Vienna’s oldest square was once the called the ‘old forum’ and on it stood the palace of the Commander of the Roman fortress of Vindobona. Footings of walls of the Roman barracks can be seen in the preserved underground ruins as well as the remains of a 4th century Germanic house. In the 13th century the fish market was located here and later other goods such as animal fat, tallow, beeswax, textiles and shoes were also sold at this favoured medieval trading site. Nearly all the buildings in the square had to be rebuilt following the destruction of 1945.
