Strudlhof stairs
The Strudlhofstiege is an architecturally and historically remarkable staircase in the 9th district of Vienna , Alsergrund . It bridges the step between the Strudlhofgasse , a side street of the Währinger Strasse , and the lower lying Liechtensteinstrasse at the height of the Palais Liechtenstein .
history
A lane branched off from Währinger Straße since 1808. Here the sculptor and painter Peter Strudel , often also written by Strudl, owned a piece of land on the edge of a step and had the Strud (e) lhof built on it in 1690 , in which he set up a private painting school. It was promoted to the imperial academy in 1705 and operated until Strudel 's death in 1714.
The part of the alley from Währinger Strasse to Waisenhausgasse ( Boltzmanngasse since 1913 ) was previously known as supply housegasse . In 1907 it was named Strudlhofgasse with the cul-de-sac that was created as an extension in the direction of Liechtensteinstrasse. The city administration, headed by Karl Lueger , gave its city planning department the task of overcoming the steep slope to Liechtensteinstrasse with a staircase.
Theodor Johann Jaeger from the Vienna City Planning Office provided the design for the system . The building was built from Mannersdorf limestone and is considered an important Art Nouveau building . The opening took place on November 29, 1910; the construction costs were then given as 100,000 crowns . "Client" Karl Lueger was already dead at this point; he died on March 10, 1910.
In 1962, 1984 and 2008/2009 the Strudlhofstiege was renovated and restored.
architecture
The staircase is symmetrical in the lowest part, which also includes two fountains, and has two mirror-image, curved staircases. Above the lower, smaller fountain basin, a head mask serves as a gargoyle, above the upper basin a fish's mouth dispenses water in a niche covered with mosaic. In the upper parts, where there is not enough space for symmetrical design, the system consists of staircase and ramp elements that give pedestrians constantly changing perspectives.
Partly stone, partly metal railings and candelabra in iron construction with lighting balls made of milk glass accentuate the staging effect, which goes far beyond mere traffic engineering. The parts of the staircase, which are now green (reminiscent of Otto Wagner's Wiener Stadtbahn ), were painted blue in a more original version. During the renovation in 2009, the frosted glass spheres were exchanged for copies of the original lamps.
Because of its open character, the staircase is also suitable for outdoor events . For example, concerts are held there as part of the Week of the Vienna Choirs.
Literary processing
The novel The Strudlhofstiege or Melzer and the Depth of the Years by Heimito von Doderer , written in 1946–1948 and published in 1951, is named after this staircase, around which some central events of the novel take place. The novel is preceded by a Latin dedication to Johann Theodor Jaeger: In memoriam Johannis Th. Jæger senatoris Viennensis qui scalam construxit cuius nomen libello inscribitur ( In memory of Johann. Th. Jaeger, Senator of Vienna, who built the staircase, whose name the book the title there ). The following poem "Auf die Strudlhofstiege zu Wien" can be read on a plaque next to the larger fountain since the stairs were renovated in 1962:
"
When the leaves lie on the steps,
autumn breathes from the old stairs
what once passed over them.
Moon in which two held each other tightly
, light shoes and heavy kicks,
the moss-covered vase in the middle
lasted for years between wars.
Much has sunk into mourning
and the beautiful shows the least duration."
See also
literature
- Stefan Winterstein (Ed.): The Strudlhofstiege. Biography of a location. Frühwirth Bibliophile Edition, Vienna 2010, ISBN 978-3-9502052-9-9 ( Writings of the Heimito von Doderer Society. Special Vol. 3).
Web links
- The Strudlhofstiege on wien.gv.at
- Events on the Strudlhofstiege
Individual evidence
- ↑ Article in: Wiener Zeitung , November 30, 1910, p. 14 (online at ANNO ).
- ↑ Heimito von Doderer: The Strudlhofstiege or Melzer and the depth of the years . Deutscher Taschenbuch-Verlag, Munich 1985, ISBN 3-423-01254-4 .
Coordinates: 48 ° 13 ′ 20 ″ N , 16 ° 21 ′ 28 ″ E