Austrian Development Agency

The Minoritenkirche (English: Friars Minor Conventual Church, related to the monastic Order of Friars Minor Conventual monks), formally called Italienische Nationalkirche Maria Schnee (English: Italian National Church of Mary of the Snows, related to the Italian Congregation who was the owner of this church), was built in French Gothic style in the Altstadt or First District of Vienna, Austria.The site on which the church is built was given to followers of Francis of Assisi in 1224. The foundation stone was laid by King Ottokar II of Bohemia in 1276. Duke Albrecht II later supported the building process, especially the main portal. The Gothic Ludwig choir was built between 1316 and 1328, and used as a mausoleum in the 14th and 15th centuries. Construction of the church was completed in 1350. The top of its belltower was damaged during the first Austro-Turkish war, rebuilt, then again destroyed again during the second Austro-Turkish war; the top was then replaced by a flat roof. When Joseph II gave the church to the Italians as a present, they transferred the name Maria Schnee ("Mary of the Snows") from their nearby chapel which was subsequently destroyed. Following disagreements between the church owner (the Italian Congregation Mary of the Snows) and the Archdiocese of Vienna, the Italian community was moved to the Church of the Holy Trinity of the Friars Minor in the Alservorstadt. After two years of uncertainty, in 2021 the Italian Congregation donated the Minoritenkirche to the Society of Saint Pius X, which operates it to this day.

The Congress of Vienna of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. Participants were representatives of all European powers and other stakeholders, chaired by Austrian statesman Klemens von Metternich, and held in Vienna from September 1814 to June 1815. The objective of the Congress was to provide a long-term peace plan for Europe by settling critical issues arising from the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars through negotiation. The goal was not simply to restore old boundaries, but to resize the main powers so they could balance each other and remain at peace, being at the same time shepherds for the smaller powers. More generally, conservative leaders like von Metternich also sought to restrain or eliminate republican, liberal, and revolutionary movements which, from their point of view, had upended the constitutional order of the European ancien régime, and which continued to threaten it. At the negotiation table, the position of France was weak in relation to that of Britain, Prussia, Austria and Russia, partly due to the military strategy of its dictatorial leader over the previous two decades and his recent defeat. In the settlement the parties did reach, France had to give up all its recent conquests, while the other three main powers made major territorial gains. Prussia added territory from smaller states: Swedish Pomerania, most of the Kingdom of Saxony, and the western part of the former Duchy of Warsaw. Austria gained much of northern Italy. Russia added the central and eastern part of the Duchy of Warsaw. All agreed upon ratifying the new Kingdom of the Netherlands, which had been created just months before from formerly Austrian territory. The immediate background was Napoleonic France's defeat and surrender in May 1814, which brought an end to 23 years of nearly continuous war. Negotiations continued despite the outbreak of fighting triggered by Napoleon's return from exile and resumption of power in France during the Hundred Days of March to July 1815. The Congress's agreement was signed nine days before Napoleon's final defeat at Waterloo on 18 June 1815. Some historians have criticised the outcomes of the Congress for causing the subsequent suppression of national, democratic, and liberal movements, and it has been seen as a reactionary settlement for the benefit of traditional monarchs. Others have praised the Congress for protecting Europe from large widespread wars for almost a century.

In Austrian politics, the Federal Chancellery (German: Bundeskanzleramt, lit. 'federal chancellery', abbreviated BKA; historically also Hofkanzlei and Staatskanzlei) is the ministry led by the chancellor. Since the establishment of the First Austrian Republic in 1918, the Chancellery building has served as the venue for the sessions of the Austrian cabinet. It is located on the Ballhausplatz in the centre of Vienna, vis-à-vis the Hofburg Imperial Palace. Like Downing Street, Quai d'Orsay or – formerly – Wilhelmstrasse, the address has become a synecdoche for governmental power.

The Minoritenplatz is one of the oldest public squares in Vienna. It is located in the first district Innere Stadt, and is dominated by the Minoritenkirche church, after which the square is named. The church itself was constructed by the Greyfriars (Minoriten), after the Austrian Duke Leopold VI of Austria invited them to Austria in 1224. Since the square is in direct proximity to the Hofburg Imperial Palace, a number of aristocratic families took up residence in the square from the 16th to the 18th century. City-palaces (Palais) located at the Minoritenplatz are: Palais Dietrichstein (constructed in the 17th century, located at Minoritenplatz 3) Palais Liechtenstein (1706, Minoritenplatz 4, entrance also at Bankgasse 9) Palais Starhemberg (1650-1661, Minoritenplatz 5) Palais Niederösterreich (1839-1848, Minoritenplatz 7, entrance also at Herrengasse 13) Landeshauptmannschaft (formerly Statthaltereigebäude, Minoritenplatz 9, entrance also at Herrengasse 11)Located on Minoritenplatz 1 are the Austrian State Archives (Österreichisches Staatsarchiv), founded in the 15th century by Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor as the Family, Court and State Archive (Haus-, Hof- und Staatsarchiv). The building itself now only dates back to 1901. Close to the Archives is the Austrian Federal Ministry for Foreign Affairs, located at Minoritenplatz 8. Small monuments to the artist Rudolf von Alt, the cleric Clemens Maria Hofbauer, and the politician Leopold Figl also decorate the square.

