Vienna was the capital of Austria-Hungary, and the epicentre of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. A vibrant, multi-ethnic metropolis, Vienna experienced a flowering of arts and culture that made it into one of the cultural capitals of Europe by the turn of the 20th century; unfortunately, this flowering was short-lived, as Viennese society was also riven by the same political and ethnic tensions that eventually brought down the entire Austrian empire in World War I.
Canon appearances[]
"His Last Bow"[]
Sherlock Holmes and John Watson share a bottle of prized Imperial Tokay to celebrate their capture of the German spy Von Bork. Holmes tells Watson that their captive assured him the wine was from Emperor Franz Joseph's personal cellar in Vienna's Schönbrunn Palace.
Appearances in adaptations[]
The Seven-Per-Cent Solution[]
A majority of this novel by Nicholas Meyer takes place in Vienna, where Holmes is being treated for cocaine addiction by Sigmund Freud. During his stay in the city, he meets a catatonic woman who seems to have been kidnapped and imprisoned by her stepson, Baron Manfred von Leinsdorf, for his father's inheritance. As Holmes investigates, he realizes that the conspiracy involves members of the German and Austrian governments and may portend a vast European war.
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows[]
Professor Moriarty is implied to have organised a terrorist bombing in this city, presumably as a demonstration of his network and capabilities.