The Heldenplatz ("Heroes' Square") is a historical plaza in Vienna, where in 1938, Adolf Hitler announced the Anschluss of Austria to the German Reich.
The plaza
The Heldenplatz is the outer plaza of the Hofburg and was built under the reign of Emperor Francis Joseph, as part of what was to become the Kaiserforum (imperial forum), which, however, was never completed. In the northeast, it is bordered by the Leopoldinian Tract of the Hofburg, in the southeast by the New Hofburg, and in the southwest by the Ringstraße, from which it is separated by the Äußeres Burgtor (Outer Castle Gate). The northwestern part, where there are no buildings, offers a view of the Ringstraße with the Austrian Parliament , the Vienna Rathaus (Town Hall), and the Burgtheater.
On the plaza, there are the two equestrian statues of Prince Eugene and Archduke Charles, who are remembered as great military leaders.
Literature
Even though the plaza has been used for many events and occasions since then, the historical connotation of Hitler's speech remains strong in the public perception. This is also the reason why the Heldenplatz has been the subject of several works of literature, most prominently of Thomas Bernhard's play Heldenplatz and a poem by Ernst Jandl named wien: heldenplatz".
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