Are you looking for unknown places in Vienna that even let the most traditional Viennese dance for joy in secret? Our list reveals the coolest places in Vienna away from the hordes of people and tourist hotspots.

Definitely include: Planquadrat Park

Residents living around the self-administered Planquadrat garden in the 4th district lovingly call it "Plani". The park invites you to walk in its meadows at any time of year – the little ones can romp around in the large sandbox, the façades are prettily greened, pergolas create a cozy atmosphere. For many people, Planquadrat Park may be an unknown place in Vienna, but in terms of the city's history, it is unique: it was created out of the combination and planting of several courtyards by the local residents. The site used to be a derelict inner-city area, or "G'stättn", characterized by concrete, rubble, oil drums, shattered panes of glass and barbed wire – only the trees were already there. Today, the park is open to the public and a relaxed meeting place for young and old.

Into the Wild

In the Erdberg urban wilderness, passionate city walkers will find and unknown place in Vienna that enchants with its almost rough vegetation. The natural landscape is set aside by the municipality of Vienna as an ecological development site, which enables nature to reconquer its realm here. The Erdberg urban wilderness is a place of escape for plants and animals pushed out of the city and also offers a place of retreat to bi-pedal creatures: an unknown place in Vienna just waiting to be discovered by you.

Experiencing history in an air-raid shelter

Next, the search for unknown places in Vienna leads us to Anne Carlsson Park in the 9th district, where an impressive witness from the Second World War can be found. Beneath the concrete walls, which were decorated decades later with graffiti, is an air-raid shelter intended to offer people a refuge during bombing. Guided tours are held here all year round by appointment and cover all aspects of the Second World War, from the presentation of National Socialist propaganda to the liberation of Vienna. The cold, damp air in the narrow corridors of the shelter bring the horrors of the war to life – and guarantee that you’ll remember the tour for a long time to come.

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Hollywood backdrop: the Cemetery of the Nameless

The Viennese are known for reacting to many things with nonchalant indifference. But when the Austrian capital pops up in big Hollywood productions, they feel a tinge of warmth in their heart. Which is what the Cemetery of the Nameless and its unique scenery achieved in the American movie "Before Sunrise", starring Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke. However, the mystic cemetery, where unknown or unidentified people have their final resting place, doesn't only look good on the big screen. This unknown place may lie a little outside Vienna's city limits at Alberner Hafen, but is always worth a visit.

Ice, ice, baby!

The fairytale illuminations of the Vienna Ice World at City Hall Square attract many visitors in winter, year after year. The Engelmann Artificial Ice Rink offers a little more space to make your laps on the ice. It is considered to be the oldest open-air artificial ice rink in the world and has a very special ambience: where else can skating fans flit around on the flat roof of a building while looking down at the city below them?

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