Two Markets in Vienna

At the street market in the Tenth District

I’m a habitual market visitor when I travel; markets are not only great places to buy food for dinner but also to observe, and perhaps even participate, in local life. That’s true for supermarkets, too, but where open or indoor large markets have survived, they’re the best.

And survival is a real question. In many cities, there are fewer markets, and even where they persist, many of them have become not the daily source of food for working families but settings for gourmet delicacies and trendy cafes. Today, my tale of two markets in Vienna, on two different paths.

The first and most famous is the Naschmarkt, once the only place in the city where produce brought from the countryside could be sold (a separate market on the Danube was for food that came by boat). The other is the market centered on Viktor-Adler-Platz in Favoriten, Vienna’s 10th district, and long home to workers and immigrants.

I’ve been to the Naschmarkt half a dozen times over the past thirty years, so some of my observation is based on my own memory as well as what others have said: The Naschmarkt has slowly seen the sweets and delicacies that were always there become more prominent than basic food, and the ratio of food vendors to restaurants and cafes has shifted sharply. You can still buy your groceries, but it’s not really the focus anymore.

Still, the Naschmarkt lives up to its reputation for an amazing variety; there’s a saying that “If it isn’t in the Naschmarkt, you didn’t need it.” And it’s an old market: Under its original name, Aschenmarkt, it dates to the 15th century. It’s been called Naschmarkt since around 1820. There are half a dozen explanations for the original name and for the new name, and I can say with deep confidence that no one will ever know for sure…

The Naschmarkt has been at its present location, just outside the Ringstrasse that marks the location of Vienna’s walls before they were razed late in the 19th century; it’s actually located on top of the Wien River, which was roofed over around that time to serve as a sewer. The market has been there since 1902.

The situation at Viktor-Adler-Platz seems quite different. It’s less well-groomed, way more crowded, and full of people who are clearly buying for family meals rather than stopping for gourmet tea. And while both markets have an international variety of food, in the 10th, the variety of cuisines catered to is wider, and reflects groups in the neighborhood population.

It’s louder, livelier, and I was happier there, despite sometimes having a very difficult time squeezing through the Saturday crowds. And the crowds were clearly a wide mix of ethnic groups, which was reflected also in some of the shop signs along the way. Congrats to George G who recognized the scene in our One-Clue Mystery.

But of course, the big attraction of a market has to be the food and the glorious colors, so I’ll wait a bit for them to speak before saying more…

All is not well, however… I was dismayed to see all that corn, stripped of its husks and drying, its sugars turning to starch and… but, not my place to speak…

This market has a different history from the Naschmarkt, which was built by the city. The market at Viktor-Adler-Platz, formerly Eugenplatz, dates to around 1865 when the neighborhood developed as an area for workers moving into the city to work in its industries. The stalls were built by the stallholders, and much of the market, just as today, operated in the streets. A fire started by World War II bombing destroyed the entire market. Just after the war, it was rebuilt privately by the stallholders.

Unlike many of the markets, including the Naschmarkt, that have gone upscale, the Viktor-Adler-Markt is still known for low prices, and not a small amount of haggling.

I suppose one would still have to say that a visit to Vienna, especially a first-time one, has to include the Naschmarkt—but it will be a richer experience to spend some time wandering in Favoriten and its market.