What noises once shaped everyday life in the big city? How was the increasing diversity of the urban sound sphere perceived and judged by people? Using the example of the city of Vienna, the auditory culture of one of the most important European metropolises around 1900 is presented for the first time. The focus is on the historical period in which Vienna developed into a modern city. The tremendous dynamism of this time not only changed the cityscape in the long term, it also gave rise to a new listening discourse. Public and private attention turned more and more intensely to noise. And this with ambivalence. Because noise presents itself as a complex phenomenon, in which - paradigmatically and to this day - questions of urban development, criticism of culture and civilization, but also economic conflicts are dealt with.