
The Freyung () is a triangular
public square
A town square (or public square, urban square, city square or simply square), also called a plaza or piazza, is an open public space commonly found in the heart of a traditional town or city, and which is used for community gatherings. Relat ...
in
Vienna
Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
, located in the
Innere Stadt
The Innere Stadt (; ; "Inner City") is the 1st municipal Districts of Vienna, district of Vienna () located in the center of the Austrian capital. The Innere Stadt is the old town of Vienna. Until the city boundaries were expanded in 1850, the I ...
first district of the city.
History
The square originally lay outside the
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of Roman civilization
*Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...
fortification walls of
Vindabona. In the 12th century,
Irish monk
A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...
s arrived by invitation of Duke
Henry II of Austria
Henry II (; 1107 – 13 January 1177), called Jasomirgott, a member of the House of Babenberg,Lingelbach 1913, pp. 91–92. was Count Palatine of the Rhine from 1140 to 1141, Duke of Bavaria (as ''Henry XI'') and Margrave of Austria from 1141 to 11 ...
to build a monastery. The monastery is called
Schottenkloster, meaning Scottish Monastery, as Ireland at that time was known as
New Scotland. The square around Schottenkloster was known as "''bei den Schotten''" ("at the Scots").
The name Freyung has its origin from the old German word "''frey''", meaning "free". Since the monastery had the privilege of freedom from ducal authority, as well as the right to grant protection to fugitives, the square gained its name from its proximity to the Schottenkloster. The
priory
A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. They were created by the Catholic Church. Priories may be monastic houses of monks or nuns (such as the Benedictines, the Cistercians, or t ...
was added to the monastery in 1773 and became popularly known as ''Schubladkastenhaus'' (Chest of Drawers House) because of its shape.
The Freyung became an important market square, where various
street artist
A street artist is a person who makes art in public places. Street artists include portrait artists, caricaturists, graffiti artists, muralists and people making crafts. Street artists can also refer to street performers such as musicians, acr ...
s and entertainers performed for their living. One of these performances was the ''
Wiener Hanswurst'' (Viennese Fool) by
Josef Stranitzky.
Since the
Hofburg Imperial Palace
The Hofburg () is the former principal imperial palace of the Habsburg dynasty in Austria. Located in the center of Vienna, it was built in the 13th century by Ottokar II of Bohemia and expanded several times afterwards. It also served as the im ...
was not far, in the 17th and 18th centuries many
aristocrats
Aristocracy (; ) is a form of government that places power in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats.
Across Europe, the aristocracy exercised immense economic, political, and social influence. In Western Christian co ...
established their city residences at the square, as well as the neighbouring
Herrengasse The Herrengasse (meaning in German language: "Street of the Lords" or "Lords Lane") is a street in Vienna, located in the first district Innere Stadt.
History
The street existed during Ancient Rome, Roman times as part of the Limes (Roman Empire ...
.
In 1856, the houses between the Freyung and the adjacent square
Am Hof were demolished to broaden the street between them. In the late 19th century
bank
A bank is a financial institution that accepts Deposit account, deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital m ...
s and other financial houses also moved into the area and established headquarters.
Furthermore, the
Austria-Brunnen fountain, erected in 1844-1846 by
Ludwig Schwanthaler in honour of Emperor
Ferdinand I of Austria
Ferdinand I ( 19 April 1793 – 29 June 1875) was Emperor of Austria from March 1835 until his abdication in December 1848. He was also King of Hungary, King of Croatia, Croatia and King of Bohemia, Bohemia (as Ferdinand V), King of Lombardy– ...
, sits in the middle of the square.
City palaces (known as Palais)
*
Palais Hardegg (built in 1847, at Freyung 1)
*
Palais Harrach (1690–1702, Freyung 3)
*
Palais Kinsky
Palais Kinsky is a Baroque palace
A palace is a large residence, often serving as a royal residence or the home for a head of state or another high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name pal� ...
(formerly ''Palais Daun'', 1713–1716, Freyung 4)
* Palais Lamberg (replaced at the turn of the 19th century with a
neo-baroque Neo-Baroque may refer to:
* Neo-Baroque music
* Neo-Baroque painting, a painting style used by Christo Coetzee and others
*Baroque Revival architecture
* Neo-Baroque film
*the Organ reform movement
The Organ Reform Movement or ''Orgelbewegung'' ...
building, Freyung 5)
*
Palais Ferstel (formerly
Austro-Hungarian Bank
The Austro-Hungarian Bank (, , , , , , ) was the central bank of the Habsburg Monarchy in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
The institution was founded in 1816 as the privilegirte oesterreichische National-Bank (), and changed its name in 1878 ...
, 1856–1860, at Freyung 2, with another entrance at Herrengasse 14. It was refurbished in the 1980s and now houses an exclusive shopping gallery and the famous
Café Central.)
*
Palais Schönborn-Batthyány
Palais Schönborn-Batthyány is a Baroque palace in the Innere Stadt district of Vienna, Austria.
History
It was built by Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach
Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach (20 July 1656 – 5 April 1723) was an Austrian a ...
(1692–1693, Renngasse 4)
*
Palais Windisch-Graetz (1703, Renngasse 12)
Close to
* ''
Kunstforum'' (formerly an extension of the
Creditanstalt
The Creditanstalt (sometimes Credit-Anstalt, abbreviated as CA), full original name k. k. priv. Österreichische Credit-Anstalt für Handel und Gewerbe (), was a major Austrian bank, founded in 1855 in Vienna.
From its founding until 1931, the ...
head office, 1914, Freyung 8. It was refurbished in the 1980s and today houses the popular ''Kunstforum'' exhibition hall for modern and
contemporary art
Contemporary art is a term used to describe the art of today, generally referring to art produced from the 1970s onwards. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a ...
shows, sponsored by
Bank Austria
UniCredit Bank Austria AG, branded and widely referred to as Bank Austria, is an Austrian bank, 99,9965% owned by Milan-based pan-European banking group UniCredit. Bank Austria was formed in 1991 by merger of Vienna's Länderbank and Zentralspa ...
.)
*
Schoellerbank
Schoellerbank is an Austrian private bank with headquarters in Vienna. It emerged from the wholesale and banking house Schoeller & Co. of the entrepreneurial Schoeller family.
History Founding period (1833–1896)
Schoeller & Co. was founded as a ...
(a private bank, Renngasse 3)
Trivia
*The Freyung has a
Christmas market
A Christmas market is a street market associated with the celebration of Christmas during the four weeks of Advent. These markets originated in Germany, but are now held in many countries. Some in the U.S. have Phono-semantic matching, adapted ...
(''Christkindlmarkt'') every winter season, a tradition still kept since 1772.
*Parts of an old 13th century medieval
pavement, uncovered during renovation works in front of the Palais Ferstel, were integrated into the modern pavement in the 1990s.
Gallery
File:Freyung 7.jpg, Apotheke and Krauterhaus
File:Palais Harrach Vienna Oct. 2006 002.jpg, Palais Harrach
File:Freyung Passage 01.jpg, Freyung passage
File:Freyung Vienna June 2006 101.jpg, Freyung square
File:Freyung z00.JPG, Street sign
References
*
Czeike, Felix (1973). ''Wien: Kunst & Kultur.'' Sueddeutscher Verlag, Munich.
External links
Freyung ViennaBA-CA KunstforumPalais Ferstel
{{coord, 48, 12, 43, N, 16, 21, 56, E, region:AT-9_type:landmark, display=title
Innere Stadt
Squares in Vienna
Retail markets in Vienna