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Armin Pfarr

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Framing Vienna: Hidden Secrets of the Hofburg 🏛️✨
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Happy Tuesday, dear travel friends! Let’s start the week with some imperial inspiration ☕️❤️🙋🏻‍♀️
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Swipe through 15 frames and walk with me from Michaelerplatz right through the Hofburg to Heldenplatz! 📸👇
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The Michaelertrakt with its 54-metre dome (Pics 1,5,14) was designed by Joseph Emanuel Fischer von Erlach back in 1726. But the old court theatre stood in the way, so the plan sat in a drawer for over 150 years. Only after the theatre was torn down in 1888 could Ferdinand Kirschner finish the wing in 1893. Fun fact: that theatre saw the premieres of Mozart’s “The Abduction from the Seraglio” and “The Marriage of Figaro”!
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Under the dome, the rotunda leads to the Sisi Museum (Pics 2,3). Legend says a kiss under the dome brings couples luck. 💋 And now and then a Fiaker trots through (Pic 4).🐴
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The Hercules groups at the gate (Pics 6,7) date from 1893, each by a different sculptor. The ones in the inner courtyard (Pics 8–11) are much older: Lorenzo Mattielli carved them for the Imperial Chancellery Wing around 1730. From the courtyard you can see the Michaelertrakt dome peeking over its roof (Pic 8). Watch Hercules crush Antaeus (Pic 10) and defeat Busiris (Pic 11)!
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In the courtyard “In der Burg” stands Emperor Franz (Pics 12,13) in a Roman toga. He ruled two empires: as Franz II of the Holy Roman Empire and as Franz I of Austria. The inscription “Amorem meum populis meis” (“My love to my peoples”) comes from his will. In picture 12 he stands beneath construction cranes – old empire meets a city at work. 😉
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Grand finale on Heldenplatz (Pic 15): Prince Eugene’s horse rears up but needs its tail as a third support. The horse of Archduke Charles, on the other side of the square (not pictured), balances on its hind legs alone. Both are by Anton Dominik Fernkorn.
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👇 Which frame is your favourite? Have you ever walked through to the inner courtyard?
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Save this for your next Vienna trip and share it with a friend!
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#1000placestoseeinvienna #hofburg #michaelerplatz #wienstagram #exploringvienna
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An Architectural Walk Through Historic Vienna 🏛️✨
From a medieval merchants’ depot to the imperial court confectioner …
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Hello, dear travel friends! 🍾🤩❤️🙋🏻‍♀️
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Today I’m taking you on a little walk through Vienna’s old town, from a fairytale house with two towers to the sweetest address in the city.
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We start at Lugeck (pics 1 & 2). This house looks medieval, but it was built in 1897. The real old house stood here for almost 500 years: the Regensburger Hof, where merchants from Regensburg stored their goods. When it was torn down in 1896, the Viennese protested. So the new house got its towers back, just like the old one. The statue in front is Gutenberg, the inventor of printing.
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Next stop: Neuer Markt (pics 3 to 5), one of Vienna’s oldest squares, first mentioned in 1234. In the middle stands the Donner Fountain from 1739. Legend says its naked figures were too much for Empress Maria Theresa and she had them removed. Don’t worry, they came back! Today you see copies, the originals are in the Wien Museum.
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My favourite story: the sculptor is said to have given one of the river nymphs the face of his great love, the young wife of an old gingerbread baker. Her house stood exactly where the yellow building in pic 3 is today 💛
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And then something sweet: Demel on Kohlmarkt (pics 6 to 9), a confectioner since 1786 and supplier to the imperial court. The gorgeous interior dates from 1888. The waitresses, called “Demelinerinnen”, still speak to you in a very old fashioned, polite way: “Haben schon gewählt?” Empress Sisi loved Demel’s candied violets. No wonder the Sisi turning in the window (video) wears a dress full of violet blossoms 💜
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👇 Architecture or cake: what’s your favourite?
