Maria am Gestade, Gothic Church in Vienna

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The church Maria am Gestade is a somewhat neglected building in the medieval centre of Vienna. It is a Gothic church that used to be by the shores of the Danube for centuries, until the river changed its course, and even the Donaukanal (the canal that segregates the 20th and 2nd district from the "continental" part of Vienna) does not run directly by Maria am Gestade. The most characteristic feature of Maria am Gestade can be seen on the picture above: The tower has a crown symbolising the one of the virgin Mary.

Much of the interiors were restored after the Napoleonic troops had used the church as a stable in the early 19th century. The neighbourhood of the church is a somewhat strange one: There are trendy bars and residential buildings, lots of administrative and office buildings and over all, people appear to be posh on a rather shallow level - a bit like yuppies from my hometown Salzburg.

This clientele also feeds the nearby Bermudadreieck ("Bermuda Triangle"), Vienna′s yuppiest area for going out. It got its nickname in the 1980ies because it is said that getting lost there is easy - especially when you are drunk. Personally, I don′t like the area very much and rarely ever go there. Vienna got plenty of nice bars and pubs, the pseudo-up-market ones of the Bermudadreieck lack personality and authenticity and I can′t stand the kind of people who go there.