Heldenplatz balcony

It was from this balcony that, on March 15, 1938, Hitler announced to 200,000 cheering Austrians that the Anschluss was done. The site was very important: Heldenplatz, the Square of Heroes, contained many statues of Austrian icons such as Eugene of Savoy, and Hitler could use their mystique to pump up his own.

It was also here that our walking tour guide informed us of one particular thing Hitler was looking for in Vienna: the Holy Grail. In hindsight, it makes sense! Nazis were big into magic and mysticism, and something like the Grail would seem like a juicy prize. As for why they believed it was here? Well, the Imperial Treasury contains a few reliquaries, including (so the story goes) the head of the Spear of Longinus. If you believe the Imperial family kept around the actual spear that pierced the side of Christ on the cross, it’s not a big stretch to imagine they also owned the Holy Grail.