{"id":1437,"date":"2019-08-06T05:45:55","date_gmt":"2019-08-06T04:45:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/?p=1437"},"modified":"2025-04-21T12:41:54","modified_gmt":"2025-04-21T11:41:54","slug":"majolika-house","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/footsteps\/majolika-house\/","title":{"rendered":"Otto Wagner&#8217;s Majolikahaus"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/majolikasmall.jpg\" alt=\"Facade of the Majolika House\" class=\"wp-image-18018\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/majolikasmall.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/majolikasmall-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Linke Wienzeile 40 seems like a fairly bland street address. Just another late 19th-century apartment house. Yawn. And then you see the glorious fa\u00e7ade of the Majolikahaus, one of Otto Wagner&#8217;s most famous buildings&#8230;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Erected in 1898<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Famous for its colourful tiled floral motifs<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Be sure to look at number 38 on the same street, too<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Book a guided <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiqets.com\/en\/vienna-city-tours-l205280\/?partner=visitingvienna&amp;tq_campaign=LG_Otto\" rel=\"sponsored\">sightseeing tour<\/a>* in Vienna<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>See also:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/footsteps\/otto-wagner-in-vienna\/\">Otto Wagner in Vienna<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the-majolika-house\">The Majolica House<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/majolikahaus2024.jpg\" alt=\"Fill view of Vienna's Majolikahaus with its patterned fa\u00e7ade\" class=\"wp-image-82584\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/majolikahaus2024.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/majolikahaus2024-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(A view of the front of the house)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Wienzeile road follows the underground part of the River Wien that slips quietly through Vienna and lures innocent visitors into thinking it&#8217;s actually the (rather disappointing) Danube.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>House number 40 went up in the late 1890s, around about the time extensive engineering works messed about with the river and opened up a boulevard for urban renewal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Otto Wagner&#8217;s building marks one of those important moments in architectural history. Until then, he&#8217;d largely followed the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/culture\/historicism\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"28926\">historicism approach<\/a> that so dominates the older Viennese cityscape. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Majolikahaus (Majolica House) represents the transition to something new&#8230;a more utilitarian approach, but not one lacking in decoration, particularly across its striking fa\u00e7ade.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/colouredtilesmajolikahaus.jpg\" alt=\"Coloured tiles on the Majolikahaus\" class=\"wp-image-45893\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/colouredtilesmajolikahaus.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/colouredtilesmajolikahaus-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(The Majolikahaus&#8217;s coloured tiles)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One newspaper awaiting the removal of the construction scaffolding in 1899 described the house as (my translation):<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>&#8230;a remarkably striking innovation<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Just a few weeks later, another newspaper spoke of the building as (again, my translation):<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>&#8230;one of new Vienna&#8217;s most beautiful buildings<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>As such, experts consider it a unique example of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/culture\/jugendstil\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"31716\">Jugendstil architecture<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"298\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/majolikahaus1900.jpg\" alt=\"The Majolikahaus photographed around 1900\" class=\"wp-image-59866\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/majolikahaus1900.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/majolikahaus1900-300x179.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(View across to the Majolikahaus on a postcard printed around 1900 and produced by the Br\u00fcder Kohn KG (B. K. W. I.); Wien Museum Inv.-Nr. 185554; excerpt reproduced with permission under the terms of the CC0 licence. Expect more people today. And fewer hats)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That notable fa\u00e7ade gives the house its trademark look, with colourful floral motifs designed by Alois Ludwig and implemented using tiles made by the local Wienerberger factory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once the largest tile factory in the world, today&#8217;s Wienerberger is a major construction company with its own North American division.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The house takes its name from these &#8220;Majolika&#8221; tiles; majolica historically refers to decorated tin-glazed pottery from Renaissance Italy. Vienna&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/mak\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"7100\">MAK museum<\/a> has a notable collection, which featured in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/majolica-exhibition\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"44265\">an exhibition<\/a> back in 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"number-38\">Number 38<\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/linkewienzeile38.jpg\" alt=\"Linke Wienzeile 38\" class=\"wp-image-45895\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/linkewienzeile38.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/linkewienzeile38-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(Linke Wienzeile 38)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Wagner also built the house at Wienzeile 38, which adjoins the Majolica House, as well as the next building after that at K\u00f6stlergasse 3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kolomon Moser, another famous name in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/culture\/wiener-moderne\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"28303\">Vienna Modernism<\/a> movement, designed the gold ornamentation that grabs the most attention at No. 38. Be sure to view the decorated corner construction, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The K\u00f6stlergasse house is far more low key. Consider it the blander cheese and biscuits to the patisserie of creativity on the Wienzeile.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/facadelinkewienzeile38.jpg\" alt=\"Fa\u00e7ade of Linke Wienzeile 38\" class=\"wp-image-45894\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/facadelinkewienzeile38.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/facadelinkewienzeile38-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(Kolomon Moser&#8217;s ornamentation)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"art-and-vegetables\">Art, music &amp; vegetables<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The area around the Majolikahaus chips away at the conventional image of Vienna as a city of genteel, palatial surrounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/shopping\/markets\/naschmarkt\/\">Naschmarkt<\/a> open-air market dominates the other side of the street, with its small stores, bars, restaurants, and stalls selling food from around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The hubbub of conversation and raucous calls of the market sellers create a more lively atmosphere than you might find in the more traditional old town.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/frontsecession.jpg\" alt=\"The front of the Secession building\" class=\"wp-image-45413\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/frontsecession.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/frontsecession-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(The Secession with its golden dome)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Walk just a little further up the Wienzeile toward the town centre to find three further highlights:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/entertainment\/opera\/theater-wien\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"18961\">Theater an der Wien<\/a>: now an opera house and one-time host to premieres by the likes of Beethoven and Strauss (II)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/footsteps\/secession\/\">Secession building<\/a>: original home of the Secession artists who shook up Viennese art around the time Wagner built the Majolica House. Today, the building houses Gustav Klimt&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/footsteps\/beethoven-frieze\/\">Beethovenfries<\/a> and contemporary art exhibitions<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/footsteps\/strauss-museum\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"22944\">The Johann Strauss Museum<\/a>: home to an interactive and immersive exhibition around the life and music of the famous composer<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"how-to-get-to-the-majolika-house\">How to get to the Majolika House<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Subway: the Kettenbr\u00fcckengasse station on the U4 line is practically outside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can also walk up from Karlsplatz station (U4, U1 and U2 lines) and enjoy some of the Naschmarkt before you reach the Majolica House.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Address: Linke Wienzeile 40, 1030 Vienna<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div align=\"center\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/d\/u\/0\/embed?mid=1AW1zQUcSFx6OlGAAtK1iYYUOV1DpxLwZ\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Linke Wienzeile 40 seems like a fairly bland street address. Just another late 19th-century apartment house. Yawn. And then you see the glorious fa\u00e7ade of the Majolikahaus, one of Otto Wagner&#8217;s most famous buildings&#8230;. The Majolica House (A view of the front of the house) The Wienzeile road follows the underground part of the River [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18018,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1437","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-footsteps","8":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1437","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1437"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1437\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":82586,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1437\/revisions\/82586"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18018"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1437"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1437"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1437"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}