City Hall
Vienna City Hall (Rathaus) dominates the Ringstrasse with its soaring neo-Gothic silhouette, a masterpiece by Friedrich von Schmidt completed in 1883. Its 102-metre central spire, crowned by the iconic Rathausmann knight, echoes the grandeur of medieval cathedrals, while the facade’s lace-like stonework nods to Flemish civic architecture. Inside, the scale impresses: the barrel-vaulted Festsaal hosts glamorous balls, and the Arkadenhof ranks among Europe’s largest arcaded courtyards.
Free guided tours (German-only, but multilingual audio guides available) reveal opulent chambers like the Stadtsenatssitzungssaal, swathed in green damask, and the Council Chamber’s 3.2-tonne floral chandelier.
Mumok — Museum of Modern Art Ludwig Foundation Vienna
The huge basalt stone building of Mumok houses art from the 20th century to the present day, with changing exhibits of everything from classic modern art to the essential artistic genres of the 1960s and 1970s, right up to contemporary artworks from the worlds of film, photography and video.
Since 2011, a cinema designed by the artist Heimo Zobernig has also been housed here, focusing on the relationship between visual arts and film.
