Between the Hofburg and the Burgtheater, just a few steps from the bustle of the Ringstrasse, lies one of the loveliest retreats in Vienna’s old town: the Volksgarten. In early summer the air here is filled with the scent of roses; around 3,000 rose bushes line the paths and beds, from historic varieties to modern cultivars. A stroll here feels like a short holiday in the middle of the city.
When do the roses bloom in the Volksgarten?
The main bloom usually begins at the end of May and lasts into June, a few days earlier or later depending on the weather. The best time to visit is early in the morning or in the evening, when the light softens and the benches around the beds are still free. Most of the roses grow between the entrance by the Burgtheater and the Grillparzer monument, and many more line the paths as standard roses.
In winter, by the way, the Volksgarten offers a rather curious sight. At the end of November or early December the standard roses are pruned, stripped of their leaves and wrapped in paper and jute sacks against the frost. There they stand like hooded sentries, waiting for spring.
A garden for the people
The Volksgarten owes its existence to Napoleon. When the French troops left Vienna in 1809, they blew up the Burgbastei, the bastion in front of the palace. On the cleared ground a garden was laid out to plans by Ludwig Gabriel Rémy and opened on 1 May 1823, the first garden of the imperial house intended for the public from the very beginning. Today it is cared for by the Austrian Federal Gardens.
In the middle of the garden stands the Theseus Temple, built by Peter von Nobile between 1820 and 1823 after the model of the Theseion in Athens. It was created for Antonio Canova’s Theseus group, a symbol of victory over Napoleon, which moved to the Kunsthistorisches Museum in 1890. Today the museum uses the temple to show contemporary art. Where Joseph Lanner and Johann Strauss the Elder once played in the Cortisches Kaffeehaus, a building by Oswald Haerdtl from the 1950s now stands, where people dance at night.
Roses for Sisi
In a quiet, somewhat secluded part of the garden, the Empress Elisabeth memorial commemorates Sisi. Friedrich Ohmann and Hans Bitterlich created it from Laas marble, and it was unveiled on 4 June 1907 while girls in Greek dress scattered roses. The Grillparzer monument, unveiled in 1889, honours the great dramatist of the Burgtheater just across the road.
A rose with a dedication
For romantics, the Federal Gardens have a lovely idea: rose sponsorship. For a one-off 380 euros you take on the care of a rose in the Volksgarten for five years and, if you wish, can have a small plaque with a personal dedication attached; a certificate is included. The roses are much sought after and currently all taken, but it is still worth asking, and sponsorships are also available at Schönbrunn. You will find all the details at the Austrian Federal Gardens.
Good to know
From April to October the Volksgarten is open daily from 6 am to 10 pm, in March from 7 am to 7 pm and from November to February from 7 am to 5.30 pm. Dogs and bicycles are not allowed.
Would you like to experience Vienna’s green side with me? On my Green Lucky Places tour I show you my favourite gardens, courtyards and hidden oases, many of them from my book of the same name. And on our tour of the Hofburg and the Sisi Museum, the Volksgarten is right next door.