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#wienarchitektur #wienmalanders #architecturehistory #viennalife #stadtwien
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Framing Vienna: Arcades with a View 🏛️✨
Through the State Opera’s arches to the Sacher, pink legs and an empress
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Strolling through history! Happy weekend, dear travel friends! 🍾🤩❤️🙋🏻‍♀️
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Look at the end of the opera arcades in pics 1, 2 and 5: that red awning is Hotel Sacher. Right there once stood the Kärntnertortheater, where Beethoven’s Ninth premiered in 1824. So where Sacher-Torte is served today, the „Ode to Joy“ was heard for the very first time! 🎶
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The Sacher opened in 1876 and turns 150 this year. To celebrate, Austrian artist Erwin Wurm placed two giant pink bags on long legs at the entrance, „Step Big“ and „Dancer“ (pics 3+4). Wurm calls them walking, jumping, dancing bags about how we style and present ourselves, what we want to be and how we want to be seen. And nobody can quite say whether the legs are walking the bags or the bags are walking their legs! 😄
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Back under the vaults you pass the stage door (pics 6+7), where the opera stars come and go. The house opened in 1869 with Mozart’s Don Giovanni, but the Viennese mocked it as a „sunken chest“, because the Ring was raised by about one metre after construction began. Sadly, neither architect, Eduard van der Nüll nor August Sicard von Sicardsburg, lived to see the opening. Legend has it the shaken Emperor Franz Joseph from then on only ever said: „It was very nice, it pleased me very much.“
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Pics 10 to 12 are my close, closer, closest: one of the two opera fountains by Hanns Gasser, who also died in 1868, before the opening. One is crowned by Music, the other by the siren Lorelei.
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And speaking of powerful women: the last pic shows an advertising column promoting Maria Theresia, the musical at the nearby Ronacher about one of Austria’s most legendary rulers, just extended into the 2026/27 season 👑
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👇 Which pic is your favourite? Tell me in the comments! Have you ever tried the original Sacher-Torte?
Save this post for your next Vienna trip and share it with a friend who loves Austria!
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#vienna_austria #wienerstaatsoper #hotelsacher #erwinwurm #wienliebe
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Vienna Central Cemetery Architecture: Art Nouveau Masterpiece & Viennese Soul 🏛️✨ Why Austria’s largest cemetery is a vibrant cultural oasis … Please swipe ▶ * A place of quiet stillness? Not in Vienna! The Viennese have a legendary, almost affectionate relationship with this place. To them, the Central Cemetery is a gigantic, multicultural park. They host open-air concerts here and go for weekend strolls. And us? We explored this monumental area in style, by horse-drawn carriage (Fiaker). It was absolutely mind-blowing! * Spanning nearly 2.5 square kilometers with a vast 80-kilometer (50 miles) road and pathway network, the sheer scale of this place is hard to grasp. It’s larger than many small towns! But what truly left me speechless as an architecture enthusiast is the crown jewel of the grounds: the St. Charles Borromeo Cemetery Church. * Just look at that massive, 58-meter-high dome! Built between 1908 and 1911 by architect Max Hegele, it is one of the most significant sacred buildings of Viennese Art Nouveau (Jugendstil). Standing in front of this white colossus triggers a mix of deep awe and pure architectural admiration. The exterior symmetry is breathtaking, but wait until you see the interior video pans: the interplay of light beneath the blue-and-gold dome is pure magic (make sure to swipe all the way through!). * Beyond the brilliant architecture, the peaceful tolerance of this place deeply touched me. Whether Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Orthodox or Islamic, all religions are at home here side by side. A beautiful example of harmony for the living. * Today the spotlight belongs entirely to this monumental masterpiece of space and design. Vienna, you’ve stolen my architectural heart once again! *
For more than 150 years the Central Cemetery has been part of Vienna, and Austrian legend Wolfgang Ambros even gifted it its very own anthem for its 100th birthday. Today it’s the soundtrack to my post!
