The Long Road towards Equal Rights - History of the Jews in Vienna

Fanny von Arnstein (1758-1818) established a literary Salon and was one of the co-founders of the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde (Musikverein) in Vienna.

Until 1624, Jews were not allowed to settle in Vienna; however, numerous exemptions from this prohibition were granted over time. Still, the situation of Jews in Vienna was characterised by massive insecurity, slander and smear campaigns. In 1670, the Jews were again expelled under Emperor Leopold I. Their residential area in the "Unterer Werd" area was re-named "Leopoldstadt".

As the demand for money rose steeply after the Turkish Wars, Jews were brought back to Vienna in 1683. Following the final peace settlement with the Ottoman Empire in 1718, a Turkish mission was established in Vienna, which also comprised dozens of Sephardic Jews, the descendants of Spanish Jews. Already in 1736, this group was allowed to form their own community, which remained prohibited to the Viennese Jews for more than another century.

In 1782, Emperor Joseph II promulgated the Edict of Toleration, which liberated the Jews from many restrictions and allowed them to settle in Vienna. In 1812, Emperor Francis I issued a permit for the inauguration of a school and prayer house in Seitenstettengasse. In these years, some Jewish citizens were raised to nobility; the tradition of literary salons, such as that of Fanny von Arnstein, was established. In 1825/26, the City Temple was built in Seitenstettengasse based on plans by Josef Kornhäusel.