The Urban Loritz Platz is a bustling pivot point surrounded by one of Vienna’s main road axis, the Gürtel. It’s home to the U6 underground station Burggasse, four tram lines as well as the main library. Some Viennese may argue that it’s not one of the city’s most attractive spots (it’s not speckless), but I love its authenticity.
The entire square is covered by a 130-meter-long canopy of membrane and steel, which in itself is already a worthwhile piece of architecture.

My main focus however lies at one end of the square, where you’ll find 102 exterior stairs that at first sight seem to be never ending. Once you have taken a close look at them, you might notice their strong architectural correlation to the Casa Malaparte on the island of Capri. I recommend climbing them, experiencing the same sensation, like walking up Casa Malaparte, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea and feeling like the king or queen of the world.

To remain honest, you probably won’t be seeing an ocean in Vienna (depending on your imaginative power of course), but what you’ll see is a bit more of the city’s skyline with every stair you climb. You can take different paths up, sit down and relax while watching the busy life on the square, you can listen to the typical squeaking sound of Viennese tram rails, or simply absorb all vibes while eating a kebab or a falafel that you bought downstairs and definitely deserve after the climb.