* Have you ever visited the Central Cemetery? Would you go for a stroll or a Fiaker ride there? Let me know in the comments! 👇
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#viennacentralcemetery #artnouveauarchitecture #viennaarchitecture #travelarchitecture #viennalove
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Vienna’s Ruprechtsviertel: Oldest Church, Art Nouveau and the Bermuda Triangle 🏛️🇦🇹 Almost 1,000 years of Vienna in one walk through the heart of the old town … Please swipe ▶ * Right in the heart of the old town, around Fleischmarkt and St. Rupert’s Church, Vienna shows its many faces within a few hundred metres: winding alleys, historic stairs and exciting contrasts. * Our start: a small raised square above Fleischmarkt, a street first mentioned in 1220 and named after its butchers (pics 1-3+9). Under the magnolia you look straight at a turn of the century facade full of Art Nouveau stucco, with two little towers on top. Right behind me: the Mercure Hotel. * Then into Sterngasse (pic 4). This house follows the old street plan and ends in a sharp point like a ship’s bow. A few steps on, the lane drops down a flight of stairs (pic 5).
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Around the corner stands St. Rupert’s Church (pics 6-8), considered the oldest church in Vienna. According to the sign on its wall, nave and lower tower date from the 11th century. * Pic 10: Me and my favourite lamp post in Vienna 😉📸 * Total contrast: Hotel Topazz on Lichtensteg (pic 11), built in 2012 on a plot of just 153 square metres. Behind every oval window is a cushioned niche where guests lie and watch the street life. * From here the lane curves down into Rabensteig (pics 12-13), the heart of the so called Bermuda Triangle. Legend says one drink here tends to last until morning. At the end, the Hard Rock Cafe (pic 14) is already waiting. * Finally Judengasse (pics 15-16). Its name recalls the Jewish families who once lived here, while Vienna’s medieval Jewish quarter lay around Judenplatz. And at the very end, a backyard (pic 17): air ducts, green plants, bikes. The real Vienna behind the grand facades. * Grand facades or charming backyards, which Vienna do you prefer? Tell me 👇
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#streetsofvienna #1000thingsinvienna #wienstagram #altstadtwien #wienliebe
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Vienna’s legendary Bermuda Triangle: Architecture with a dual identity 🍻🏛️
Rabensteig, Greek Quarter and Fleischmarkt: a walk through Vienna’s 1st district …
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Strolling through the cobblestone alleys around Rabensteig feels like Viennese history in fast forward. This charming quarter stands on the ground of the ancient Roman legionary camp Vindobona.
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For centuries it was a lively trade and craft district, with merchants running shops on the ground floors of Baroque and Classical tenement houses. The buildings barely changed, but their purpose did: in the early 1980s the first bars opened, and the area became famous as the „Bermuda Triangle“. The long-standing „Philosoph“ and fresh favourites like „Vulcania“ (since 2015) fill the streets with outdoor seating in front of historic facades.
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Further down, in the narrow passages of the Greek Quarter, the scenery shifts. Characterful walls full of graffiti, old cobblestones and green lanterns feel like a forgotten century. Hidden here is a modern sensation: from a tiny window, „Fenster Café“ serves specialty coffee ranked among the best in the world. Their signature: a cappuccino in a chocolate-lined waffle cone, handed out through the window between green wooden shutters.
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Around the last corner, the alleys open up to the historic „Griechenbeisl“ at Fleischmarkt 11. With its organically grown facades, the golden double-headed eagle and the figure of „Lieber Augustin“, it forms the perfect finale to a journey through the centuries, framed by the steep cobbled slope of Fleischmarkt and a hidden little square.
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📍 Save this post for your next walk through Vienna!
