Dear Augustin at the Griechenbeisl

Vienna · Austria · Inn

In 1679 the bagpiper Augustin passed out drunk, was thrown onto the corpse cart, and woke alive in the plague pit among the dead.

The beer house 'Zum roten Dachl' on the Fleischmarkt — today the Griechenbeisl — was the haunt of the bagpiper and street singer Augustin in the plague summer of 1679. While the sickness emptied the city and most taverns closed, he played on for whoever still dared to come. One clear September evening he sat alone and drank glass after glass, and on the way home outside the Burgtor he stumbled, fell at the roadside and slept. The plague carters who passed with their load took him for one more corpse, heaved him onto the cart and tipped him into the plague pit. He slept on among the dead and only woke to the morning air — then shouted at the carters to help him out of the grave. His figure is still shown behind a grille in the Griechenbeisl's cellar.

FAQ

Where is Dear Augustin at the Griechenbeisl located?

Dear Augustin at the Griechenbeisl is in Wien, Austria.

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Accounts are drawn from local folklore and visitor reports.