Hoher Markt is Vienna’s oldest square and was once the centre of the Roman outpost; today it is also home to the Ankeruhr, an art nouveau masterpiece created by Franz von Matsch in 1911 and named after the Anker Insurance Co, which commissioned it. Over a 12-hour period, figures slowly pass across the clock face, indicating the time against a static measure showing the minutes.
Figures range from Marcus Aurelius (the Roman emperor who died in Vienna in AD 180) to Josef Haydn, with Eugene of Savoy, Maria Theresia and many others in between. Details of who’s who are on a plaque on the wall below. People flock here at noon, when all the figures trundle past in succession to the tune of organ music.
