Plague Column (Pestsaule)
Plague Column (Pestsaule)
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This column commemorates the plague epidemic of 1697.
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The area
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Neighbourhood: Inner City
In Vienna's best-known district, pedestrian boulevards Kärntner Strasse and Graben connect you with landmarks such as the Wiener Staatsoper (Vienna State Opera), Vienna’s iconic Stephansdom (St. Stephen’s Cathedral) and the vast compound of Hofburg, the Habsburgs’ former Imperial Palace. Peek down side streets such as Annagasse and Weihburggasse, and Graben’s Seilergasse and Habsburggasse, to get a feel for the centre. The Imperial Apartments and the refreshingly demystifying Sissi Museum are must-dos at Hofburg. Spacious squares such as Am Hof and Freyung often host beautiful seasonal and antiques markets.
How to get there
- Stephansplatz • 2 min walk
- Stephansplatz • 2 min walk
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
623 reviews
Excellent
196
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321
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100
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5
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1
Cristinel
Romania191 contributions
Jun 2023 • Family
A very popular tourist site in the city of Vienna, very well located, next to St Stephan Church, in Stephanplatz, and surrounded by a lot of beautiful terraces. A little bit crowded (everyone stopping for photos), but it is worth.
Written 8 June 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RandyRoss
Ridgetown, Canada11,743 contributions
Dec 2022
It's hard to miss this large column in the middle of the old city. In 1679, Vienna suffered one of the last great plague epidemics. Fleeing the city, the Habsburg emperor Leopold I vowed to erect a mercy column if the epidemic would end. The Plague or Trinity Column is on the Graben, a street in the inner city of Vienna. Erected after the Great Plague epidemic in 1679, the Baroque memorial is one of the best known and most prominent sculptural artworks in the city.
There are three stages:
1. the pedestal, reserved for mankind, in the upper third of which Leopold I prays to God as an intercessor;
2. a second, higher level occupied by angels, in an intermediate zone between God and mankind;
3. and the highest level, reserved for the Holy Trinity.
There are three stages:
1. the pedestal, reserved for mankind, in the upper third of which Leopold I prays to God as an intercessor;
2. a second, higher level occupied by angels, in an intermediate zone between God and mankind;
3. and the highest level, reserved for the Holy Trinity.
Written 31 January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Neil K
Liverpool, UK6,18,857 contributions
Dec 2022 • Friends
Walking down Graben you will find some very interesting sites ,one of the most eye catching is Pestsaule ( Plage Column ) .
The Plage Column aka Trinity Column was erected after the Great Plague ( 1679 ) and is a beautiful Baroque monument,the work of architect Paul Strudel ,it was erected on the orders of Emperor Leopold I ,sculptors Tobias Kracker and Johann Bendel contributed the stunning figures adorning the column ,it's just a really iconic and beautiful column and monument ,if you're walking down Graben it's a great monument to check out.
The Plage Column aka Trinity Column was erected after the Great Plague ( 1679 ) and is a beautiful Baroque monument,the work of architect Paul Strudel ,it was erected on the orders of Emperor Leopold I ,sculptors Tobias Kracker and Johann Bendel contributed the stunning figures adorning the column ,it's just a really iconic and beautiful column and monument ,if you're walking down Graben it's a great monument to check out.
Written 15 January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ann C
Nashville, TN3,238 contributions
Dec 2022
Located on the Graben, built after the epidemic in 1679, it is one of the most popular artworks in the city center. If you know you are going to be walking by it, I recommend reading about its history and the details of the memorial.
Written 14 January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tommo
Melbourne, Australia49,676 contributions
Oct 2022
Plague Column (Pestsaule) was erected after the great plague epidemic in 1679, where many people died
Of Baroque style this memorial is one of the most prominent sculptured artworks in Vienna.
The design has three vertical layers – human, angels, and the Holy Trinity itself.
Of Baroque style this memorial is one of the most prominent sculptured artworks in Vienna.
The design has three vertical layers – human, angels, and the Holy Trinity itself.
Written 22 November 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Vadim
Murmansk, Russia26,557 contributions
Jul 2022
The tradition of erecting plague columns did not originate in Wine, but it was here on Graben Street that one of the most famous columns was erected in 1694. The plague of 1679 claimed the lives of several tens of thousands of Vienna residents. Vienna, which by that time had become a major city and a river port, was suffering from overpopulation. The plague spread with great speed, although the Viennese already understood how to deal with it. The dead were taken out of town and dumped into common graves, doctors dressed in special suits resembling the spacesuits of doctors in the recent pandemic. So the victory over the plague was won with the help of reason and not by divine grace, but the imperial power and the ignorant population thought otherwise. The column has three tiers. On the first level, Emperor Leopold asks God for intercession, on the second level, angels, and on the third level, the divine trinity itself. By the way, this is unusual for Catholics, because plague columns were usually dedicated to the Virgin Mary and her intercession. However, the architect of the column, Paul Strudel, decided otherwise. Thanks to the involvement of the Italian theatrical engineer Lodovico Burnachini, the whole composition has acquired a clearly theatrical appearance. It is natural for high Baroque.
Written 22 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Harrison F. Carter
Cologne, Germany10,847 contributions
Apr 2022 • Couples
Whilst not on the scale of impressiveness as other statues, and certainly not the buildings, this was worth a moment to observe.
Written 25 April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
David D
1,204 contributions
Sep 2021
This memorial to the passing of a plague stands near the centre of the old town of Vienna. The sculpture is baroque in style, and contains images of pestilence being cast down. It only takes a minute or so to see, and is close to many other tourist attractions, but it is worth seeing, partly because it inspired many similar columns in central Europe, but also because it reminds of us the difficulties our ancestors faced in times before modern medicine.
Written 15 September 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
zdaati
Vienna, Austria3,544 contributions
Jan 2021
you can find them many places and fits well to the covid situation these day. Erected in 1683. first version was rather simple but has the holy trinity church on the top and on the side is emperor Leopold kneeling and was the first baroque structure in Vienna. Located in the centre in the pedestrian area close to stephensplatz and graben. something you should see when in Vienna by all means
Written 3 February 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Fragk
Athens, Greece34 contributions
Oct 2020 • Couples
Not the first time humanity faces a plague....or a pandemic...we just have to take precautions and be serious.
Written 10 November 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Plague Column (Pestsaule)
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