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gallery

In the middle of the French-style Volksgarten you come across the Theseustempel, a curious classical folly, originally commissioned by Napolean to house Canova's sculpture of Theseus and the Minotaur. The temple is a replica of the Thesion in Athens and was built in 1820, but the statue is now located beside the main staircase in the Kunsthistorisches Museum. Unsuccesful attempts were made by Jugenstil artist Carl Moll in the 30s to convert the temple into a pantheon to Austrian artists, but today it is merely a pleasant spot to sit and observe the good burghers of Vienna on their Sunday strolls.