Vienna, Ninth District: Alsergrund, Part II
Another major attraction of the Alsergrund, but not a very interesting one in my opinion, is the Freud Museum: Situated in the former surgery of Sigmund Freud in Berggasse 19, it tries hard to hide that almost nothing that belonged to Freud is left in Austria: He sold his library and packed up all his other property to take it with him to London upon the occasion of his emigration in 1938.
Much more interesting is the
Josephinum, once the Imperial Academy of Surgery - today essentially a
museum for the history of medicine. A pretty cool one, though - with old Baroque and neo-Classicist interiors, dating back to the foundation year
1783, wax models of body parts and specimens in glasses. To the opposite
of the Josephinum, you will find the neo-Classical
Palais Clam-Gallas.
Speaking of historical medical buildings: The "Altes AKH" is the old General Hospital of Vienna - built in a way resembling a monastery, with large, green courtyards and cloister-like corridors. It serves the medical university as both campus and source of income: Several venues within the Altes AKH are rented by bars and shops. Especially on warm summer nights, the Altes AKH is a very lively place and popular with young and studenty crowds. I enjoy it particularly for a Salzburg-stlye beer hall.
Studenty Sights in the Alsergrund
The "new" AKH General Hospital, on contrast, is an absolutely disgusting glass-and-concrete chunk with twin-towers and the most Kafkaesque building I have ever been to - I used to film there quite regularly when I worked as a broadcasting journalist and hope to never end up there as a patient.
In the area of the Gürtel Road, which is less red-lighty here than in other parts, you find the Volksoper. It is one of three opera houses in Vienna and the second-biggest after the Staatsoper. Further up the Gürtel, you get to the "Müllverbrennung Spittelau", a caloric power plant that was designed by hippie-artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser.
More Things to See in the Ninth District
Around the corner, you find a funny blend of students: It is here that the campuses of the business university (Wirtschaftsuniversität) and faculty of biology meet - trendy wannabe-yuppies in one corner and the biology-nerdy type like myself in the other. In any case, the students cause not only high prices for rental flats, but a large number of nice cafes and bars all over the Alsergrund.
But wait, there′s more: The death place of Beethoven and the birth place of Schubert; the district′s museum for local information; churches like the
Peregrini Kapelle of the Servitenkirche, the
Pfarrkirche Lichtental, the
Schwarzspanierkirche,
Maria de Mercede of the Spanish Hospital or the Canisiuskirche; the
Austrian National Bank - and of course the
Strudelhofstiege, the "Dingobjekt" or central object of a important Austrian novel by
Heimito von Doderer.
For an excellent view on the Alsergrund, go even further north to Grinzing and the Kahlenberg - from here you can see not only the wooded hills of the Wienerwald, but also the city centre and the Vorstädte districts, especially the ninth district.
Return to "Vienna Ninth District,
Alsergrund - Part I"
back to "vienna
travel guide"
Sightseeing Guides to Vienna's Districts
District Overview - 1st District (Innere Stadt) - 2nd District (Leopoldstadt) - 3rd District (Landstraße) - 4th District (Wieden) - 5th District (Margarethen)- 6th District (Mariahilf) - 7th District (Neubau) - 8th District (Josefstadt) - 9th District (Alsergrund) - 10th District (Favoriten) - 11th District (Simmering) - 12th District (Meidling) - 13th District (Hietzing) - 14th District (Penzing) - 15th District (Fünfhaus) - 16th District (Ottakring) - 17th District (Hernals) - 18th District (Währing) - 19th District (Döbling) - 20th District (Brigittenau) - 21st District (Floridsdorf) - 22nd District (Donaustadt) - 23rd District (Liesing)
Further Reading
The Districts of Vienna: An Introduction
Wikipedia on Vienna's Nineth District - Alsergrund
City of Vienna: Districts of Vienna - Alsergrund
