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Maria-Theresien-Platz

Only Female Ruler of the Habsburgs

Maria Theresien Platz is located one block south of the Hofburg in Vienna, just across the street from Heldenplatz. In the center of the square is the 19-meter-high statue of Maria Theresa, flanked by two identical buildings, the Natural History Museum and the Art History Museum.

Maria Theresa Square (Maria-Theresien-Platz) is located south of the Hofburg in Vienna, just one street away from Heldenplatz (Heroes' Square), and on the other side is the famous MuseumsQuartier (MQ) Vienna. The square was built in the mid to late 19th century and was an important part of the Imperial Forum plan in Vienna.

The square takes its name from the only female ruler of the Habsburg dynasty, Empress Maria Theresa, who had a reign of forty years and was highly skilled in ruling the country.

The Empress Maria Theresa Monument in the center of the square is 19 meters high, holding the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713 issued by her father King Charles VI, which gave her the rightful status as female heiress. Beneath the 6-meter-high statue of Maria Teresa, there are figures of ministers representing the military, the arts and sciences, the administration and advisers, as well as four generals on horseback.

Manywhere Trivia:
In 1752 Maria Theresa bought Belvedere Vienna and used it to display paintings from the Austrian Royal Collection.

The area of Maria Theresa Square is decorated by lawns and bushes, with four Fountains of Tritons and Naiads.

Two neo-renaissance buildings of identical appearance were built in the north and south of the square, which were Naturhistorisches Museum (Natural History Museum) and Kunsthistorisches Museum (Art History Museum).