Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Austria Vienna Vienna Sewer System
AO Edited

Vienna Sewer System

Vienna's underworld of tunnels and subterranean rivers made an iconic appearance in a 1949 Orson Welles film.

Vienna, Austria

Added By
Alex
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Part of the sewers seen in the tour, as it was in the film.   Alexolotl / Atlas Obscura User
Another location visited in the tour.   Alexolotl / Atlas Obscura User
The canal network in Vienna, as seen on the Third Man tour.   pd4u/CC0
Orson Welles in a still from the film.   https://www.flickr.com/photos/tom-margie/8456487993
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Beneath the streets of Vienna lies another network of passages: its historic sewer system that dates back to the mid-1800s. It's one of the most impressive sewer systems in Europe, but this underworld of Vienna is famous for a very different reason: its iconic appearance in the 1949 film The Third Man. Set in the divided, war-torn Vienna of 1947, the film, starring Orson Welles, portrays the issues prevalent in post-war Vienna, including the division of the city into sectors, the black market, and penicillin theft. It eventually culminates in a tense, eerie scene featuring Welles running through the sewers, brilliantly atmospheric in black-and-white and with dramatic camera angles. It made the tunnels famous—to whatever extent a sewer can become a celebrity.

 

This system of tunnels and underground rivers was the most complex in Europe at the time it was built, and was widely expanded after a debilitating cholera outbreak in 1830. Storm waters and sewage were channeled into a system for the first time and kept out of the Danube and its tributaries.

The sewer was further expanded throughout the 19th and 20th centuries to keep up with the city's population growth, and despite suffering heavy bombing (along with the rest of the city) during World War II, repairs were completed by 1950.  

Parts of the sewers are open to the public, but only via an occasional guided tour. It uses the film as a theme, but the sewers are a spectacular sight in their own right, a brilliant part of city infrastructure and a historic piece of engineering well worth seeing.

Related Tags

Sewers Underground Water Subterranean Sites Subterranean Film Locations Film World War Ii Infrastructure Military

Know Before You Go

Reservation online or via phone is required (the phone number is available on the website). Whilst a trip into the sewers, it is never too dark (they are well lit, and additionally headlamps are worn) and it does not venture into any small spaces. There are some narrow passages, but they are tall and many spaces in the tour are large, even cavernous. The tours are given with fully trained sewer workers. Tours are only available in English at 3pm daily. Look for the '3. Mann Tour' booth at Karlsplatz-Girardipark, 1010 Wien, opposite the Café Museum. Tours are currently suspended due to Covid-19.

Community Contributors

Added By

Alexolotl

Edited By

ritchshaw, SEANETTA, Kavya Ram Mohan

  • ritchshaw
  • SEANETTA
  • Kavya Ram Mohan

Published

July 28, 2017

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://www.drittemanntour.at/en/the-vienna-sewer-system/history
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Third_Man
  • https://www.wien.gv.at/english/environment/sewer-system/history/index.html
Vienna Sewer System
Karlsplatz-Girardipark
Vienna
Austria
48.200879, 16.367609
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Vollpension

Vienna, Austria

miles away

Karlskirche (St. Charles's Church)

Vienna, Austria

miles away

Memorial Against War and Fascism

Vienna, Austria

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Vienna

Vienna

Austria

Places 66
Stories 7

Nearby Places

Vollpension

Vienna, Austria

miles away

Karlskirche (St. Charles's Church)

Vienna, Austria

miles away

Memorial Against War and Fascism

Vienna, Austria

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Vienna

Vienna

Austria

Places 66
Stories 7

Related Places

  • Techatticup Mine.

    Nelson, Nevada

    Techatticup Mine

    This famous Nevada gold mine, once a hotbed of Wild West shenanigans, is now open for tours.

  • In the Barcelona sewer system.

    Barcelona, Spain

    Sewers of Barcelona

    Barcelona's historic 19th-century sewers, whose foundations were laid in medieval times, are open to the public for exploring.

  • The blast door at the entrance.

    Colorado Springs, Colorado

    Cheyenne Mountain Complex

    The superstar of Cold War nuclear bunkers has been featured in countless films but is now barely operational.

  • Parma, Italy

    Gallery delle Fontane

    A completely underground tour following the path of the most precious element: water.

  • Pertosa Caves.

    Muraglione, Italy

    Pertosa Caves

    Ride a boat through this magnificent underground world, which now doubles as a theater.

  • Abandoned Eriksdal Train Tunnel.

    Södermalm, Sweden

    Abandoned Eriksdal Train Tunnel

    It was meant to help transport wounded soldiers to a secret underground hospital.

  • London logo with Mexico City train.

    Mexico City, Mexico

    Metro Auditorio

    This Mexico City subway station will make you feel like you've been transported to the London Underground.

  • Newhaven Fort

    Newhaven, England

    Newhaven Fort

    A Victorian Fort built into the chalky cliffs that overlook the English Channel.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.