Once, in the XIX century, on this very spot stood a merchant house where carpets and other household goods were sold. But during World War II, like many other buildings in Vienna, it was destroyed.
In place of the ruins in the very heart of the historic part of the city, architect Hans Hollein erected his highly provocative structure: an avant-garde luxury shopping complex with a cafe on the very roof. On the glass facade of this building, you can observe the distorted reflection of St. Stephen's Cathedral, which looks quite unusual.
Curiously, the townspeople, who usually enthusiastically embrace everything new, took a dislike to both this building and its creator. But over time the disputes subsided, the hostility toward the building faded, and now most residents of Vienna consider this structure a significant contribution to the architectural appearance of the capital of Austria.
