One of the lasting legacies of history in Vienna comes, unexpectedly, from a programme of social housing construction in the 1920s and early 1930s. Far ahead of their time (even today), the various complexes remain a key part of the urban landscape and the city’s post-imperial soul.
- Remarkable projects that brought high-quality affordable accommodation to the masses
- Distinctive architecture: the most famous example is the Karl-Marx-Hof
- Social housing still dominates the rental market today
- See also:
The rise of red Vienna
(Entrance to the Reumannhof housing complex)
You might describe the situation in Vienna immediately after World War I as grim (to say the least).
The old guard and old systems had been swept away almost overnight as Austria-Hungary disintegrated. This huge city, built up over centuries as the administrative centre of an imperial superpower, found itself the bloated capital of a relatively small and extremely fragile democracy.
That in itself would have proved a significant challenge, but Vienna faced more problems than mere adjustment to a new political era.
The ravages of war had devastated the local economy.
(Queues at a US relief operation in Vienna in 1920. Photographed by Richard Hauffe; Wien Museum Inv.-Nr. 49342/123; excerpt reproduced with permission under the terms of the CC0 licence)
Vienna’s population faced food shortages, widespread poverty, rampant inflation, and high unemployment. The social order had collapsed, and revolution became a real threat.
Rents consumed a large amount of people’s incomes, but living conditions for most people were still appalling. Tuberculosis, for example, had long attracted the moniker “the Vienna disease”.
Such a situation seems hard to imagine when you consider today’s city, which typically sits at the top of global liveability rankings.
Many factors played a role in Vienna’s remarkable recovery, but a particularly important one was the social housing programme of the 1920s.
(Reumannhof around 1926, just after the housing complex’s construction. The park in front is Haydnpark; postcard produced by Brüder Kohn KG; Wien Museum Inv.-Nr. 309144; excerpt reproduced with permission under the terms of the CC0 licence)
In order to improve the quality of life for the poor, a new left-wing city government set about building state-owned housing on a grand scale. Their forward-thinking approach remains a role model for today’s urban planners.
A typical municipal housing complex (German: Gemeindebau) contained all a tenant might need, almost like a city within a city.
Each Gemeindebau offered accommodation with, for example, decent sanitation, local access to green space (through a large central courtyard), and communal amenities. The latter varied from location to location but included such facilities as a laundry room, Kindergarten, library, stores and medical clinics.
Each complex also had its own unique aesthetic with some of the leading architects of the time involved in the design.
Tenants got all this for an affordable rent with a landlord (the city) whose priorities did not include making a profit.
The programme housed tens of thousands of people but came to a stop with the rise of the fascist Austrian state in the early 1930s and thus the end of the interwar period known as Red Vienna.
(People still refer to Red Vienna today, as the city has an unbroken history of socialist-dominated government since democracy returned after World War II.)
Why is it important?
(A newer Gemeindebau)
The social housing programme remains relevant today for three reasons.
First, it left parts of Vienna with a unique architectural legacy: monumental housing complexes of distinctive character.
While some of the buildings might not seem particularly aesthetically pleasing, many are now protected buildings that add to the tapestry of the city landscape.
Second, the increased availability of affordable housing helped avoid a rise in privately-owned exploitative poor-quality housing for rent.
By locating the municipal housing complexes throughout the city, the authorities also ensured a higher degree of social parity across different districts. No ghettos.
Third, the social housing concept continues today.
(The Julius-Ofner-Hof social housing)
Many of the buildings constructed in the 1920s and early 1930s retain their original purpose, and the city still manages state-owned housing using similar principles to that early post-WWI government. The authorities also subsidise other communal housing initiatives.
As a result, the majority of people in Vienna probably live in decent social or subsidised housing, which carries little to no stigma. (I live in a house built by a cooperative housing association and opposite a Gemeindebau).
As the city department responsible for municipal housing notes on their website:
…housing is viewed as a public task and part of the services of general interest … the high share of subsidized dwellings exerts a price-dampening effect on the private housing market and safeguards a good social mix throughout the city.
Where to see the social housing
The city owns some 1,800 housing complexes, so you’re likely to spot one or two wherever you may find yourself in Vienna. Most have plaques or inscriptions announcing the date of completion with pride.
On the photo of the Julius Ofner-Hof above, for example, it says (in German) above the name:
Built by the municipality of Vienna. 1926-1927
Wanderweg 11
The official city hiking trail (Wanderweg) number 11 is the urban Gemeindebau trail. This takes you past several important social housing complexes, including the very first one to be built in the post-WWI era: the Metzleinstalerhof.
Karl-Marx-Hof
(The Karl-Marx-Hof)
The most famous Gemeindebau is undoubtedly Karl-Marx-Hof with its 1250+ apartments. Built between 1927 and 1930, this still ranks as one of the longest residential constructions in the world.
The complex has an almost fortress-like feel to its façade and might be considered the most iconic example of all that Red Vienna represented (and still represents).
Find it at Heiligenstädter Strasse 82-92 in Vienna’s 19th district, right next to Heiligenstadt station (on the U4 subway line).
And, yes, the project is named after the Karl Marx. Indeed, most municipal housing carries the name of some political or historical personality. We have a Gemeindebau named Haydnhof, for example, after the composer.