Activities
City Tours
Please note that registration for many of the side events is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. For further details, please see here.
Between Ostarrichi and the Bosporus. Vienna, Byzantium, the Crusades & the Global Middle Ages
Guided City Walk through Vienna Focusing on Medieval and Byzantine Connections
Vienna already in medieval times was situated at the intersection of ancient transregional routes. Pilgrims, crusaders and merchants passed the city on their way into Southeastern Europe and Constantinople along the Danube. Two imperial princesses from Byzantium settled in Vienna in the 12th and 13th century as wives of Dukes of Austria. Steppe nomadic groups such as the Huns, the Avars, the Magyars, the Cumans and the Mongols created connections to the wider worlds of Central Eurasia. Commodities, manuscripts and other objects found their way to the Danube from across the medieval world. This tour explores the traces of the Global Middle Ages in Vienna´s historical centre from Late Antiquity into the 15th century.
Registration is required.
Tuesday, 25 August 2026, 9:00 – 11:30 am
Starting point: University of Vienna, main entrance
The event is not wheelchair-accessible.
Registration fee: 20 €
Maximum participants: 25
Registration closes on 31 July 2026, 23:59 CEST
The City of the Golden Apple. Ottoman Views of Vienna between Sieges, Trade & Spies
Guided City Walk Exploring Ottoman Views of Vienna
With the Ottoman conquest of Hungary in 1526, Vienna became a main target of further plans of the Sultans for expansion. Two major sieges in 1529 and 1683 failed, but had a strong impact on the development of the city and its historical memory. Vienna, however, was also the object of description and admiration of Ottoman travellers, ambassadors – and spies. Furthermore, the city attracted Ottoman subjects of various religious denominations as merchants and migrants. The tour explores these Ottoman aspects of Vienna in the urban landscape, also with the help of historical images and texts.
Registration is required.
Wednesday, 26 August 2026, 9:00 – 11:30 am
Starting point: University of Vienna, main entrance
The event is not wheelchair-accessible.
Registration fee: 20 €
Maximum participants: 25
Registration closes on 31 July 2026, 23:59 CEST
Floods, Fires and Plagues. A Journey into the Environmental History of Medieval and Early Modern Vienna
Guided City Walk on Natural Disasters and Urban Change in Vienna’s Past
Like all pre-modern urban centres, Vienna was affected by various natural calamities, from the Late Antique Little Ice Age to the Late Medieval Little Ice Age, from the First Plague Pandemic (the “Justinianic Plague”) to the Second one of the “Black Death”. Recurring floods of the Danube and other rivers modified the urban landscape in often dramatic ways, while storms, fires and even earthquakes destroyed lives and buildings. Based on the newest findings of archaeology and environmental history, the tour explores the ecological dynamics of Vienna from Roman times to the early 19th century.
Registration is required.
Thursday, 27 August 2026, 9:00 – 11:30 am
Starting point: University of Vienna, main entrance
The event is not wheelchair-accessible.
Registration fee: 20 €
Maximum participants: 25
Registration closes on 31 July 2026, 23:59 CEST
Cancellation conditions
A refund of the registration fee is not possible at any time after registration has been completed.