Naschmarkt
Author: Anothertravelguide.com0 COMMENTS
Should you happen to find yourself in Vienna on a Saturday, the best place to visit first thing in the morning is definitely the Naschmarkt market - if only because Saturdays are the days when, alongside the traditional traders' stalls, the place hosts a flea market. Naschmarkt, at this address for more than a hundred years, is also one of the largest open-air markets in Europe. The locals often refer to it as „the city's stomach"; it may very well be one of the few places where you can get reasonably close to the real Vienna - sans the make-up of the ever-presentable facade. On Saturdays the market is jam-packed: definitely no room to swing the proverbial cat. Furthermore, Naschmarkt is a living and breathing embodiment of pronounced multiculturalism, one of Vienna's main hallmarks. Alongside the local produce, you will also find Oriental spices and seafood hailing from the Mediterranean and the depths of the ocean, plus loads and loads of anything you might fancy: from fruit, vegetables and wine to cheese, olives and flatbreads. Besides, the street next to the „shopping alley" - the whole 500 metres of it - is literally lined by eateries featuring a wild diversity of cuisines: Indian, Chinese, Austrian, Turkish, Japanese, Greek, Egyptian, etc. You could even start your day as you mean to go on - with oysters and white wine...
Another fascinating landmark a stone's throw from Naschmarkt is the Vienna Secession Building, yet another item on your must-see list. Unveiled in 1897 to promote the new trends of the Austrian avant-garde art, the building was designed by Joseph Maria Olbrich, the student of Otto Wagner. Often described as a cross between a temple and a warehouse due to its flamboyant image, the building was initially met with biting criticism. Today, the Secession Building with its dome of golden laurel leaves (nicknamed „the golden cabbage" by local wits) is definitely one of the most easily recognisable symbols of the city.