7 Best Sights in District 9/Alsergrund, Vienna

Not far from the historic Hofburg district, the marvels and pains of the 20th century come into focus here at the the former practice and private quarters of the father of psychoanalysis. The museum outlines Sigmund Freud's work and peronal life, as well as his impact on the world of psychology via memorabilia, private letters, biographical details, photos, films, and a library, It's housed in the apartment where Freud and his wife lived from 1891--1938 and raised their six children. The waiting-room furniture is original but the consulting room and study furniture (including the famous couch) can be seen only in photographs. The collection of telegrams (photocopies of the originals) from the State Department is chilling; they chronicle frantic efforts to help the Freud family escape Austria after the Nazi Anschluss in 1938.

Otto Wagner's most exalted piece of Jugendstil architecture, the first church of the Modernism period in Europe, lies in the suburbs: the church on the grounds of the old Vienna City Psychiatric Hospital. Wagner's design here unites functional details (rounded edges on the pews to prevent injury to the patients, how would the building be cleaned, and how many people have an unobstructed view of the high altar) with a soaring, airy dome and stained glass by Koloman Moser.

Reminiscent of an ancient Greek temple, this sprawling building is the seat of the country's elected representative assembly. An embracing, heroic ramp on either side of the main structure is lined with carved marble figures of ancient Greek and Roman historians. Its centerpiece is the Pallas-Athene-Brunnen, a fountain designed by Theophil Hansen that is crowned by the Greek goddess of wisdom and surrounded by water nymphs symbolizing the executive and legislative powers governing the country. Interior renovations are scheduled well into 2021.

Designed by Friedrich Schmidt and resembling a Gothic fantasy castle with its many spires and turrets, the Rathaus took more than 10 years to build and was completed in 1883. The facade holds a lavish display of standard-bearers brandishing the coats of arms of the city of Vienna and the monarchy. Nearly 10 acres of regally landscaped park grace the front of the building, and the area is usually brimming with activity. In winter it's the scene of the most famous Christmas markets in Vienna (which includes an ice-skating rink!). After the New Year, the ice-skating rink continues and is expanded. In summer, folks can watch movies outside during the annual film festival.

Unlike most of Vienna's composers, Schubert was a native of Vienna. The modest but charming two-story house was not as idyllic then as it is today. When Schubert was born, it was home to 16 families who were crammed into as many studio apartments within the house. Many of the composer's personal items are displayed here, including his spectacles, which he allegedly didn't remove to sleep, as he was so anxious to begin composing as soon as he woke up.

The oldest university in the German-speaking world (founded in 1365), the main section of the university is a massive block in Italian Renaissance style designed by Heinrich Ferstel and built between 1873 and 1884. Statues representing 38 important men of letters decorate the front of the building, while the rear, which encompasses the library (with nearly 2 million volumes), is adorned with sgraffito.

When Emperor Franz Josef was a young man, he was strolling along the Mölker Bastei, one of the few remaining portions of the old city wall, when he was taken unawares and stabbed in the neck by a Hungarian revolutionary. He survived, and in gratitude his family ordered that a church be built exactly on the spot he was looking at when he was struck down. The neo-Gothic church was built of gray limestone with two openwork turrets and was finally completed in 1879, after 23 years of construction.