As viewed from Rathaus Park.

Vienna's palaces, monuments, and buildings were built to convey the greatness of this city.
The Austrian Empire built Vienna on a grand scale. From 1276 to 1918, the Habsburg dynasty
ruled Vienna. The Austrian Empire and the Habsburgs have left many reminders of the city's
former greatness. From its origins as a Roman village, on the Danubian plain, Vienna has
evolved over the years into one of the largest metropolises of central Europe,
a music capital of the world.

Ironically, the river for which Vienna is so famous, the Danube, doesn't really pass through
the city. Between 1868 and 1877 the river was channeled into its present muddy banks
east of town, and was replaced with a small-scale substitute, the Donaukanal (Danube Canal),
which was dug for shipping in foodstuffs and other supplies.