The town fire of 1525 was a significant crisis in Vienna's history. Due to the subsequent Siege of Vienna in 1529, this fire disaster has not received much attention in urban historiography. This paper intends to expand the present state of research and to give a holistic account of the catastrophe and its impact on the city. Through extensive research in the Austrian State Archives, the Municipal and Provincial Archives of Vienna, and the Vienna University Archive, a substantial amount of

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... ously undiscovered archival material was found to shed light on the event. On the basis of these sources, the following aspects were covered: (1.) the order of events of the conflagration, and the fire-fighting procedures; (2.) the identification of individual houses and streets affected by the fire; (3.) the extent of the destruction of buildings and movable possessions, as well as injuries and loss of life; (4.) the authorities' measures taken in response to the fire, and reforms in fire prevention and –fighting; (5.) the procurement of materials for reconstruction, the type of materials favored here, as well as the duration of the reconstruction; and (6.) emotional aspects of the way the conflagration was experienced, the townspeople's fears and interpretations of the catastrophe.