13 of Vienna's craziest street names and the stories behind them - Vienna Würstelstand

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13 of Vienna’s craziest street names and the stories behind them

1. Julius-Ficker-Straße (translation: Julius-Motherfucker-Street)

© image via Google Maps

We really can’t help but giggle everytime we hear this name. But who was this Julius fella and why was he such a Ficker? (sorry for that one)

Julius von Ficker was an important jurist and historian in the 19th century. Later in his life, he became a member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences and he even was ennobled (his full name then being Julius Ficker Ritter von Feldhaus).

So not only was he an aristocrat, but also quite the smart fucker (sorry again). Maybe you will think twice now before you laugh at this guy’s name. Ah, who are we kidding – it’s always gonna be funny.

2. Fickeysstraße (Translation: Fuck-y street)

© image via Google Maps

Another street that channels our twelve-year-old selves is Fickeystrasse. As you might have guessed already, it’s also named after someone with a rather unfortunate name. Johann Fickeys, to be exact; a merchant and member of Vienna’s local council from 1895 to 1905.

3. Fickertgasse

© image via Google Maps

Ok, one more, but that’s it then. We promise. This one actually bears the name of a woman; a quite important one at that.

Auguste Fickert was a teacher, as well as a women’s rights activist. As such, she was engaged in school policy, fought against the discrimination of female teachers and for the separation of church and school.

She also became an important campaigner for universal suffrage through her protests and intense political engagement.

4. Schlachthausgasse (Translation: Slaughterhouse road)

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Why the hell would somebody name a street, ‘slaughter house’? Sounds like something from a cheap 80s horror film, right? Well, back in the day, this street ran past an actual slaughter house. And right next to that was the Zentralviehmarkt St. Marx, which was Vienna’s largest animal market at the time. How convenient.

5. Blutgasse (Translation: Blood alley)

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If you’re an avid first district stroller or strutter, you might already know this pretty little alleyway right behind Stephansplatz.

The history of its name is a little less pretty than the street, though. Legend has it that in 1312 the Templars Knights (a crew of merry…ok, not so merry, Catholic soldiers who were part of a military order), who dwelled in this area, were slain and their blood spilled onto the pavement and flowed down this street.

However, this really is just a legend, according to historians. The actual reason is still unknown, but we assume it isn’t any less bloody considering it’s called ‘Blood alley.’

6. Lustgasse (Lust alley)

© image via Google Maps

This street sounds kinda saucy and sexy, huh?

However, contrary to what you may conclude of a street with ‘Lust’ in its name, it wasn’t given this name because there used to be a couple of brothels located on it. It was actually the pleasure garden of the adjacent palace that gave it its name. But who knows what those cheeky royals really did for pleasure in their gardens.

7. Hirnbrecherstiege (Brain busting stairs)

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Hirnbrecherstiege, or ‘Brain Busting stairs’ doesn’t  sound dangerous at all, right?

This narrow passage in the heart of Nussdorf must’ve been quite infamous among folks back then, since its name was coined by them, most likely as an allusion to the steepness of the stairway.

We’re not sure whether people actually broke their brains on these stairs, but we can only imagine what kind of accidents took place that had it earn this name.

8. Knödelhüttenstraße (Translation: Dumpling hut street)

© image via Google Maps

Only in Vienna would you find a street named Knödelhüttenstrasse, or ‘dumpling hut.’

It got its name from what was originally a lodge for lumberjacks that later turned into one of the most famous hotels in the area.

It closed down in 1980, which is unfortunate, as we would’ve loved to try their Knödel!

9. Hanfgasse (Translation: Hemp alley)

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Guess it’s pretty obvious where this street’s name comes from. We wonder if this street smells different than the others, by any chance.

10. Graffitistraße (Translation: well…um…Graffiti street)

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The explanation behind this streets name is rather self-explanatory, we’d suggest.

Would’ve made more sense to name the lanes alongside the Donaukanal similarly though, right? Not much graffiti to be found on this street!

11. An der Hölle (Translation: in hell)

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Apparently hell exists, and it is located in Vienna’s 10th district.

After endless Googling, it’s still not quite clear why this street earned itself such a sinister name. It could be that it’s actually referring to the German word for cave (=Höhle), however, we like to think somebody named this street, ‘In Hell’ as some weird kind of joke.

12. Habe-die-Ehre-Gasse (Translation: It’s my honour road)

© image via Google Maps

It’s common to have streets bear the names of famous and important people, historical sites, or events, however, you don’t encounter many streets that have local phrases or expressions in them? That’s next level.

‘Habe die Ehre’ literally means something like, ‘It’s my honour,’ and is used as a greeting in some parts of Austria and Bavaria. Germany.

We’re liking this approach to naming streets and highly recommend we name the next street, Oidagasse.

13. Haberergasse (Translation: mate road)

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In case you didn’t know, ‘Haberer’ is a Viennese term for ‘mate.’ Maybe naming this street was meant to be a tribute to friendship. Or maybe they just ran out of ideas at the street name committee (best job EVER, by the way). Who knows.

Speaking of which, did you know that everyone can bring in name suggestions for new streets?

As new areas are constantly being developed, they all need to be properly named, of course. You can file a proposal at the respective district authority and have your proposition reviewed. Now excuse us while we go and try our luck at making ‘Würstelstandstraße’ a reality.

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