Vienna Plague Column, which is also called the column of the Holy Trinity, located on the Graben in central Vienna. It is one of the most famous and prominent sculptures in the city.

Plague was probably the most terrible epidemic of medieval Europe. We know that's an epidemic of 1348-1352 took the lives of a third of the population of Europe. In 1679 the plague came to Vienna. It was one of the largest epidemics. The population of Vienna, at the moment is about 100 thousand, decreased by one third.

It all started a year earlier, in 1678 in the Leopoldstadt. Vienna was then wooden Column (architect Johann Fryuvert). By mid-summer the plague got to Vienna, Emperor Leopold and his family left the city, promising to erect a pillar of the Holy Trinity in honor of deliverance from the plague in Vienna. In 1683, construction began on a new plague column, the one that survives to this day. Works were supervised by Fischer von Erlach. In addition to his creation of the column was attended Rauhmiller and strudel, who created the statue of the Emperor, kneeling. The column was opened in 1693. Despite the long period of construction, frequent design changes, as well as a large number of sculptors working on the project, the monument looks quite harmonious.

It is worth noting that the epidemic of plague in 1679 related to the appearance of a cheerful song "Dear Augustin". In the midst of the plague, when the city was plunged into fear, terror and death in a small tavern in the meat market whiled away the evening a Augustine. The young man was a singer and musician, as well as a great lover of drink. Being heavily drunk one night he walked down the street and fell into a pit, where there were corpses of plague citizens. After sleeping in the hole until the morning, at first light, Augustine began to sing his song, "Oh du lieber Augustin, all is lost! "Thus attracting attention to himself. After sleeping all night, Augustine has not caught the plague. Cheerful citizens immediately picked up a cheerful song that became very popular. Augustine himself died in 1685 from alcohol poisoning.