Vienna's sewers are seen in the classic 1949 movie "The Third Man," which starred Orson Welles in the role of Harry Lime. A scene in the movie shows Lime climbing into a manhole to escape through the Vienna sewers. (See bottom photo from www.thirdmantour.at. Additional photos and movie posters can be seen at the MTPV Image Vault and the IMDB website.)

These photos show one of Vienna's unusual manholes, which lead from street level down to the vaulted sewers -- utilizing special segmented covers and spiral stairs.

These spiral stairs were similar to ones used in Paris, France, to get from street level down to the sewers for tours on the weekends, starting in the late 1800's. A tour of Vienna's sewers, titled "The Third Man Tour," can be arranged by contacting www.thirdmantour.at .

Source: Karin Hoefler, Dritte Mann Museum, Vienna, Austria. Brought to our attention by Bobbi Mastrangelo.