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Photo: Florian Demmer, CC BY-SA 3.0 at via Wikimedia Commons
A 16-m-high stone Gothic column, erected by the Master Michael Knab at the end of the 14th century. According to medieval legend the column was erected in thanks for the safe return of a husband from the crusades. The pillar marked the southern limit of Viennese jurisdiction, and was used as public execution site until well into the 19th century; in 1927 during construction numerous skeletons of the executed were unearthed.
The German name Spinnerin am Kreuz is the title given to two separate Austrian stone-tower sculptures, one in Vienna and the other in the nearby city of Wiener Neustadt. They are related to the story of a wife spinning beside a cross. Both columns had been designed originally by Meister Michael Knab:in Vienna, the stone tower was built in 1375, rebuilt c.1452; in Wiener Neustadt, the stone tower was built in 1382-84.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
The big swimming pool was built between 1923 and 1926 with an interior decoration in Art-Déco style. Expect the pool to be crowded (depending on time) and hence it may be hard to swim in straight lines. In the sauna areas (for additional price), there are cold and warm pools and a hot tub in addition to a steam room, a bio sauna and two Finnish saunas (with a schedule of Austrian aufguss sessions).
OstLicht Galerie für Fotografie
Hosts group and solor exhibits of contemporary photography, with an onsite library, bookshop, and bar.
Böhmischer Prater / Familienprater
A small historic amusement park dating back to the second half of the 19th century. Some of the rides are more than 100 years old. There is also a 21-m-high Ferris wheel. It is a lovely place to go for a longer walk. There is a BMX dirt circular track, plus a running checkpoint meet.
To see the combination of new modern with old historic architecture, visit the gasometers that have been revitalized from gas-tanks to new multi-functional buildings. The gasometers are four former gas tanks, built as part of the Vienna municipal gas works Gaswerk Simmering in 1896-1899, and used from 1899 to 1984 as gas storage tanks. After the changeover from town gas to natural gas they were no longer used and were shut down. From 1984-1997 the structures were used as a film location (James Bond: The Living Daylights) and as the location for raves known as Gazometer-Raves. They were revitalized from 1999 to 2001 by the architects Jean Nouvel, Coop Himmelblau, Manfred Wehdorn, and Wilhelm Holzbauer. Each gasometer was divided into several zones for living, shopping and entertainment, while conserving the historic outside wall. Other facilities including a music hall, cinema, student accommodation, municipal archive, etc. are located inside the Gasometers. There are special guided tours with experts available for visitors.
Dr. Karl-Lueger-Gedächtniskirche
After the Kirche am Steinhof (see listing in Vienna/Outer West), this is the second-most well-known example of Jugendstil sacral architecture, designed by Max Hegele and built in 1911. In front of the church is the Präsidentengruft (Presidential Crypt), housing the remains of Austrian presidents from the Second Republic (since World War II).
Graves of honor
Graves of famous composers including Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert, Strauss, and Schönberg are all here, as are the graves of other luminaries. Mozart's gravestone however is just a memorial, as he was buried in a mass grave in St. Marx Cemetery. A list of all Ehrengräber can be downloaded here.