The Rathaus is the City Hall of Vienna which serves as the seat both of the mayor and city council. It was designed (Gothic) by Friedrich von Schmidt and built between 1872 and 1883. The structure is built on #1 Friedrich-Schmidt-Platz, the street named after the designer. The Rathaus can be found on the other side crossing from the Parliament building.

We went there for a skate because every winter the front lawn is turned into a big iceskating rink (Wiener Eistraum/Viennese Icedream), unfortunately, we were too early as it is still being constructed.

This beautiful building has piqued my curiosity ever since I first noticed it. For years, I have wondered what its purpose is as it does look like a castle in front of a river, it can be seen as the tram we board home passes by.

Never judge a book by its cover, as the cliche goes…in this case, never let the appearance fool you! For this building, so grand and picturesque, was supposedly a prison turned into Austria’s Ministry of National Defense Office. Currently under the command of Minister Norbert Darabos, the Armed Forces are engaged into national and international peace-keeping operations and humanitarian missions.

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I could only imagine how nice and comfortable the lives of the prisoners would be in this kind of institution. I remember during Sociology class that we once visited the Bilibid prison (Muntinlupa, Philippines) and it was a very different sight in terms of building architecture and perhaps the interior too, as well as the program and routine of internees. I believe the only ‘good-looking’ sight then was Robin Padilla…lol.

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