Which alley fascinates you most? Let me know in the comments 💬
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#wienarchitektur #wienerinnenstadt #bermudadreieck #architecturedetails #viennatravel
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Vienna’s Graben: 300 Years of Architecture and Kaiserschmarrn to Go 🏛️🥞
From St. Peter’s to Stephansplatz, a story behind every facade …
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St. Peter’s Church (pic 1): It’s a little hidden in a narrow side street off the Graben. Look up and you’ll see the beautiful green copper dome. Built from 1701 onwards, it took the famous Baroque churches of Rome as its role model.
• The Plague Column (pic 2): It stands right in the middle of the Graben and was consecrated in 1693 to give thanks for the end of the terrible plague. The exciting part: among its designers was a theatre engineer! He stacked the stone clouds and angels so dramatically that the monument looks like a real opera stage.
• The Ankerhaus (pics 2+5): Look behind the column. The glass dome on the roof belongs to Otto Wagner’s Ankerhaus from 1895, where the artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser later had his studio.
• The E. Braun & Co. corner house (pics 3-5): A few steps further, the white corner building with the Generali clock tower catches your eye. Above the shop windows you can still read the name of the old imperial court outfitter. Today H&M sells fashion here, but the historic wooden interior has survived.
• The green dome with the eagle (pic 6): This palace was built for an American insurance company. Look up, the eagles on the facade are American eagles.
• St. Stephen’s Cathedral & Haas Haus (pic 7): The Gothic cathedral is Vienna’s landmark. But look right across: there stands the modern Haas Haus from 1990 with its curved glass wall, where the old cathedral is reflected. A great mix of old and new!
• Kaiserschmarrn to go (pic 8): Vienna knows how to give tradition a modern twist, just look at the ground floor of the Haas Haus. Here the famous imperial court confectioner Demel sells its Kaiserschmarrn, fluffy shredded pancakes, simply to take away. A fun idea, and in summer the queue gets really long!
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Which stop would you pick first: the Baroque column, Otto Wagner or the Kaiserschmarrn? Tell me below 👇
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#grabenwien #ottowagner #haashaus #viennaarchitecture #viennagoforit
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THE HIDDEN VIEW OF SCHÖNBRUNN, VIENNA 🏰
Why this historic church and the nearby Palm House are the garden’s true highlights …
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Everyone knows the postcard view of Schönbrunn Palace. But walk through the baroque gardens and you’ll find vistas hardly anyone notices, like this one, framed by manicured hedges, leading straight to the neo-Gothic spire of Maria Hietzing parish church (Pics 1-3).
This church, and the Great Palm House just steps away, hold stories better than any guidebook.
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FIVE FACTS WORTH KNOWING

1. The legend of the four men: During the 1529 Ottoman siege of Vienna, four villagers were chained to a tree near the church. Hidden in its branches was a wooden statue of Mary. Legend says it glowed at night and a voice cried „Hüet’s eng“ (watch out), and their chains fell away. The scene is carved into the high altar and still appears on Hietzing’s district coat of arms.

2. Maria Theresia’s private view: Her favourite church. She visited daily from Schönbrunn and had a private gallery, the Oratorium, built in 1733 to follow mass unseen.

3. Gardening in hard hats: After the Reichsbrücke collapsed in 1976, every steel structure in Vienna was inspected, including the Palm House. Verdict: unsafe. Closed that November, but gardeners kept tending the tropical plants for a decade, wearing hard hats the whole time. Built in 1882, it was the largest glasshouse in the world at the time: 111 metres long, over 40,000 glass panes.

4. The botanist behind the banner (Pic 8): 500 years since the birth of Carolus Clusius, imperial botanist in Vienna from 1573 to 1588, who laid out the city’s first alpine garden and brought tulips, chestnuts and potatoes to Central Europe.

5. Don’t miss the spiral staircase inside the Palm House (Pics 9-10) and the giant water lilies drifting in the pond (Pics 13-14).
