Pestsäule

Welcome to the Graben, pronounced Grah-ben. You are standing in the absolute, undeniably luxurious epicenter of Vienna's historic first district. …

Let us begin our examination at the front-facing base of the Plague Column. Look for the prominent sculptural group featuring a kneeling, praying figure. …

As you move your gaze slightly upward and around the monument, consider the terrifying reality of the city during the outbreak. When the emperor, the nobility, and most physicians fled, the people of Vienna were left largely to…

While the Plague Column deals in grand imperial narratives and high theology, the street level of Vienna produced a very different, far more resilient, and darkly humorous legend during the epidemic of sixteen seventy-nine: the…

Let us turn our attention to the middle section of the column, the vast, swirling mass of stone that makes up the bulk of the monument. This is where the architectural structure of the base completely dissolves into a chaotic,…

Finally, allow your gaze to travel to the very top of the swirling cloud pillar, to the apex of the monument. Here, crowning the entire chaotic structure, sits the golden representation of the Holy Trinity. …

As we conclude our detailed examination of the Plague Column and turn our attention back to the bustling activity of the Graben, let us reflect on the enduring power of this monument. We have decoded the imperial propaganda of…

As we conclude our detailed examination of the Plague Column and turn our attention back to the bustling activity of the Graben, let us reflect on the enduring power of this monument. We have decoded the imperial propaganda of…