About this place
Heldenplatz is the site of the most infamous moment in Austrian 20th century history. On March 15, 1938, Adolf Hitler announced the annexation of Austria from the balcony of the Neue Burg to a jubilant crowd of hundreds of thousands. This image of mass enthusiasm contradicts the postwar myth that Austria was solely a victim of German aggression. The square remains a place of complicated memory, where the grandeur of the architecture clashes with the echoes of the totalitarian rally that took place here.
Key facts
- 250000 people — Gathered here to cheer Hitler's speech in 1938
- 15 March — The date Austria officially ceased to exist as a state
- 1938 year — Marking the beginning of the Nazi occupation
📍 Heldenplatz, 1010, Wien