★★★★★ 5.0
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Water World
This plaza is built on top of Vienna's forgotten ocean... a massive underground reservoir that once supplied the entire city's water. When the U3 subway extended to Johnstraße in 1994, the Wasserbehälter Schmelz vanished beneath your feet, replaced by a marketplace below. But architects Guttmann and Falkner refused to let the water's story die. They commissioned three international sculptors—Japanese-Austrian artist Osamu Nakajima, Hans Muhr, and Waltrud Viehböck—to create the Wiener Wasserwelt: seven spectacular fountain installations that have captivated visitors for over twenty years. Watch Nakajima's towering granite steles explode with water jets, carved to remember what was lost. Eastward stands Muhr's Lebensbaum, a Tree of Life powered by solar panels while dancing with water. The neo-Gothic brick church Maria Queen of Martyrs behind you has stood guard since 1875, built with Cardinal Rauscher's personal wealth. This plaza spans thirteen thousand square meters, recently renovated with twenty-seven new trees. Underground memory flows into art.
Did You Know?
- :Water World in Vienna, originally built in 1898/99, played a crucial role in the city’s history as a water reservoir that supplied drinking water to Vienna’s higher districts before the introduction of modern Alpine pipelines, making it a key piece of the city’s early urban infrastructure.
- The building’s architecture is a striking example of late 19th-century industrial design, featuring a massive, fortress-like concrete structure with ornate detailing that once housed enormous water tanks—today, its imposing presence is a reminder of Vienna’s engineering heritage.
- Though no longer used for water storage, Water World has become a lesser-known local landmark, and its hidden underground chambers and vintage machinery offer a fascinating glimpse into the past, making it a unique spot for families and history buffs to explore Vienna’s industrial secrets.