Public toilet at the Graben

The construction of the lavishly designed Art Nouveau toilet on Graben in the 1st district of 1905 was preceded by controversial discussions about the location, but finally the public toilet was approved at the Josefsbrunnen, which was also renovated at the same time.

The underground structure, which is a listed building, is characterized by its high-quality choice of materials (teak and oak wood, brass fittings, marble, cut glass, etc.) and was built by the contractor Wilhelm Beetz, who specialized in such facilities. To date, there are more than 30 toilet blocks and urinals in the city from his production.

Currently, there are about 175 public toilets in Vienna (managed by MA 48) and about 40 more in and at stations of the Wiener Linien. The Viennese, by the way, often refer to the toilet as „Heisl“ or „Häusl“, derived from the wooden hut that used to be common in the countryside.