Are you planning a visit to Vienna and looking for things to do around Vienna Ringstrasse? Try our Vienna Ringstrasse Scavenger Hunt takes you to its museums, civic buildings, operas, and gardens!
It will take you from the Maria Theresa Square to the Karlskirche and back to the Rathaus while passing by the State Opera, the Hofburg and Burgtheater, and much more. We offer challenges at every step. Each challenge will tell you where you are going next and a bit of local history and advice.
Vienna is the capital of Austria with a population of 2.6 million in the metropolitan area. It is located on the Danube River.
On the Vienna Ringstrasse Scavenger Hunt you will see:
- Austrian Parliament
- Vienna’s City Hall, Rathaus
- Karlskirche
- Vienna State Opera
- The Secession
- The Hofburg
- Michaelerplatz
- The Volksgarten
- The Burgtheater
- The Burggarten
- And much more
We visited Vienna in 2014 and will do so again in the fall of 2019.
- Starting point: Maria-Theresien-Platz, Burgring 5, 1010 Wien, Austria
- Distance: 4.3 km / 2.7 mi
- Duration: 3 hours
- Methode: walking
- Required:
- Fully charged smartphone with internet access (data plan) – Wifi will not be enough.
- Suggested:
- Water bottle
- Local Map
Ancient History
This region was inhabited by Celts around 500 BC. As of 15 BC, the Romans fortified the city which was then called Vindobona. In fact, it was to protect the empire from northern Germanic tribes.
Then, in 976, Leopold I of Babenberg is named Count of Margraviate (this region), on the eastern border of Bavaria. Indeed, each subsequent Badenberg leader contributed to strengthening the region and the Austrian monarchy. In 1145, Duke Henri II Jasomirgott moved the Badenberg residence from Klosterneuburg to Vienna. It has remained the capital ever since.
In 1440, the Habsburg dynasty settled in Vienna. It became the capital of the Holy Roman Empire between 800 and 1806. Also, it became the center of the arts, sciences, music, and fine cuisine from 1437 onward.
Hungary occupied the city between 1485-1490.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, Christian forces pushed back the Ottoman army twice outside of Vienna. A plague ravaged the city in 1679, killing one-third of the population.
Modern History
In 1804, Vienna was once again the capital of the Austrian empire, and then the Austrian-Hungarian empire. The city became the center of classical music with Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. Brahms, Bruckner, Mahler, and Richard Strauss followed one another after that, maintaining the city’s classical status.
Vienna’s Ringstrasse is built at the end of the 19th century as a large boulevard encircling the historical center of the city.
After World War I, in 1919, Austria became a republic. In fact, the Secessionist artistic movement started here, as did psychoanalysis.
Then, in 1934 there was a civil war called the February revolution. During the Second World War, it was quickly invaded by Germany. Russia liberated Vienna at the end of the war and controlled it until 1955.
Since then, the city has maintained an important role internationally, particularly with several UN organizations.
