This review combines our recent experience at this church and the surrounding Mexikoplatz. Gayle…read moreand I walked all around both, and experienced a residential neighborhood vibe. We were unable to enter the church, but did find evidence of a mass schedule (at the side door) and a daycare operation. The main entrances were either a campground for homeless folks or were securely fenced off. Yet apparently, this church is home to the Vienna English Speaking Catholic Community.
The St. Francis of Assisi Church is located along the Danube and sports a signature brick Basilica profile. We also used this landmark to to find our way back to our cruise ship. The surrounding Mexikoplatz (Mexico Square), formerly known as Erzherzog-Karl-Platz (Archduke-Karl-Square), commemorates the fact that Mexico was the only country outside the Soviet Union to protest against the Anschluss of Austria to Nazi Germany. The Church and Plaza are also located on the southwestern end of the Reichsbrücke (Empire Bridge).
Gayle and I also noted that we were located in the Vienna's Second District, Leopoldstadt, which was also the name of a famous play of that name by Tom Stoppard. Not surprisingly, there was clearly a disconnect between the setting of this play and what we experienced in this District.