Eastern Eurotrip in 10 Days Itinerary (Day 2): Mariahilfer Strabe, Vienna
My 2nd day in Vienna started with a trip to the city's longest shopping street, Mariahilfer Strabe. Whoever visit Vienna will not miss the chance to visit this most famous shopping street. However, it seems that I was a bit too early because most shops had not really opened yet around 9.30AM on Saturday morning. If you come to Vienna not by joining a tour, there is a subway which runs around half of Mariahilfer Strabe so I suppose this shopping street is really conveniently located in the city of Vienna.
On the way to the main shopping street, I passed by the symbol of vienna, St Stephen's Cathedral. The cathedral looks pretty Gothic from its outward appearance. It is probably due to the heavy Baroque influence during its construction and renovation period. The cathedral is 107.2 meters long and 34.2 meteres wide and it has four towers. You have to climb 343 steps of staircases to reach the tower room. There is a total of 13 bells hang inside the cathedral. The most popular bell of St Stephen's Cathedral, the Pummerin, is located in the north tower. As most of famous cathedrals scattered all around European cities, St Stephen's Cathedral is also functioning as final resting place for important people such as Emperor Friedrich III. Easter concerts and Advent concerts are held annually in the cathedral. Guided tour of the cathedral and the catacombs is available on a regular basis.
The main street lies right after Stephenplatz where St Stephen's Cathedral is located. There are several people walking around on an early Saturday morning despite it's being too early for some stores to open. Most stores open after 10AM but I suppose cafes open earlier, probably around 9AM-ish. Almost all major department stores can be found on this street selling clothes, leather goods, furniture, accessories, books, and Austrian souvenirs. If you prefer for vintage goods, you may want to check out the alleys instead of the main shopping streets for the boutiques.
I would have stuck to the main street of Mariahilfer if it's not because of my cousin who wanted to hunt down some branded stuff and hence, dragged me along for her hunt of Louis Vuitton's stores. Turns out, LV store is located at the quieter corners of the shopping area, near to Mariahilfekirche Church. I read online that the road is often besieged by high number of bums because of the nearby location of homeless shelter "Gruft" located at the base of the church. I did not see any or probably missed out because of the number of crowd flooding the area when the clock hits 11AM. The green-roofed Baroque church was built between 1686 and 1689 for the Barnabite monks (a religious order, I suppose). Nowadays, there are no more Barnabite followers in Austria although there are still a small number of convents exist in Italy.
I could not believe that my cousin is not satisfied by visiting LV alone, she is now dragging me along in her hunt to find another branded store, Hermes. Well, thanks to her "hunt", we kinda stumbled into the Graben, a shopping street where the plague column is located. The origin of this popular street dated back to the old Romans century. Most of the buildings here originated from the 17th and 18th century and you can find shops with long tradition. Those shops which have already been popular in the times when Austria was ruled by emperors such as the porcelain factory Augarten, the court jeweler Heldwein and the court perfumery Nagele & Strubell.
If you are wondering why there is a statue which is named the Plague Column (Pestsaulen) in the middle of the shopping street in Vienna, well you are not alone. Back in the year 1679, Vienna was visited by a nasty visitor named Yersinia pestis, a bactery which caused a plague which killed many people. Initially, I thought that the idea of building the column is inspired from Moses' action in the bible. You know, the one where the Israeliets sinned and then they died one by one bitten by poisonous snakes. Those who look upon the bronze serpent on pole erected by Moses were saved from the punishment. But the story here is kinda different from the biblical one. The emperor who reigned when the plague swept through Vienna, Leopold, vowed that if the terrible plague were to leave the city, he would build a monument as a symbol of gratitude. And that's how this column came about.
Thankfully the plague did not last until the modern day of Vienna. Because otherwise, we would not be able to enjoy the beautiful autumn scene of the city if the plague persist until today.
Mariahilfer Strabe's stores opening hours:
Monday to Friday: 9AM to 6.30PM
Saturday: 9AM to 5PM/6PM (Malls open until 8PM)
St Stephen Cathedral's Guided Tour Schedules:
Monday to Saturday:
Between 9AM and 11.30AM and
Between 1PM and 4.30PM
Sundays and Public Holidays:
Between 1PM and 4.30PM