Vienna Walking Tour of Jewish Vienna

Vienna Walking Tour of Jewish Vienna

Few European cities have the rich Jewish history that Vienna does, and you can discover some of it on this 2-hour walking tour of the city’s Jewish attractions, including World War II-related sites. With a knowledgeable guide, walk to two of the city’s central squares – Morzinplatz and Judenplatz – to see memorials dedicated to Jewish victims of Nazi rule and learn about the city’s Jewish past. You’ll also walk through the Jewish Textile Quarter and have the chance to enter the Judenplatz Jewish Museum.

Meet your guide near Stephansplatz on Rotenturmstrasse and head out on your walking tour of Vienna’s Jewish sites.

First up is Morzinplatz (Morzin Square), where you’ll see a monument that honors the Jewish residents of Vienna who were imprisoned by the Gestapo (the Nazi Secret Police) during WWII. Learn from your guide about the actions of the Gestapo in Vienna, including how the police imprisoned and tortured Jews in the basement of their Vienna headquarters at the former Hotel Metropole.

Next, walk through the Jewish Textile Quarter near Rudolfsplatz on your way to the Judenplatz Holocaust Memorial, which stands in Judenplatz (Jewish Square). Also known as the Nameless Library and designed by British artist Rachel Whiteread, the steel-and-concrete memorial is dedicated to the 65,000 Austrian Jews who died in the Holocaust. Hear from your guide about the political controversy that surrounded the memorial and delayed its opening.

Your tour ends in Judenplatz, where you can visit the Jewish Museum (also in Judenplatz) if you wish. Entry is approx. 10 euros, and the museum is home to an excavation of a medieval synagogue, as well as work by painter and Holocaust victim Adolf Frankl.