Rathaus, the City Hall of Vienna, was built between 1872 and 1873 by the famous designer Friedrich von Schmidt. The splendid Neo-Gothic style of architectural work made it one of the popular Vienna Attractions. Rathaus in Vienna houses the city council as well as the mayor.
Emperor Francis Joseph instructed that the height of the tower should not exceed 99 meters. Hence, the tower of city hall, with 331 steps, goes up to a height of 98 meters. The height of the hall itself is about 97.9 meters. The huge chandelier of this hall deserves special mention, because of its beauty.
On the top of the Rathaus at Vienna, is the Rathausmann. This statue, representing the medieval knight, is 8.8 meters high, which includes a 3.4 meters flagpole. It is made of melted Russian kopecks, which weighs about 650 kilograms. The statue is balanced by a sphere, which weighs about 800 kilograms. It is a huge pendulum, which acts as an equalizer of weight and thus maintains the balance even during heavy storms.
In front of Rathaus in Vienna, is a huge park known as Rathauspark. Emperor Franz Joseph I in 1863 made this park out of the parade ground. The designer of the park was Dr. Rudolf Seibeck.
