms and Armour, the Collection of Ancient Musical Instruments, and the Museum of Ethnology.

Heldenplatz takes its name from the statues of Prince Eugene of Savoy and Archduke Charles (Erzherzog Karl) at either end of the square. These two are regarded as heroes of Austria. Prince Eugen had fought off the forces of the Ottoman Turks in 1683, and Archduke Charles gave Napoleon I his first taste of defeat in 1809.

Manywhere Trivia:
Heldenplatz was only part of the grand scheme of the “Imperial Forum (Kaiserforum)”, which originally had a building symmetrical to the New Castle and connected the Maria Theresa Square (Maria-Theresien-Platz) across the street with an Arc de Triomphe. The plan ended with the collapse of the Habsburg dynasty.

The Outer Castle Gate on the south side of the square was built to commemorate the victory of the Anti-French Alliance, and was originally a main entrance of the Hofburg.

Vienna residents often regard the Heldenplatz as a place to relax, sitting on The Green Lawn and enjoying family time here.