{"id":35479,"date":"2021-09-05T06:03:00","date_gmt":"2021-09-05T05:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/?p=35479"},"modified":"2025-04-25T15:13:40","modified_gmt":"2025-04-25T14:13:40","slug":"social-housing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/culture\/social-housing\/","title":{"rendered":"Social housing in Red Vienna"},"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\/2021\/07\/socialhousingsmall.jpg\" alt=\"Construction dedication\" class=\"wp-image-35481\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/socialhousingsmall.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/socialhousingsmall-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>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&#8217;s post-imperial soul.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Remarkable projects that brought high-quality affordable accommodation to the masses<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Distinctive architecture: the most famous example is the Karl-Marx-Hof<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Social housing still dominates the rental market today<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Book a two-hour <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiqets.com\/en\/vienna-walking-tours-l205287\/?partner=visitingvienna&amp;tq_campaign=LG_WalkingTours\" rel=\"sponsored\">walking tour<\/a>* for Vienna<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>See also:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/culture\/austria\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"12860\">What is Austria?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The rise of red Vienna<\/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\/2022\/05\/reumannhof.jpg\" alt=\"Reumannhof\" class=\"wp-image-47227\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/reumannhof.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/reumannhof-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\">(Entrance to the Reumannhof housing complex)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You might describe the situation in Vienna immediately after World War I as grim (to say the least).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The old guard and old systems had been swept away almost overnight as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/culture\/austria\/\">Austria-Hungary disintegrated<\/a>. 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That in itself would have proved a significant challenge, but Vienna faced more problems than mere adjustment to a new political era.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The ravages of war had devastated the local economy.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"376\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/socialhousing1920.jpg\" alt=\"Post-WWI queues at a relief operation in Vienna\" class=\"wp-image-73963\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/socialhousing1920.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/socialhousing1920-300x226.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\">(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)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Vienna&#8217;s population faced food shortages, widespread poverty, rampant inflation, and high unemployment. The social order had collapsed, and revolution became a real threat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rents consumed a large amount of people&#8217;s incomes, but living conditions for most people were still appalling. Tuberculosis, for example, had long attracted the moniker &#8220;the Vienna disease&#8221;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Such a situation seems hard to imagine when you consider today&#8217;s city, which typically sits at the top of global liveability rankings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many factors played a role in Vienna&#8217;s remarkable recovery, but a particularly important one was the social housing programme of the 1920s.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"318\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/socialhousing1926.jpg\" alt=\"View of the Reumannhof complex in 1926\" class=\"wp-image-65502\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/socialhousing1926.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/socialhousing1926-300x191.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\">(Reumannhof around 1926, just after the housing complex&#8217;s construction. The park in front is Haydnpark; postcard produced by Br\u00fcder Kohn KG; Wien Museum Inv.-Nr. 309144; excerpt reproduced with permission under the terms of the CC0 licence)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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&#8217;s urban planners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A typical municipal housing complex (German: Gemeindebau) contained all a tenant might need, almost like a city within a city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/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\/2025\/04\/socialhousinglaundry.jpg\" alt=\"1930s public laundry room\" class=\"wp-image-82830\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/socialhousinglaundry.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/socialhousinglaundry-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\">(Laundry and drying room at the Sandleiten housing complex, photographed by Martin Gerlach jun. around 1930;  Wien Museum Inv.-Nr. 59241\/997\/2; excerpt reproduced with permission under the terms of the CC0 licence)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Each complex also had its own unique aesthetic with some of the leading architects of the time involved in the design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tenants got all this for an affordable rent with a landlord (the city) whose priorities did not include making a profit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/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=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/matzleinsdorferhochhaus.jpg\" alt=\"The Matzleinsdorfer Hochhaus\" class=\"wp-image-47226\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/matzleinsdorferhochhaus.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/matzleinsdorferhochhaus-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 newer Gemeindebau)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The social housing programme remains relevant today for three reasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>First, it left parts of Vienna with a unique architectural legacy: monumental housing complexes of distinctive character.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Second, the increased availability of affordable housing helped avoid a rise in privately-owned exploitative poor-quality housing for rent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By locating the municipal housing complexes throughout the city, the authorities also ensured a higher degree of social parity across different districts. No ghettos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Third, the social housing concept continues today.<\/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\/juliusofnerhof.jpg\" alt=\"Julius-Ofner-Hof\" class=\"wp-image-47225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/juliusofnerhof.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/juliusofnerhof-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 Julius-Ofner-Hof social housing)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As the city department responsible for municipal housing notes on their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wienerwohnen.at\/wiener-gemeindebau\/municipal-housing-in-vienna.html\">website<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u2026housing is viewed as a public task and part of the services of general interest \u2026 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.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Where to see the social housing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The city owns some 1,800 housing complexes, so you&#8217;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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the photo of the Julius Ofner-Hof above, for example, it says (in German) above the name:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Built by the municipality of Vienna. 1926-1927<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Wanderweg 11<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The official city hiking trail (Wanderweg) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/mapsgeography\/wanderweg-11-hiking-trail\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"35489\">number 11<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Karl-Marx-Hof<\/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\/karlmarxhof.jpg\" alt=\"The Karl-Marx-Hof\" class=\"wp-image-47224\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/karlmarxhof.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/karlmarxhof-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 Karl-Marx-Hof)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The most famous Gemeindebau is undoubtedly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/culture\/karl-marx-hof\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"39713\">Karl-Marx-Hof<\/a> with its 1250+ apartments. Built between 1927 and 1930, this still ranks as one of the longest residential constructions in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The complex has an almost fortress-like feel to its fa\u00e7ade and might be considered the most iconic example of all that Red Vienna represented (and still represents).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Find it at Heiligenst\u00e4dter Strasse 82-92 in Vienna&#8217;s 19th district, right next to Heiligenstadt station (on the U4 subway line).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And, yes, the project is named after <em>the<\/em> Karl Marx. Indeed, most municipal housing carries the name of some political or historical personality. We have a Gemeindebau named Haydnhof, for example, after <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/footsteps\/joseph-haydn\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"6566\">the composer<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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&#8217;s post-imperial soul. The rise of red Vienna (Entrance to the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":35481,"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-35479","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\/35479","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=35479"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35479\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":82831,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35479\/revisions\/82831"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35481"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35479"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35479"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35479"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}