Graben, Vienna

The Graben is a historic pedestrian street in the Innere Stadt, Vienna’s central district, noted for its shops, cafés and preserved historic façades. The name Graben means “ditch” and reflects the street’s origin as a former city trench.

The street is lined with retail frontage, cafés and several notable monuments and façades, the most prominent being the baroque Plague Column (Pestsäule) in its central stretch. It functions as one of Vienna’s principal ceremonial and retail promenades.

The thoroughfare evolved from a Roman and medieval defensive ditch into a street and marketplace in later centuries, acquiring much of its present urban fabric in the Baroque period. The Pestsäule was erected as a memorial after the 1679 plague.

The Graben runs through Vienna’s 1st municipal district, close to St. Stephen’s Cathedral and connecting to other major pedestrian axes such as Kärntner Straße and Kohlmarkt. It is in the historic core of the city and is readily accessible on foot from surrounding squares.

• Location in the city centre: The street is pedestrianised and located in Vienna's 1st district between Kärntner Straße and Kohlmarkt, forming part of the historic city centre.

What to See #

• Pestsäule (Plague Column): A baroque plague memorial erected in the late 17th century that stands in the middle of the street and is its best-known monument.