| The heart of Vienna is the Innerestadt– the area that lay within the city walls, until they were demolished in the mid-19th century. It is here that some of Vienna’s most popular tourist attractions can be found, along with pedestrianised streets lined with countless shops, cafés, bars and restaurants. The centre point is the Graben (literally ‘moat’), which is a wide square lined with shops and pavement cafés under large umbrellas. Following the demolition of the city walls in 1857, the Ringstrasse was laid out and some of Vienna’s most beautiful buildings were built along it, between 1858 and 1865. Among the most important are the Staatsoper (State Opera House), Kunsthistorisches Museum (Museum of Fine Arts), Naturhistorisches Museum (Natural History Museum), Parlament (Parliament), Rathaus (City Hall) and Burgtheater. |