Vienna is home to many amazing works of art including monuments and statues with intricate details. Visitors can choose between viewing collections displayed indoors or exploring those displayed in public spaces.
Various sculptures dot the different parts of the city, each with a story to tell. Most were created to commemorate an important historical event in Vienna.
One attractive and well known sculpture in this Austrian capital is the 69-foot plague column or the Pestsaule, considered a sacred memorial. Specifically located on Graben in the inner city, this monument is a testament of the major plague epidemic that struck Vienna in 1679. At that time, Emperor Leopold I vowed to have a mercy column constructed if the epidemic would cease.
True to his word, a wooden corinthian column was erected in the same year. It featured the Holy Trinity and nine angels symbolizing the Nine Choirs of Angels. Several revisions were made afterwards with the final design done by Paul Strudel assisted by other sculptors Tobias Kracker and Johann Bendel. It was formally inaugurated in 1693.
Today’s monument based on the concept of Lodovico Burnacini features a cloud pyramid with angel sculptures and Emperor Leopold praying in a kneeling position.
Vienna’s Great Plague resulted in the death of an estimated 75,000 people. The bubonic plague struck Europe that time and badly affected the Austrian capital.
