The Vienna Metro

Length: 10.3 miles, travel time: 29 mins.
20 stations, of which 4 are interchange stations with the S-Bahn and 6 with other metro lines.
Between Heiligenstadt and Karlsplatz the line is mostly in tunnel, running alongside the Danube Canal. Between Karlsplatz and Hütteldorf the line is mostly on the surface, running alongside the river Wien.

Construction started in 1894, opened as Metropolitan Railway (Stadtbahn) in 1898
Closed 1918, electrified and re-opened as line WD in 1926.
Gradually transformed to new metro; 1st section opened in 1976, completed in 1981.

Standard platform length: 120 m.
Rolling stock used: U2, U11, V.

Intervals: 5 mins; peak hours 3 mins; evenings 7-8 mins.

Opening dates:

Metropolitan railway:
01.06.1898: Hütteldorf - Meidling Hauptstraße
1899-06-30: Meidling Hauptstraße - Landstraße
1901-08-06: Landstraße - Heiligenstadt
Electric metro, Wiental line:
1925-10-20: Heiligenstadt - Hütteldorf
Modern metro, line U4:
1976-05-08: Heiligenstadt - Friedensbrücke
1978-04-03: Friedensbrücke - Schottenring
1978-08.15: Schottenring - Karlsplatz
1980-10-27: Karlsplatz - Meidling Hauptstraße
1981-08-31: Meidling Hauptstraße - Hietzing
1981-12-20: Hietzing - Hütteldorf

The Stations:

Heiligenstadt: (literally "town of the Saints", originally "Heilige Statt" = "holy place") - Station opened in 1898, completely rebuilt and re-opened in 1976. A monastery is said to have existed here in the 13th century. Today Heiligenstadt is part of Vienna's 19th district.
Sights: Karl-Marx-Hof (a monumental block of council flats built in the 1920s).

Spittelau: ("Hospital-in-the-Mead") - Station opened in 1995. Former village (now part of Vienna's 9th district) named after a hospital which was built here during the plague in 1677.

Friedensbrücke: ("bridge of the peace") - Station opened in 1901 as "Brigittabrücke". Renamed "Brigittenauer Brücke" in 1941. Renamed "Friedensbrücke" in 1946.

Rossauer Lände: Station opened in 1901. Named after the former village of Rossau, now a part of Vienna's 9th district.

Schottenring: ("Scots' Ring Road") - Station opened in 1901, completely rebuilt and re-opened in 1978. Part of the inner ring (Ringstrasse) named after Scottish Benedictine monks who came to Vienna in 1155 and founded a monastery and hospital in the vicinity.

Schwedenplatz: ("Sweden Square") - Station opened in 1901, completely rebuilt and re-opened in 1978. Square named thus to thank the Swedes for humanitarian aid granted to Austria between 1919 and 1922.
Sights: St Rupert's Church (oldest church in Vienna), former Jewish quarter, Otto Wagner's Postsparkasse.

Landstrasse: - Station opened in 1899 as "Hauptzollamt" ("Customs office"). Renamed "Landstrasse" in 1962. Completely rebuilt and re-opened in 1978. The name of Vienna's 3rd district ("village on the country road"). Wien Mitte railway station is also located here.

Stadtpark: ("City Park") - Station opened in 1899. This station is the only one on the line that is still preserved in its original appearance.
Sights: the station itself, Johann Strauss monument (kitsch alert!).

Karlsplatz: ("Charles's Square") - Station opened in 1899, completely rebuilt and re-opened in 1978. Square named after the Karlskirche, a Baroque church commissioned by Emperor Charles IV to thank God for the end of the plague in 1713.
Sights: Karlskirche, Opera House, Kunsthalle, Albertina, Künstlerhaus, Musikverein, Museum of the History of Vienna.

Kettenbrückengasse: ("Chain Bridge Lane") - Station opened in 1899. Street named after the bridge over the river Wien built here in 1828.
Sights: Naschmarkt (Vienna's largest street market), flea market (on Saturdays).

Pilgramgasse: Station opened in 1899. Street named after Anton Pilgram, master builder of St Stephen's Cathedral during the 15th century.

Margaretengürtel: Station opened in 1899. Margareten ("St Margaret's") is the name of Vienna's 5th district. The Gürtel ("belt") is the outer ring road.

Längenfeldgasse: ("Long Field Lane") - Station opened in 1989.

Meidling Hauptstrasse: ("Meidling High Street") - Station opened in 1898, completely rebuilt and re-opened in 1980. Meidling is the name of Vienna's 12th district.

Schönbrunn: ("the beautiful spring") - Station opened in 1898. Both Schönbrunn Palace and the surrounding area were named after a fountain discovered here in 1619. Access to the palace is actually better from Hietzing station.
Sights: Schönbrunn Palace and Palace Gardens.

Hietzing: ("Hezo's village") - Station opened in 1898. Apparently the land here was owned by a Count Hezo in the 11th century. Now the name of Vienna's 13th district.
Sights: Schönbrunn Palace and Palace Gardens, Zoo (oldest zoo in Europe).

Braunschweiggasse: Station opened in 1898, completely rebuilt and re-opened in 1981. Street named after Duke Wilhelm von Braunschweig (1806-1884).

Unter St Veit: Station opened in 1898, completely rebuilt and re-opened in 1981. Former village named after the saint St Veit (St Vitus), now a part of Vienna's 13th district. "Unter" means "lower", referring to the relative location along the river Wien.

Ober St Veit: Station opened in 1898. Former village named after the saint St Veit (St Vitus), now a part of Vienna's 13th district. "Ober" means "upper", referring to the relative location along the river Wien.

Hütteldorf: Station opened in 1898, completely rebuilt and re-opened in 1981. Named after the former village Hütteldorf, now a part of Vienna's 14th district. Wien Hütteldorf railway station is also located here.
Sights: Game Park Lainz (Lainzer Tiergarten - open woodland with wild boar and deer).

Source for information on street names: Simbrunner, Peter: Wien: Strassennamen von A bis Z (Wien: Ueberreuter, 1989).