Narrenturm, Psychiatric hospital building in Vienna, Austria
Narrenturm is a round building with five floors in Vienna's Alsergrund district. Each level has 28 rooms arranged around a central courtyard.
Joseph II had the building constructed in 1784 as the first specialized facility for the mentally ill in Europe. It represented a new approach to treating these patients at the time.
The collection inside shows medical preparations from several centuries. Visitors can trace how medicine developed over time.
The museum is located on Spitalgasse 2 in Vienna's ninth district. Guided tours help visitors understand the collection better.
The round shape of the tower reminds Viennese people of a Guglhupf, a traditional ring cake. This resemblance gave the building its nickname.
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