The Alservorstadt, also known as the Votivviertel, is located in the south of the 9th district and looks back on a long history. You can get to know this part of the district better during a walk through the district with Alsergrund district leader Saya Ahmad. The first stop is in the park behind the Votive Church. This imposing building was consecrated in 1879 and, with a height of 99 meters, is the second largest church in Vienna after St. Stephen's Cathedral. “The entire district here is very student-oriented,” says Ahmad. The proximity to the main university, to the numerous institute buildings, for example on Währinger Straße, or the campus at the Old AKH contribute to this.
Diverse economy
The next stop on the Grätzel tour takes you past the headquarters of the chocolate bar manufacturer Neoh. Among other things, new recipes for sugar-free snacks are being worked on right at Rooseveltplatz. In general, the entire area is economically very diverse. Because not only tempting chocolate bars come from Alsergrund, but also e.g. B. a few streets away there are also contemporary footwear. Ortho-Schuh GmbH on Währinger Straße offers the most modern measuring methods in orthopedic shoe technology. 3D foot scan for foot plastic and 2D insole pressure measurement for dynamic load trace during step development.
Healthy district
Health is generally an important issue in the district. The previously mentioned Old AKH was already the hospital headquarters and today the general hospital is located directly on the border with Alservorstadt
the largest hospital in the
entire republic.
Another traditional health business is the 150-year-old Pharmacy zur Austria at Währinger Straße 18. It is an important and competent contact point for all health questions for many people in the Grätzel. Just around the corner, at Berggasse 19, where Freud lived and worked for almost 50 years, is now the Sigmund Freud Museum. From Rooseveltplatz the walk with the district leader continues to the historic Albert Schweitzer House. The student residence and event center with the baroque facade is known far beyond the borders of the district, the city and the country; people from all over the world have spent part of their study time here since the 1960s. From Schwarzspanierstrasse we then head west to Otto-Wagner-Platz.
Something new is created
“This section of road will become a pedestrian zone and will have its own entrance to the new U5,” explains Saya Ahmad. The new subway and a staircase for the temporary terminus Frankhplatz will be built here in the next few years. The memorial to the victims of the Holocaust is also being built there. Then it's just a stone's throw to the Old General Hospital. You can unwind with a cool drink on a warm summer evening in the Salettl, for example.
