Vienna's Innere Stadt district is surrounded by the Ringstrasse, a circular road that is a typical road built between the 1860s and 1890s. It replaced the city walls that had been put up in the 13th century. The Ringstrasse and other buildings were intended to be used as a way to show off the imperial Habsburg wealth and the glory of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. There are many important, and old, buildings on either sides of the Ringstrasse. The Hofburg houses the Austrian National Library and the Museum of Ethnology. The construction was finally completed in 1913, but the road had already been proven obsolete.
The Ringstrasse runs alongside many notable parks, such as Stadtpark, which houses the Kursalon, Volksgarten, Burggarten, and Rathauspark. There are also some squares, or platz, scattered about. Statues of important people such as Schiller, Achduke Charles of Austria, and Goethe, decorate the Ringstrasse. In 1881, the largest disaster happened. A fire broke out in the Ringtheater and hundreds of people perished. It was destroyed and replaced by the Suhnhof, which was built in memory of the fire's victims. World War II saw the destruction of the memorial, and now a police headquarters takes its place. All along the Ringstrasse there are sights to see and places to visit. Several hotels have easy access to the road. When visiting Vienna, the Ringstrasse will keep you connected to many destinations.