Kettenbrückengasse

The U4 station Kettenbrückengasse lies in the Margareten district, a short walk from the Wien river. It sits in a shallow cutting between two streets, with two side platforms and a small entrance building designed by Otto Wagner. The station’s name comes from the Chain Bridge built here in the 1820s to carry pedestrians and carriages across the river. Otto Wagner’s entrance hall survives as a listed monument, though the platforms were rebuilt in the 1970s to match the U4’s wider trains. The station opened in 1899 for the steam-powered Stadtbahn, closed after the First World War, and reopened in 1925 for the electric Stadtbahn before joining the U-Bahn in 1980. Lifts were added in 1999 to make the station fully accessible. From the city-bound exit you step straight onto the Chain Bridge and can reach the Saturday flea market or the Naschmarkt. The other exit leads to Eggerthgasse and the Falco Steps, close to the city’s market office. The area around the station has a small but visible open-drug scene, a reminder of the challenges faced by inner-city transport hubs.