Alsergrund brings together different perspectives on culture and history. One starting point located explicitly in the district is the Josephinum: its collection of anatomical wax models comprises 1,200 models displayed in seven rooms. Other topics range from the history of psychoanalysis and medical collections to architecture, theatre and remembrance. You can tailor your stay to the interests that appeal to you most.

Freud and the History of Psychoanalysis

Sigmund Freud lived and worked at Berggasse 19 in Vienna’s 9th district for 47 years before he was forced to flee the Nazis in 1938. The Sigmund Freud Museum shows the Freud family’s private rooms as well as Sigmund and Anna Freud’s consulting rooms. The permanent exhibitions cover the development of psychoanalysis, the family’s life and the history of the house; individual presentations may change.

This makes it possible to distinguish biographical aspects from the history of the discipline: the rooms offer insights into the family’s private and professional lives, while the exhibition places the development of psychoanalysis in a broader context. Visitors particularly interested in Freud will find several ways to explore a subject that encompasses both a personal story and a scientific development.

Comparing Medical Collections

The Josephinum and the Narrenturm represent different types of collections. The Josephinum displays anatomical wax models; one-hour guided tours offer insights into the collection and highlights of the permanent exhibition. The Josephinum can be reached on foot, by public transport or by car. If you plan to take a guided tour, check the current options in advance, as tour arrangements may change.

The Narrenturm, by contrast, houses a pathological-anatomical collection with around 50,000 exhibits. Its approximate size and the type of collection make it a different destination from the Josephinum: here, the focus is on pathological-anatomical exhibits, while the Josephinum features anatomical wax models. This distinction can help you choose where to spend your time if you want to focus on a particular area of medical history.

Architecture, Literature and Remembrance

The Votive Church is a three-aisled Neo-Gothic basilica built on the French cathedral model, and is one of the most significant buildings of European Historicism. “Three-aisled” describes the division of the church interior into three aisles; together with its Neo-Gothic style and French cathedral model, this provides a clear architectural classification. The green spaces around the church also have their own name: they were designated Votivpark in 1984.

The Strudlhofstiege offers a different architectural and literary perspective. It is considered a literary landmark, an Art Nouveau gem and a tourist attraction in the ninth district. In Arne Karlsson Park, an air-raid shelter from the Second World War has been preserved as a memorial to the atrocities of Nazism and war. These places have different focuses: architecture and literature on the one hand, remembrance of war and Nazism on the other.

Theatre and District History

Today’s Vienna Volksoper opened in 1898 as the “Kaiserjubiläum-Stadttheater.” Its programme includes operetta, opera, musicals and ballet. The theatre thus complements the museums and architectural landmarks with a performing arts offering. The Alsergrund District Museum has a permanent exhibition on the district’s history and memorial sites for the writers Heimito von Doderer and Erich Fried. It therefore focuses both on the district’s history and on individual literary figures.

When planning your visit, choose according to your interests: a guided tour and anatomical models at the Josephinum, the history of psychoanalysis at the Freud Museum, architecture and literature at the Strudlhofstiege, or theatre at the Volksoper. A one-hour tour of the Josephinum can be included as a specific time slot; for the other topics, your personal interests and the available visitor offerings will guide your choice. This leaves room to shape your stay around culture without trying to fit every topic into a single itinerary.

Discover more destinations: Vienna, Innere Stadt, Meidling, Neubau, Ottakring, Josefstadt, Hietzing, Mariahilf.

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