Imperial Crypt (Kaisergruft)
Beneath a busy Vienna square, 145 Habsburgs share the dark — the most recent arrival was in 2023.
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Four centuries of dynasty compressed into one underground complex: 12 emperors, 18 empresses, and 107 metal sarcophagi spread across several vaults. Capuchin friars have stood guard since 1633, the same year Emperor Matthias and Empress Anna — the woman whose idea and whose money built this place, and the husband she intended it for — were laid here with ceremony.
What to look for
- The sarcophagi range from bare, puritan-plain metal to exuberant rococo ornament.
- Five heart urns, separate from the main coffins, hold the hearts or cremated remains of four royals who are counted apart from the 145 full burials.
- The Founders Vault, where the remains of Emperor Matthias and Empress Anna were transferred at Easter 1633 — the original purpose of the entire crypt.
Enter through the Capuchin Church on Neuer Markt in the Innere Stadt, a short walk from the Hofburg Palace. Admission required; hours vary by season.
Imperial Crypt (Kaisergruft) is one of 39 sights worth the detour in Vienna, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the Vienna pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in Vienna
- Schönbrunn PalaceHabsburg emperors were born here, ruled from here, and died here — 1,441 rooms of Baroque ambition spanning 300 years.
- St. Stephen's CathedralA cathedral consecrated in 1147 as crusaders prepared to march — and built on top of a Roman burial ground that nobody knew was there until 2000.
- BelvederePrince Eugene built this summer palace on Ottoman campaign winnings — it is now three art museums inside a World Heritage Baroque garden.
- Hofburg PalaceSeven centuries of Austrian rulers worked from this address — the current president still does.
- Vienna State OperaThe first major building on Vienna's Ring Road, and the house where Vienna Philharmonic musicians earn their seats.
- Ernst-Happel-StadionBuilt for workers' sport in 1931, this 50,865-seat bowl also served as a transit prison for over 1,000 Jewish deportees in 1939.