Heldenplatz: The Square in Front of the Hofburg
Updated September 18, 2026
Heldenplatz is the open space in front of the Hofburg, in Vienna's first district, and it is free to walk across at any hour. It is also a working government address: the President of Austria resides in the adjoining Hofburg wing, and the Federal Chancellery stands on the neighbouring Ballhausplatz. Most visitors cross it on the way to the Neue Burg entrance without registering either fact.
What stands there
Two equestrian monuments face each other across the square, and the curved facade of the Neue Burg closes one side of it. The other side opens to the Ring and the Volksgarten. The space was laid out as part of an imperial forum that was never finished, which is why it feels unresolved: one wing built, its mirror never begun.
15 March 1938
The balcony of the Neue Burg is where Hitler addressed a crowd on the square after the Anschluss, and it is the detail most people searching for Heldenplatz are looking for. The square has been used for public assembly before and since, including the national day ceremonies each October. We state this plainly because the history is part of the place, and because a visitor standing there deserves to know what they are standing in.
Using it as a visitor
Heldenplatz is the entrance side for the Neue Burg museums, and the natural approach from the U2 at Museumsquartier or Volkstheater, each about 500 metres away. It costs nothing, it never closes, and it is the best place to understand the scale of the complex before you buy a ticket to any part of it.
Frequently asked questions
What is Heldenplatz?
The public square in front of the Hofburg in Vienna's first district. It is free and open at all hours.
Is the Austrian president's office at Heldenplatz?
Yes. The President of Austria resides in the adjoining Hofburg wing, and the Federal Chancellery is on the neighbouring Ballhausplatz.
Can you visit the balcony?
The Neue Burg balcony is not a public viewing point; the museums inside the wing are what you can enter, on the Neue Burg ticket.
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