In the Footsteps of Evil: A Walking Tour of Hitler’s Vienna

Young Adolf Hitler struggled to make his mark as an artist in Vienna, the pearl of the Habsburg Empire. On this walking tour, you’ll follow in his footsteps and visit key locations that played a crucial role in his formative years.

Our tour starts outside Wien Westbahnhof train station and ends in front of the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, which rejected the aspirant artist’s application three times. You’ll weave through part of the bustling Jewish Quarter where, ironically, Hitler found some of his best clients for his mediocre hand-painted postcards. Along the way, you’ll find out how Vienna’s anti-Semitic environment and Hitler’s experiences of poverty and rejection shaped his worldview, providing valuable insights into one of history’s darkest chapters.

Along the way, you’ll have a chance to:

• See the grand Volkstheater where Hitler frequently attended performances
• Stand in the very spot on Heldenplatz (the square near Volksgarten) where he gave his triumphant “reunification” speech to over 200,000 people
• Discover the multicultural neighborhood where Hitler lived as a failed art student and see his former digs outside Stumpergasse 31
• Learn the true story of Hitler’s downward spiral, and who came to his rescue
• Find out about the anti-semitic mayor, the larger-than-life “handsome” Karl Lueger, who gave Hitler his political playbook
• Hear quotes from Hitler’s roommate and only friend
• Spot Stumpergasse 13 where the Sisters of Mercy Hospital provided soup to a young, destitute Hitler
• Understand why the Nazi propaganda machine was keen to rewrite Hitler’s origin story in Vienna

Whether you’re interested in history, World War II, or Vienna, there’s much to learn about how the city played a pivotal role in forging the tyrant Hitler would become.

Don’t miss this opportunity to gain a unique perspective on these complex political, socioeconomic and racial factors, and a deeper understanding of the events that led to World War II.

Allow 120 minutes for this walk. There are plenty of cafés and restaurants along the route for a quick rest stop.