The Memorial for the Victims of Nazi Military Justice is located at the Ballhausplatz in the centre of Vienna, opposite the President's office and the Austrian Chancellory. The monument was created by German conceptual artist Olaf Nicolai. The inscription atop the three-step sculpture features the poem by Scottish poet Ian Hamilton Finlay consisting of just two words: all alone.

Ballhausplatz is a square in central Vienna containing the building (with the address Ballhausplatz 2) that for over two hundred years has been the official residence of the most senior Austrian Cabinet Minister, the State Chancellor, today the Chancellor of Austria (Prime Minister). As a result, Ballhausplatz is often used as shorthand for the Austrian Federal Chancellery. Until 1918 the Foreign Ministry of Austria-Hungary was also housed here. Similar to Downing Street or the Hotel Matignon, the word Ballhausplatz (or Ballplatz for short) is a synecdoche for the seat of power. Ballhausplatz is located in the first district Innere Stadt in central Vienna, a few minutes' walk from the Austrian Parliament Building and on the edge of the grounds of Hofburg Imperial Palace. Until 1754 the square itself did not exist, as an imperial hospital was located there. Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor, erected a real tennis house there, the Ballhaus (ball house). Later the building was used for the Imperial Court Construction Office (Hofbauamt). At the end of the 18th century the Ballhaus was ripped down.

The Liechtenstein City Palace (German: Stadtpalais Liechtenstein) is a residential building at Bankgasse 9, in the first district of Vienna, Innere Stadt. The palace was built from 1692 to 1705 by the Italian architect Domenico Martinelli and the Swiss architect Gabriele Gabrieli.The building is one of two palaces in Vienna belonging to the princely family of Liechtenstein. The other grand house still owned by the family in Vienna is the Liechtenstein Garden Palace. The palace escaped destruction during World War II, when bombs fell nearby. It is still used as a private residence by the princely family. After restoration in 2013, the building contains the 19th century portion of the princely art collection, whereas artworks from the 16th to 18th centuries are displayed at the Liechtenstein Garden Palace.

Palais Niederösterreich, historically known as the Niederösterreichisches Landeshaus (Estates House of Lower Austria), is a historical building in Vienna. The building housed the estates general of the state of Lower Austria until 1848. After 1861, the state assembly and some state government ministries occupied it until 1997, when St. Pölten fully took on the role of the new capital of Lower Austria. In the revolution of March 1848, the Niederösterreichisches Landeshaus played an important role as the focal point of the revolutionary forces. The uprising was subsequently crushed by the military. In 1918 it was the seat of the parliament of the new Republic of German Austria. After the legislature and the ministries moved out of the building in 1997, the building underwent substantial renovations and restoration work, and is now used for exhibitions and for private functions and events. It was renamed the Palais Niederösterreich in 2004.

The Globe Museum (German: Globenmuseum) is a museum in the Palais Mollard, Vienna, Austria, part of the Austrian National Library. It was opened in 1956, and is the only public museum in the world devoted to globes, being three-dimensional models of Earth or other celestial bodies, or spherical representations of the celestial sphere.

Palais Mollard-Clary is a Baroque palace in Vienna, Austria. It is located in the first district Innere Stadt, at Herrengasse 9. It was built from 1686 to 1689 for Imperial Count Franz Maximilian von Mollard (1621-1690). In 1760, it was bought by Count Franz Wenzel von Clary und Aldringen. Emperor Joseph II held his famous "round tables" here. Since 2005 it has been used by the Austrian National Library and houses the Globe Museum, the Department of Music and the Department of Planned Languages and Esperanto Museum.

The Esperanto Museum and Collection of Planned Languages (German: Esperantomuseum und Sammlung für Plansprachen, Esperanto: Esperantomuzeo kaj kolekto por planlingvoj), commonly known as the Esperanto Museum, is a museum for Esperanto and other constructed languages in Vienna, Austria. It was founded in 1927 by Hofrat Hugo Steiner and was incorporated into the Austrian National Library as an independent collection in 1928. Today, it is a museum, library, documentation center, and archive. It accommodates the largest collection of constructed languages in the world and a linguistic research library for language planning. Its catalogue is available online. Since 2005, the museum has been located in the Baroque Palais Mollard-Clary. The museum holds around 35,000 library volumes, 3700 periodical titles, 3500 cultural artifacts, 10,000 autographs and manuscripts, 22,000 photographs and photographic negatives, 1500 posters, and 40,000 pamphlets. Overall, approximately 500 various planned languages are documented, of which the most important is Esperanto.

Herrengasse is a station on U3 of the Vienna U-Bahn. It is located in the Innere Stadt District. It opened in 1991.