TheRingstrasse orRingstraße (pronounced[ʁɪŋˌʃtʁaːsə]ⓘ, lit.ring road) is a 5.3 km (3.3 mi)[1] circular grand boulevard that serves as aring road around the historic city centre, theInnere Stadt, ofVienna,Austria. The road is built where the city walls once stood. The Ring, as it is colloquially known, was built, along with grand buildings on either side of the road, in the second half of the 19th century. The road runs clockwise, from the Urania to the Schottenring, and is divided into nine parts.
Because of its architectural beauty and history, the Ringstrasse is designated byUNESCO as part of the Historic Centre of ViennaWorld Heritage Site.[2]
The grand boulevard was constructed to replace thecity walls, which had originally been erected during the13th century. These walls were initially funded by the ransom payment obtained from the release ofRichard the Lionheart,King of England, who had been captured near Vienna on his return from theThird Crusade. The fortifications were subsequently reinforced following theOttoman Siege of Vienna in 1529 and theThirty Years' War in 1618. The walls were surrounded by aglacis approximately 500 meters wide, where construction and vegetation were prohibited for military defensive purposes.[3][4]
By the late 18th century, these fortifications had become obsolete. Under the reign ofEmperor Joseph II, streets and walkways were developed within the glacis, illuminated by lanterns and lined with trees. Craftsmen established open-air workshops, and market stalls were set up in the area. However, it was theRevolution of 1848 that brought more significant changes, leading to the eventual transformation of the space into the grand boulevard it is today.
In 1850, the suburbs, known asVorstädte (now comprising Districts 2 to 9), were incorporated into the municipality. This expansion made the city walls an obstacle to traffic. Consequently, in 1857,Emperor Franz Joseph I issued the decree "Es ist Mein Wille", ordering the demolition of the city walls and moats. The decree not only ordered the removal of these fortifications but also detailed the dimensions of the new boulevard and specified the locations and functions of the planned buildings.[5]
Aristocrats and other wealthy private individuals rushed to have prestigiousRingstraßenpalais (Ring Road palaces) built in thehistoricist style, known asRingstraßenstil (Ring Road style). One of the first buildings was the Heinrichhof, designed byTheophil von Hansen, which stood until 1954, having been damaged in theSecond World War .
The construction work on the Ring was not finished until 1913 with the completion of theMinistry of War, when theRingstraßenstil had already become unfashionable, as shown by thePostal Savings Bank building opposite, built byOtto Wagner inArt Nouveau in 1906.[6]
The Ringstrasse and its accompanying structures were envisioned as a testament to the grandeur and glory of theHabsburg Empire. On a practical level, the construction of the Ringstrasse was influenced byEmperor Napoléon III's urban planning inParis, where the widening of streets had proved effective in preventing the erection of revolutionarybarricades, thus facilitatingartillery control.
The greatest catastrophe on the Ringstrasse was theRingtheater fire in 1881, which claimed several hundred lives. The Sühnhaus, a tenement, was built in place of the theatre, which in turn was destroyed in the Second World War and provided space for the new Vienna Police Headquarters to replace the previous police headquarters, which had also been destroyed.
Since the Ringstrasse was primarily designed for aesthetic purposes, a parallel thoroughfare known as theLastenstraße (cargo road) was constructed on the outer edge of the former glacis. From 1907 onwards, tram lines with the number 2 ran along the street, which has been colloquially known asZweierlinie(2-er Linie) since the 1960s.[7]
The Ringstrasse primarily serves as a major transportation route, playing a significant role in Vienna's road network. It is a three-lane, one-way road that operates in a clockwise direction. The road is serviced bypublic transportation, with thetram lines 1 and 2 running partly around the Ring. The twobike lanes on either side of the street are the two most-used bike lanes in Austria. However, these bike lanes have faced criticism from activists, as they are often interrupted by intersecting roads and are occasionally shared with pedestrians, leading to issues in tourist-heavy areas.[8]
As the Ring is home to many of Vienna's most famous sights, it attracts a large number of tourists. Visitors often explore the Ringstrasse on foot, walking along footpaths on either side of the road, or undertakeguided bus tours. The boulevard is also lined with numeroushotels and a variety of shops that cater to both local residents and international visitors.[9] Both theKärntner Straße and the Mariahilfer Straße, two of Vienna's biggest shopping streets, lead into the Ring.[10]
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The Ringstrasse frequently hosts political demonstrations and protests, including the annualPride parade andInternational Workers’ Day demonstrations, as well asFridays for Future and otherclimate-related protests. Demonstrations against the government are common, such as protests against thefar-right led coalition talks in 2025, andanti-lockdown demonstrations during theCOVID-19 pandemic. The road was the location of theJuly Revolt of 1927, whenAustrian Social Democrats protested against the acquittal of three far-right nationalist paramilitary members for the killing of two Social Democrats.
The Ringstrasse runs clockwise, from the Urania to the Schottenring.
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The Ring is divided into nine sections, most named after a prominent structure in the section:
TheFranz-Josefs-Kai, which runs along theDonaukanal, connecting either end of the Ring, is often included as part of the Ringstrasse. The road features two metro stations,Schwedenplatz in thesquare of the same name, as well asSchottenring. The Schwedenplatz is home to the popularEissalon am Schwedenplatz, an ice cream shop, as well as being a part of Vienna'sBermudadreieck (Bermuda Triangle), anightlife district in the inner city. The road offers multiple entrances to the city centre, including one path leading toSt. Rupert's Church, the oldestchurch in Vienna.
The Ringstrasse is accompanied by a parallel street, the Zweierlinie, usually two to four blocks further out, which was largely built at the same time as the Ring. Buildings on theZweierlinie include:
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