Austrian Hospice rooftop

The Austrian Hospice of the Holy Family stands at 37 Via Dolorosa, on the corner of El-Wad Road in the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem's Old City, Israel. Opened in 1863 as a pilgrim hostel for Catholic travellers from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the neo-Renaissance building still operates as a guesthouse and is run by an Austrian Catholic institution. Its main draw for day visitors is the roof terrace, one of the few publicly accessible rooftops in the Old City, reached by climbing a stairwell from the hospice entrance. From the top, the golden Dome of the Rock and the silver dome of Al-Aqsa Mosque rise to the east, the Mount of Olives fills the horizon behind them, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre's domes and the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer tower appear to the west. The view looks down on the flat stone rooftops of the Muslim Quarter, with washing lines, water tanks and satellite dishes, which gives a rare picture of the everyday neighbourhood beside the sacred monuments. The hospice also has a small garden courtyard and a cafe serving Viennese-style coffee and strudel, which makes it a quiet pause from the busy lanes outside. A visit usually takes 30 to 45 minutes, including time for coffee. The rooftop is quietest in the morning and late afternoon, when the light on the Dome of the Rock is warm and few tour groups pass through. Midday sun is strong and shade is limited. Photographers favour the late-afternoon angle for the dome. Visitors should dress modestly, as the hospice is a religious institution, and keep voices low. The site is a short walk from the start of the Via Dolorosa and the Church of St Anne.