How long has the Vienna Naschmarkt existed and where is it located? What was his name before? What does the Naschmarkt mean nowadays?
Food and drink from all over the world is offered at Vienna’s Naschmarkt, the largest inner-city market in Vienna, just off Karlsplatz. Grocery stores with multicultural offerings adorn one side, and the other is for eating and drinking on site. Especially in the summer it is popular to spend your lunch break here or to drop by for a drink in the evening. The pubs are usually open until midnight. Whether you’re in the mood for typical Austrian specialties, Asian, Turkish or Israeli food , with 120 market stalls , everyone will find something.
The Naschmarkt, which has been in existence since 1774, is Vienna’s largest inner-city retail market, covering around 2.3 hectares. Its predecessor was a fruit and vegetable market established on the Freyung in the city. Due to ongoing disputes between the magistrate and the Schottenkloster, this was relocated in 1780 in front of the princely Starhemberg Freyhaus, today’s area Wiedner Hauptstraße – Resselgasse – Operngasse.
This former Kärntnertormarkt was known among the population for the time being as “Aschenmarkt” . A small milk market had established itself on the site of a former municipal ash and dung storage site . “Asch” was also a common name for the usual milk bucket made of ash wood. From this developed the later name Naschmarkt.
Already at the beginning of the 19th century but also delicacies with a touch of faraway lands were available here, such as exotic sweets, dates and orange peels preserved in sugar.
In earlier times, there were more men than women at the stalls. But later the command at the Naschmarkt was taken over by the “Fratschlerinnen”, the “Höcklerinnen” or the
“Bolettenweiber,” who became famous for their loose mouths and variable use of swear words. They had well-known nicknames such as “Maschansker-Kadel”, “Krawall- Minerl”, “Wäscher-Tonerl”, “Fischkopf-Reserl” etc.
However, the “Sopherl” became a synonym for the Naschmarkt. The Viennese feature writer Vinzenz Chiavacci had written about the “Sopherl vom N aschmarkt” in his column in the “Österreichische Volkszeitung” every Sunday since 1883. An elementary counterpart to the “sweet Viennese girl”: brash, gruff and snotty-nosed . That she really existed is probable, but not proven.
The taxes that the so-called “Spinatwachter” had to collect from the loud and defiant women’s regiment always remained a subject of dispute. The name remained a derogatory term for the executive branch in Vienna, which wore green uniforms until 2005. On March 30, 1905 , the City Council decided on the official name “Naschmarkt” for the marketplace between the Freihaus and the Wien River.
After the Vienna River had been regulated and built over, Otto Wagner planned a magnificent boulevard above the Vienna River for the emperor from the Hofburg to Schönbrunn. However, these plans fell
the beginning of World War I and the death of Otto Wagner. Thus, the market began to expand from the original area, to the covered area above the Vienna River, from
13,500 m² on 36,000m².
The architect Friedrich Jäckel was awarded the contract for the construction of 57 wooden sales halls with iron bracing. He designed it in the style of Biedermeier. Today they are listed as historical monuments. The market was loadable for 50,000 people . When it opened in 1916, 600 merchants offered their wares for sale.
For daily shopping, the Naschmarkt has become a bit pricey, but it is still popular, especially for tasting and sampling.
Time Travel Tip:
Saturday breakfasts are very popular here and that’s also when the weekly
Flea market held. Attention: The market is closed on Sundays !
More info: Naschmarkt – opening hours Monday to Saturday, address, offer (wien.gv.at)
