Come see the attractive and historically significant Schwarzenbergplatz, a Viennese square running between the Kärntner Ring section of the Ringstrasse (Ringstraße) and Lothringerstraße. It then continues until it becomes Rennweg Straße as it passes by Belvedere Gardens (Belvedere Garten) and the Palais Schwarzenberg.
Until the mid-19th century, most of the area of today's Schwarzenberg Square was filled with Vienna's city walls. After the demolition of the city walls, these areas became available for construction and magnificent buildings were erected. In 1861, Emperor Franz Joseph I ordered the construction of the Schwarzenberg Monument to commemorate the victorious commander of the 1813 Battle of Leipzig, Karl Philipp, the Prince of Schwarzenberg. The towering statue was completed in October 1867.
In 2003 and 2004, the Schwarzenberg Square was re-designed and equipped with sunken lighting elements representing different lighting effects. During the restructuring, they removed much of the green spaces that had existed, a rather controversial act. Many preferred the largely still-existing slim light poles from 1904; they found the newer lighting fixtures clumsy and clunky.
The Wien River also runs beneath the Schwarzenbergplatz (Schwarzenberg Square). Additionally and fascinatingly, the square was once the location of the "Zwingburg", a shelter for homeless people who retreated into the Viennese sewers.