{"id":28911,"date":"2020-11-27T04:17:00","date_gmt":"2020-11-27T03:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/?p=28911"},"modified":"2026-03-11T11:14:40","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T10:14:40","slug":"wiener-werkstatte","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/culture\/wiener-werkstatte\/","title":{"rendered":"The Wiener Werkst\u00e4tte"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Fragment-of-fabric-by-the-Wiener-Werkstatte.jpg\" alt=\"Fragment of fabric by the Wiener Werkst\u00e4tte\" class=\"wp-image-28921\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Fragment-of-fabric-by-the-Wiener-Werkstatte.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Fragment-of-fabric-by-the-Wiener-Werkstatte-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Various institutions left their mark on the history of art and design. The Wiener Werkst\u00e4tte community of artisans, artists, and designers, for example, played an important role in a cultural (r)evolution around 1900 in Vienna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Pioneers in merging art, design and utility into daily life<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Associated with many top names<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8230;Hoffman, Moser, Klimt and others<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Produced everything from coffee cups to palace interiors<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Book a 2-hr guided <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiqets.com\/en\/vienna-walking-tours-l205287\/?partner=visitingvienna&amp;tq_campaign=LG_WalkingTours\" rel=\"sponsored\">walking tour<\/a>* of historical Vienna<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>See also:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/culture\/wiener-moderne\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"28303\">Wiener Moderne<\/a> era<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/culture\/jugendstil\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"31716\">Jugendstil<\/a> design &amp; Vienna<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/entertainment\/events\/exhibitions\/#design\">Design exhibitions<\/a> in Vienna<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What was the Wiener Werkst\u00e4tte?<\/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\/2023\/01\/wienerwerkstaetteglass.jpg\" alt=\"Glass by the Wiener Werkst\u00e4tte\" class=\"wp-image-55891\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/wienerwerkstaetteglass.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/wienerwerkstaetteglass-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\">(Stem glass from the Wiener Werkst\u00e4tte, around 1923; Wien Museum Inv.-Nr. 53703, excerpt reproduced under the terms of the <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\">CC BY 4.0 license<\/a>; photo by Birgit and Peter Kainz)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A note in the official Wiener Zeitung newspaper announced the formation of the Wiener Werkst\u00e4tte on May 12th, 1903, describing it as (my translation) a&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>&#8230;<em>producer cooperative of artisans in Vienna<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Indeed, an accurate translation of the name into English is Viennese Workshop (or Vienna Workshop).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This artisan enterprise and community sought to design, make (or commission), and sell products based on particular criteria, namely:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>High-quality materials<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A combination of practicality and artistic quality (reflecting the idea that art has a place everywhere)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Innovation<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"322\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/silverfork.jpg\" alt=\"Silver fork\" class=\"wp-image-45406\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/silverfork.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/silverfork-300x193.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\">(Silver fork by the Wiener Werkst\u00e4tte; photo courtesy of the Rijksmuseum)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Their remit covered numerous areas, including jewelry, ceramics, furniture, textiles, glassware, posters, postcards, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Wiener Werkst\u00e4tte essentially snubbed its nose at the growth of industrialisation in manufacturing. It also moved firmly away from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/culture\/historicism\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"28926\">historicism<\/a>: the prevailing admiration for (and devotion to) past styles and design approaches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The enterprise and brand enjoyed international success but eventually fell victim to the vagaries of history and economics: the global depression saw the Wiener Werkst\u00e4tte close its doors for good in 1932.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why is it important?<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"329\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/wienerpostkarte.jpg\" alt=\"Postcard by the Wiener Werkst\u00e4tte\" class=\"wp-image-45405\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/wienerpostkarte.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/wienerpostkarte-300x197.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\">(Postcard of Belvedere palace in Vienna by Urban Janke from 1908, published by the Wiener Werkst\u00e4tte; Photo courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a local sense, the Wiener Werkst\u00e4tte formed one cornerstone of the wider <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/culture\/wiener-moderne\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"28303\">Wiener Moderne movement<\/a>: the astonishing period of artistic and intellectual creativity and evolution across multiple fields in Vienna that gave rise to all those exhibits you now see in museums across the globe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In an international sense, the work of the Wiener Werkst\u00e4tte also influenced the broader artisan and design world and undoubtedly helped with the emergence of such movements as Germany&#8217;s Bauhaus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Werkst\u00e4tte founders also included two great names in art history, namely architect &amp; designer Josef Hoffmann (1870-1956) and painter &amp; designer Koloman Moser (1868-1918). The third co-founder was the industrialist Fritz Waerndorfer (1868\u20131939).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Part of Josef Hoffmann and Koloman Moser&#8217;s enduring reputation derives from their involvement with the enterprise, particularly the numerous items they designed for it.