Altes Rathaus, Vienna, Historical administrative building in Innere Stadt, Vienna, Austria
The Altes Rathaus is a Baroque building in Vienna's first district, the Innere Stadt, located on Wipplingerstrasse. It has a Baroque entrance gate, an open inner courtyard, and currently houses municipal offices as well as the Documentation Centre of Austrian Resistance.
Frederick the Fair transferred the building to Vienna's city council in 1316, and it served as the seat of city government from that point on. It remained the center of municipal administration for several centuries, until the new city hall on the Ringstrasse opened in the 19th century.
The courtyard of the building features the Andromeda Fountain, sculpted by Georg Raphael Donner in the early 18th century. The fountain depicts the mythological figure of Andromeda and is one of the finer examples of Baroque sculpture still visible in the city today.
The building sits in the heart of Vienna's old town and can easily be reached on foot from many of the area's other points of interest. The courtyard is generally accessible during standard business hours, while access to specific offices or the archive may vary depending on the institution.
The building is physically connected to the Gothic Sankt Salvator church, which has belonged to the Old Catholic Church of Austria since 1871. This direct link between a civic building and a house of worship is a visible reminder of how closely governance and religious life were once tied in the city.
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