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The geographical heart of the Innere Stadt is Stephansplatz , the lively, pedestrianized square that surrounds the hoary Gothic bulk of Stephansdom . As such, it's one of the best places for watching Viennese streetlife, from the benign young flame-haired punks who lounge around on the benches by the U-Bahn escalators to the beleaguered folk in eighteenth-century costumes wearily flogging tickets for up-and-coming classical concerts. The smell of horse dung wafts across the square from the fiacres lined up along the north wall of the cathedral. Apart from the cathedral, the dominant feature of the square is the Haas Haus , probably the single most inappropriate building in the Innere Stadt and one which, not surprisingly, caused something of a furore when it was first unveiled in 1990. The real disappointment is that the architect, Hans Hollein, is capable of much better - his equally uncompromising jewellery stores along Graben and Kohlmarkt are minor masterpieces. Here, though, the metal-coated glass and polished stone facade lacks subtlety, and the protruding turret is a veritable carbuncle; to cap it all, the interior is an unimaginative mini-shopping centre.
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