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Which view do you prefer? The garden’s symmetry with the church, or the Palm House’s glass domes, or the amazing lilies? Tell me below 💬
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#vienna_austria #schönbrunn #hietzing #wienistanders #palmenhausschönbrunn
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Vienna’s Newest Architectural Secret Sits Above the Naschmarkt! 🌿✨
A free rooftop, a wild meadow, and a view of Art Nouveau most travelers never think to look up for!
👉 Swipe, slide 1 shows you why
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Most international visitors still walk right past this one. Vienna’s new Marktraum am Naschmarkt, a glass-and-wood hall by Mostlikely Architecture, opened in November 2025 with a proper ribbon-cutting, cathedral priest’s blessing included.
Below: 13 regional vendors. One floor up: a completely free, barrier-accessible green rooftop, no purchase required, floating peacefully above the market’s hustle and bustle.
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The terrace is planted like a wild meadow, grasses, poppies, yarrow, wrapping around with a full panoramic view over the market. Come on a Saturday and you also get the flea market sprawled out beneath you.
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Here’s the real reason for this post, and the view almost nobody actually shoots from up here: you look straight across at Otto Wagner’s Wienzeilenhäuser, two of Vienna’s most iconic Art Nouveau buildings, built in 1898/99. The Majolikahaus is wrapped entirely in glazed ceramic tiles in a swirling floral pattern. Right next door, the Medaillonhaus (also called the Musenhaus) wears golden medallions by Koloman Moser, crowned by four female busts nicknamed the “Ruferinnen,” the calling women, sculpted by Othmar Schimkowitz. Wagner himself lived just around the corner for a few years.
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Small architecture beef: Adolf Loos, the man who wrote the essay “Ornament and Crime,” despised exactly this kind of decoration, calling it a sign of degeneration. Over a century later, it’s one of Vienna’s most photographed corners.
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The Naschmarkt itself has existed in some form since the late 1700s, first known as the “Aschenmarkt,” before the current buildings and Wagner’s covered river channel reshaped the area around 1900.
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If you’re in Vienna, this rooftop costs you nothing but ten minutes. Save this post so you don’t lose it, tell me in the comments which Wagner house you like more, the tiles or the gold, and share it with someone planning a Vienna trip.
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#naschmarkt #ottowagner #jugendstil #viennarooftops #hiddenvienna
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Vienna’s Albertina Steps Keep Stealing the Show: 250 Years in the Making 🇦🇹✨
Dürer’s hare takes over the steps in 2026, swipe through 3 years in Vienna
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The Albertina in Vienna has one of the most photographed staircases in the city, and it never looks the same twice. Every time we return, one of our first walks leads straight here.
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2026 (Pics 1-3): The ALBERTINA turns 250 this year! For the anniversary, Albrecht Dürer’s Young Hare (1502) has taken over the entire staircase. The foundation for this graphic collection was laid in Venice in July 1776, when Duke Albert of Saxe Teschen and his wife, Archduchess Marie Christine, bought around 10000 prints. Today the collection holds more than 1.2 million works. Our third photo takes us just around the corner, where a poster for Canaletto & Bellotto adds another layer to this art-filled corner of Vienna.
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2025 (Pics 4-5) and 2023 (Pics 6-8): the same steps, dressed in green for Monet to Picasso, the museum’s famous permanent exhibition from the Batliner Collection. We skipped Vienna in 2024, so seeing the staircase transformed for this anniversary felt like a proper welcome back.
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At almost 67, and after 40 years shaped by architecture, design and software engineering, we still enjoy looking closely: at façades, details, changing light and the stories behind a place. And although he usually prefers to remain behind the lens, I am never without Armin … my husband, soulmate and fellow explorer, who captured every one of these moments.
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Which version do you like more, Dürer’s hare or Monet to Picasso? Tell me below. 👇
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#albertina #wienreise #viennaarchitecture #dürerhase #viennatravel
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