Mysterious Mexikoplatz

2nd District (Leopoldstadt), Mexikoplatz, take U-1 to Vorgartenstrasse; alternatively take the round-trip by boat leaving during summer time from Schwedenbrücke with optional disembarkation at Mexikoplatz One way to see the sights of Vienna that does not involve using the busy Ringstrasse is to take a circular boat trip down the Danube Canal and up the Danube proper. The view may not be as grand, but the traveller will get to see a handful of unusual places missed by most. These include the Freudenau and Nussdorf locks, the UNO-City and Donauturm, the Millennium Tower, Friedrich Hundertwasser's colourful Spittelau incinerator and the mighty Rossauer-Kaserne barracks. Also visible will be the striking red-tiled towers of the Church of St. Francis of Assisi (see photo). Known also as the Jubilee Church, it dominates Mexikoplatz and was constructed to mark the Golden Jubilee of Emperor Franz-Josef I (1848-1916) in 1898. The design, which was the result of a competition won by architect Victor Luntz, is realised in the so-called Rhine Romanesque style. In the same year the Emperor's wife Elisabeth (Sisi) (1837-98) was assassinated, by Italian anarchist Luccheni, whilst boarding a steamer on Lake Geneva. A chapel to her memory (Elisabethkapelle) was incorporated into the church plan using the left transept. It is based on the Palatine chapel of Aix-la-Chapelle Cathedral and given a Byzantine flourish by the use of gold mosaics. Nearby is the famous Reichsbrücke that crosses the Danube to the 22nd district of Donaustadt. It was across this bridge in April 1945 that retreating German troops fled to the west bank in the face of advancing Russian forces, and indeed for some time after it was called the Bridge of the Red Army. The relentless pursuit of German troops by the Russians all the way to the Innere Stadt accounts for the lack of pre-war architecture in both the 2nd district of Leopoldstadt and especially along the banks of the Danube Canal, having been bombed into oblivion (1,178 buildings were destroyed in Leopoldstadt during this short time, twice as many as had been lost through earlier allied air raids). In August 1976 the bridge mysteriously and quite unexpectedly collapsed (with one fatality) and was subsequently rebuilt. This is all the more curious because it was the only bridge over the Danube to have been left standing after the war - presumably unseen damage below the waterline finally took its toll (one of the bridges destroyed in the war was the Floridsdorfer Brücke not far upstream, two original piers from which can still be seen in the water together with the original west bank bridgehead). Equally curious is why Mexikoplatz is so named although some claim it commemorates Maximilian, brother of Emperor Franz-Josef I, who was executed by republican revolutionaries in Mexico in 1867, following his abortive attempt at carving out a Habsburg outpost there. It seems more likely, certainly according to an inscribed stone in Mexikoplatz today, that the name acknowledges the little-known fact that it was only Mexico (together with the Soviet Union) that lodged an international protest against Hitler's annexation (Anschluss) of Austria with Germany in 1938. Whatever the reason, over the years travellers from former Eastern Bloc countries have tended to congregate in Mexikoplatz and it retains the lively feel of an eastern bazaar, with shops selling cheap watches, vodka and textiles. Passengers disembarking from the large Danube passenger ships that now moor on the river nearby have enhanced this vibrant ethnic mix further. Text and photograph © Duncan J D Smith 2004. Read similar articles in his forthcoming book Only in Vienna - A Guide to the Hidden Corners, Little-Known Places and Unusual Objects of the City on the Danube Duncan J. D. Smith From the age of 10 he has been an avid collector of all things historical. Together with his father Trevor, a retired teacher and librarian, he has co-written and illustrated five highly successful books. His literary sojourn in the cultural capital of Vienna has inspired him to research, photograph and write his forthcoming book Only in Vienna - A Guide to the Hidden Corners, Little-Known Places and Unusual Objects of the City on the Danube. The city has also prompted him to attempt painting, something he has wanted to try for many years, and to indulge his interest in the world of classical music. Duncan is currently researching his new book, Only in Budapest, which will be devoted to the hidden corners of the Hungarian capital.  Read More about Duncan For reprints and usage permission of his articles he can be contacted through his website:  www.duncanjdsmith.com

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