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"289\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/wienerwerkstaetteschiele.jpg\" alt=\"Postcard designed by Egon Schiele\" class=\"wp-image-64498\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/wienerwerkstaetteschiele.jpg 289w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/wienerwerkstaetteschiele-193x300.jpg 193w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 289px) 100vw, 289px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(Portrait of a woman; postcard 289 of the Wiener Werkst\u00e4tte using a design by Egon Schiele, 1910; Wien Museum Inv.-Nr. 96726\/1; excerpt reproduced with permission under the terms of the CC0 licence)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many other famous names in the design and art world also found themselves working for the Wiener Werkst\u00e4tte at times. For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Gustav Klimt produced a mosaic frieze for the interior design of Palais Stoclet in Brussels<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Oskar Kokoschka and Egon Schiele designed postcards (you can see an example above)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Dozens of designers and artists became involved at one time or another, including numerous women (the subject of a past <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/women-wiener-werkstatte\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"29289\">exhibition<\/a> at Vienna&#8217;s MAK museum).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Where to learn more<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"335\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/mak1900.jpg\" alt=\"The MAK's Wiener Moderne exhibition\" class=\"wp-image-28917\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/mak1900.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/mak1900-300x201.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\">(MAK Permanent Collection <em>Vienna 1900: Design \/ Arts and Crafts 1890\u20131938<\/em> \u00a9&nbsp;MAK\/Georg Mayer)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Werkst\u00e4tte tradition of combining aesthetics, utility and quality materials continues in many of today&#8217;s local arts and crafts enterprises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Take a peek, for example, at some of the businesses under the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wienproducts.at\/\">Wien Products<\/a> umbrella. Or the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oew.at\/en\">\u00d6sterreichischen Werkst\u00e4tten<\/a> (English: Austrian Workshops), who emerged as a natural successor to the Wiener Werkst\u00e4tte and were actually founded by Josef Hoffmann in 1948.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The famous Augarten porcelain manufactory still sells, for example, a classic <em>Melone<\/em> espresso cup and saucer designed by Hoffmann. And the last time I visited <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/augarten-porcelain-museum\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"5923\">their museum<\/a>, the display included examples demonstrating the influence of Wiener Werkst\u00e4tte visual design concepts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Museums<\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"377\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/hoffmannglass.jpg\" alt=\"Set of glasses by Hoffmann\" class=\"wp-image-28918\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/hoffmannglass.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/hoffmannglass-300x226.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\">(Josef Hoffmann, design for: J. &amp; L. Lobmeyr Parts of the drink sets &#8220;Serie B&#8221; und &#8220;Schwarzbronzit Var. F&#8221;, from around 1911 \u00a9 Ernst Ploil, Wien Photo: Leopold Museum, Wien\/ Manfred Thumberger)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The main way, however, to explore the works and importance of the Wiener Werkst\u00e4tte is to visit those museums with an emphasis on the same time period. Two in particular stand out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">MAK<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/mak\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"7100\">MAK museum<\/a> displays in the Wien 1900 part of their permanent exhibition contain many items from the hands of Werkst\u00e4tte artisans and designers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The MAK actually owns the archives of the Werkst\u00e4tte (preliminary sketches and drafts, posters, books, letters and similar). <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Special exhibitions at the museum also often cover the same era or relevant personalities, such as past events for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/dagobert-peche-exhibition\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"78273\">Peche<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/josef-hoffmann-exhibition\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"37337\">Hoffmann<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/otto-prutscher-exhibition\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"17845\">Prutscher<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/koloman-moser-mak\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"7144\">Moser<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Leopold<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/leopold-museum\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"4014\">Leopold Museum<\/a> permanent exhibition on <em>Vienna around 1900<\/em> also covers the work and influence of the Wiener Werkst\u00e4tte. They have, for example, a rather beautiful gallery that presents examples of tableware, jewelry, glassware, and similar.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Various institutions left their mark on the history of art and design. The Wiener Werkst\u00e4tte community of artisans, artists, and designers, for example, played an important role in a cultural (r)evolution around 1900 in Vienna. What was the Wiener Werkst\u00e4tte? (Stem glass from the Wiener Werkst\u00e4tte, around 1923; Wien Museum Inv.-Nr. 53703, excerpt reproduced under [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28921,"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":[34],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-28911","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-culture","8":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28911","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=28911"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28911\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":89224,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28911\/revisions\/89224"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28921"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28911"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28911"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28911"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}