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In 1945, at the end of World War II, Vienna was divided into four zones occupied by the four Allied powers (Great Britain, France, Russia and the USA). Ten years later the last Allied soldiers left the country, and Austria regained full sovereignty with the signing of the State Treaty in May 1955 (see p23).

The Springer palace, built in 1887 in a large park, became a centre for cultural life in Vienna. Good for business travellers.

Although this charming church is slightly off the beaten track, it is well worth a visit. The early Baroque church and an adjoining monastery were built in 1651 by the Servite convent. The interior is decorated with stucco ornaments and frescoes, but an interesting detail is the 13th-century crucifix to the right of the high altar. Originally the “cross of gallows”, it stood at the public execution place on Schlickplatz.

A friendly family-run business with Viennese specialities. It is located next to Servitenkirche (see p99) and has pleasant seating on the square overlooking the church in summer.

Vienna’s sewers came to fame in the 1949 film classic The Third Man , when Harry Lime, played by Orson Welles, was chased through the city’s underworld by the police. Filmed in the rubble of postwar Vienna, The Third Man is still remembered today as several tours follow in the footsteps of the characters.

A tiny bookshop with a lot of character and the best place to go for contemporary English literature. Good travel and poetry section.

Shoes in unusual colours, shoes with extraordinary heels, shoes with bizarre buckles – a veritable footwear paradise. All the styles are created by international and Austrian designers.

The founder of psychoanalysis (see p98) lived in Vienna from 1891 until 1938, when he fled from the National Socialists to London. In his spacious apartment in Berggasse, now a museum, he wrote many famous works and case histories such as Interpretation of Dreams . His former consulting rooms and office have been turned into exhibition rooms displaying his original furniture. There is also a library and a lecture hall where conferences on Freud’s theories are held.