Architecture was one of those aspects which I actually didn't pay attention at all when I spent 5 weeks in Vienna, back in 2005. So now that I am slightly more aware of it, I wanted to focus on it slightly, by checking out the so-called Gemeindebauten in Vienna.
Vienna had a period called the "Red Vienna" period. This is the time when municipal housing complexes were built in many locations around the city, between 1919 and 1934. The municipal housing complexes are called Gemeindebauten, and one can easily find these buildings all over the city. These buildings typically have names, and essentially function like little cities on its own right.
If one were to visit just one Gemeindebau, then it should be the Karl-Marx-Hof, in the northern side of the city. This building complex stretches over 1 kilometre in length, spanning four tram stops. This is the longest continuous residential building in the world. Designed by Karl Ehn (a pupil of Otto Wagner), this complex features monumental red archways, towers, and vast open internal courtyards. I took the tram to get here, and when I arrived, I immediately noticed the red and yellow colour combination that this complex is famous for.
And then I went to the 5th District. The Margaretengürtel area in the 5th district (Margareten) contains one of the highest concentrations of early Red Vienna housing estates. Many were built along the outer ring road (Gürtel) like defense walls for the working class. I saw several building complexes here. I saw the Metzleinstalerhof (Margaretengürtel 90–98), built in 1919–1920 (and expanded in 1923). This is officially the very first Gemeindebau ever completed by the City of Vienna. Next door is Reumannhof (Margaretengürtel 100–110), designed by Hubert Gessner (a student of Otto Wagner). And nearby are Julius-Ofner-Hof and Julius-Pop-Hof, which are notable for their expressionist brickwork, archways, and decorative relief detail.
I really find it fascinating that I never learned about this aspect of Vienna back when I visited it for the first time in 2005 and spent more than a month in the city. I suppose my level of awareness on topics such as architecture was just not as high as today.
