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Heldenplatz. Photo by Regiomontanus.

Top 10 Facts about Heldenplatz

Located in front of the Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Austria is a public square which is known as Heldenplatz or the Heroes鈥� Square.

 Heldenplatz is located in the Innere Stadt borough, the Federal Chancellery is located on adjacent Ballhausplatz while the adjoining Hofburg wing serves as the residence of the President of Austria.

On 15 March 1938 Hitler ceremonially announced Austrian Anschluss to Nazi Germany at Heldenplatz in front of a mammoth crowd.

The top 10 facts about Heldenplatz include the following.

1. Heldenplatz Is A Square of Historical and Political Importance

Hofburg Vienna. Photo by Ank Kumar.

The Heldenplatz or the Heroes Square is a square of historical and political importance in Austria. Current events of national significance are also hosted at the square.

The square is connected to Ballhausplatz and belongs to the Hofburg area. The Outer Castle Gate which commemorates the soldiers of the Napoleon Wars, and the Monument of the Executive are also located in the square.

The Monument of the Executive honours the executive authorities such as the police and gendarmes of Austria who have died in the line of duty and was revealed in 2002.

Read more about Hofburg here

2. The Heroes鈥� Square Was Built Under the Reign of Emperor Francis Joseph I

Emperor Franz Joseph I . Photo by Possibly Wenzl Weis.

The present-day Heldenplatz was built in the course of the lavish Ringstra脽e boulevard project under the reign of Emperor Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I.

The present-day Heldenplatz was built on the former outer plaza of the Hofburg Imperial palace.

As from 2 December 1848 until his death on 21 November 1916, Emperor Franz Joseph I was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the other states of the Habsburg monarchy.

3. Renowned Architects Were Involved in The Initial Design of The Square

Gottfried Semper. Photo by Unknown.

The Kaiserforum (imperial forum) which was the precursor of the square was designed by renowned architects of the time.

Renowned architects like Carl von Hasenauer, Theophil Hansen and Heinrich Ferstel competed presenting their drafts as from 1864 onwards. 

The famous architect Gottfried Semper presented his draft in 1864 which superseded earlier drafts presented to the Emperor.

His designs were approved and hence superseded designs from previous architects.

4. The Kaiserforum (Imperial Forum) Was Never Completed as Planned

Maria-Theresien-Platz. Photo by Dozor.

The design plan of the Kaiserforum (imperial forum) by architect Gottfried Semper was a wide-scale ‘general plan’.

According to the initial design, the square was to extend from the Leopold Wing of Hofburg Palace in the northeast beyond the Ringstra脽e to Maria-Theresien-Platz.

The square was also to extend between the mirror-imaged buildings of the Kunsthistorisches Museum and the Naturhistorisches Museum up to Museumsquartier.

Construction started in 1871 but the northwestern part in the Volksgarten park remained unfinished when the masons’ work ceased in 1913.

5. The Heroes鈥� Square Offers A Panoramic View of Important Buildings

Visitors to Heldenplatz enjoy a panoramic view of some of the most important buildings within the city.

 Visitors get a sweeping view of the Ringstra脽e with the Austrian Parliament Building, the Rathaus (town hall), and the Burgtheater among others.

The Ringstrassen boulevard lines the long southwest edge while various tracts of the Hofburg palace form the opposite northeast edge of Heldenplatz.

At the short northwest edge, the Volksgarten park runs along it while marking the opposite southeast boundary is the Neue Burg palace wing (full of museums) and the Burggarten park.

6. Statues of Famous Personalities Dot Heldenplatz Landscape

 The statue of Archduke Charles of Austria, inaugurated in 1860 and modelled on a popular painting by Johann Peter Krafft is a notable feature in the square.

The statue was meant to underline the leadership of Austria within the German Confederation.

Even though Austria suffered a crushing defeat at the bloody Battle of Solferino at the time, the statue was also meant to glorify the Habsburg dynasty as great Austrian military leaders.

Another notable statue which was inaugurated in 1865, one year before the Austrian defeat in the Battle of K枚niggr盲tz was the statue of Prince Eugene of Savoy.

The two equestrian statues were designed by Anton Dominik Fernkorn with socles by Eduard van der N眉ll.

7. The Name Heldenplatz Was Derived from Two Equestrian Statues

One of the primary battle lines during the Turkish siege of 1683 ran along the bastions and city wall in front of the Hofburg; the former principal imperial palace of the Habsburg Dynasty.

One part of the city鈥檚 wall was blasted by Napoleon鈥檚 soldiers and city authorities decided to leave the place open to create a public square.

The square that arose was initially called Promenadenplatz but eventually it was given the name 脛u脽erer Burgplatz.

The final name, 鈥淗eldenplatz鈥�, was finally derived in 1878 from the two later equestrian statues which are a presently a permanent feature of the square to this day.

The statues are of two great generals during the Habsburg dynasty namely Archduke Charles of Austria and Prince Eugene of Savoy.

8. Adolf Hitler Announced the Annexation of Austria In Heldenplatz

The Heroes square offered a splendid stage for Hitler鈥檚 first great speech in Vienna on March 15, 1938.

From the balustraded balcony of the newest part of the Hofburg, the neue Burg, facing the Heldenplatz, Hitler spoke to 250,000 wildly cheering Viennese.

From the balcony of the New Castle, Adolf Hitler announced the annexation of Austria to the German Reich.

9. Hitler Cogitated Renovation Plans for The Heldenplatz

Hitler cogitated plans for renovating the Heldenplatz as far back as 1908. 

He wanted to make the 脛u脽eres Burgtor a centerpiece by connecting the court museums on the opposite side of the ring with the Heldenplatz.

Hitler wanted to build two mighty triumphal arches on the opposite side of the Heldenplatz from the imperial palace.

He envisioned “an ideal spot for mass marches,” where the marchers would “feel a great, monumental impression鈥� in the gigantic new Heldenplatz.

However, these ideas were not Hitler鈥檚 as he had filched them from a 19th century architect, Gottfried Semper whose plans were never fully implemented.

10. The Square Has Recently Been Used to Mark Important Events in Austria鈥檚 History

The Austrian Armed Forces held a vigil for the victims of National Socialism at the square in 2013 for the first time.

The 鈥淔est der Freude鈥� or Festival of Joy was premiered at the square in 2013 organized by the Austrian Mauthausen Committee.  

Since then this concert which is absolutely free of charge and organized by the Vienna Symphonic Orchestra has taken place every year at Heldenplatz.

The Austrian Armed Forces also held their traditional performance show at the square during Austria鈥檚 National Holiday.