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At the geographical epicentre of the city, the spectacular Gothic Stephansdom cathedral dominates the skyline with its many towers and its 137-m (450-ft) spire (see pp8–11).

The former imperial palace may have relinquished its regal position after Austria became a republic in 1918, but the elegance of days gone by is still tangible in its sumptuous state apartments, landscaped gardens and various architectural styles (see pp12–17).

The Burg, as the theatre is affectionately called by the Viennese, was among the first theatres to be built in the German-speaking world. Gottfried Semper and Carl von Hasenauer designed this spectacular building with its Renaissance façade over a period of 14 years (1874–88). On its completion, the Court Theatre, founded in 1776, moved into the new building on the Ringstrasse. A grand staircase with frescoes by Gustav Klimt and his brother Ernst leads from the foyer to the auditorium (see p56).

In the unlikely setting of the Postsparkasse building (the post office savings bank) the architect Otto Wagner (see p109) implemented all his principles, combining functionalism within an appealing design. The square six-storey building, constructed in two stages between 1904 and 1912, has a plain façade of marble and granite. The stone panels are fixed to the external walls with metal rivets, which led to the building’s nickname “a box of nails” among locals. The solid-looking exterior, however, is contrasted by the light interior, covered with a glazed vault.

During the construction of a Holocaust memorial by London artist Rachel Whiteread on Judenplatz in 2000, the remains of a medieval synagogue were discovered. Once the centre of a flourishing Jewish community, the synagogue was destroyed in 1420 and its bricks used for building the old university. The excavation site is open to the public and a little museum is dedicated to the life, work and religion of the city’s medieval Jewish community. You can also take a virtual stroll around the 15th-century Jewish quarter.

This church boasts the title of Vienna’s oldest place of worship, built in the 9th century after the fall of Vindobona (see p40) as part of the settlements within the Roman city walls. The stone building was the city’s main church up until the end of the 12th century, when the Stephansdom became Vienna’s most important centre of worship. Both east windows date back to the 13th century and have survived the ages untouched as Vienna’s oldest works of stained glass.

One of the world’s largest and most valuable collections of graphic art is gathered in the Albertina palace, named after its founder, Duke Albert of SachsenTeschen (1738–1822). Although there is no permanent exhibition, three halls are used for several temporary exhibitions, including the Habsburg State Rooms. (see p44).

No other building triggered so much controversy as the Loos Haus, finished in 1911. Emperor Franz Joseph thought the functional building ruined the square’s look and had the curtains closed at his Hofburg palace to avoid looking at it. Four floors are covered in green marble but the building’s plain upper floors caused uproar among the architect’s contemporaries. Today it is home to a bank.

The Anker Uhr clock spans two wings of an insurance company building and was installed between 1911 and 1917 by Franz von Matsch. Every day 12 pairs of figures, each symbolizing a period in Vienna’s history, step forward on the hour. The Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius begins, followed by Duke Leopold VI, Maria Theresa and Joseph Haydn, among others. At noon all 12 figures parade across the bridge.

The centrepiece of the Neuer Markt is Georg Raphael Donner’s fountain (1737–9) with an allegory of Providentia, the divine providence, accompanied by four cherubs towering over a pool. They are surrounded by four figures representing the Austrian rivers Traun, Enns, March and Ybbs. During Maria Theresa’s reign the naked statues were removed as they were regarded as improper, but they were replaced in the 19th century (see p53).