Friedrich-Engels-Platz residential complex
The residential complex at Friedrich-Engels-Platz 1-10 (also: Engelsplatzhof or incorrect Engelshof ) is a listed public housing in the 20th district of Vienna Brigittenau . After the Sandleitenhof in Ottakring, it is the second largest communal residential building in “ Red Vienna ” in the First Republic .
history
The unnamed residential complex on Friedrich-Engels-Platz was designed by Otto Wagner's student Rudolf Perco and built between 1930 and 1933. It comprised 1,467 apartments, as well as a kindergarten , a post office , a pharmacy , bathing facilities, a laundry, a party club, a restaurant and other small shops.
During the civil war between social democratic Schutzbündlers and the Heimwehr and the armed forces , the municipal housing on Floridsdorfer Brücke played an important strategic role. It was quickly occupied by the police on February 12, 1934, as leading Schutzbunds who knew the weapons hiding places had already been arrested. After the Fatherland Front came to power in 1934, a church was built in a community building.
description
The residential complex is located on the north side of Friedrich-Engels-Platz and is bounded by this, Forsthausgasse, Leystraße, Aignerstraße and Wehlistraße. Friedrich-Engels-Platz protrudes into the complex and, together with the adjoining Kapaunplatz, forms an axis that divides the complex into two courtyards, both of which are built around the edge of a block. While the western courtyard is completely closed, the eastern one is open to Wehlistraße. A building block runs in between, which in turn separates the two squares from each other.
The structurally identical buildings at Leystraße 19-21 immediately further north are not part of the complex; Together with the adjoining new buildings, they form a separate residential complex.
First planned draft of the residential complex
The architect's original plans could not be fully implemented due to the economic crisis and the February fighting in 1934 . The draft had planned the Kapaunplatz as the center of the complex with four connected courtyards. This central courtyard was to be reached from Engelsplatz through two seven-story corner houses through a square forecourt, the courtyard of honor. Furthermore, the Kapaunplatz should have three entrances and was 100 meters long. The original plan also provided for 2,300 apartments; of which in the end only 1467, i.e. about two thirds, were realized. The facility on Friedrich-Engels-Platz was to be the largest residential building in the world at the time, with around 10,000 inhabitants. In contrast, the Sandleitenhof municipal housing estate only comprised around 1500 apartments. Compared to the two superblocks, the Karl-Marx- Hof and the Karl-Seitz-Hof , each with around 1,200–1,400 apartments, the completed Engelsplatz-Hof would have been almost twice as large. Since the construction was never completely finished, the Friedrich Engels Hof remains the second largest building in red Vienna after the Sandleitenhof in Ottakring.
The influence of Otto Wagner on Rudolf Perco can be seen on the basis of Perco's draft for the municipal housing scheme, which with its floor plan approximates the idea of an ideal city . The effect of Wagner's school is also evident in the actual monumentality of the complex. Perco's first draft can be compared with the study for the XXII. Compare district of Wagner. With his project for the Friedrich-Engels-Platz residential complex, Perco was planning a small town (city within the city) with an area of 115,300 square meters and space for around 10,000 residents, with various and partially implemented facilities such as two large central laundries connected to a bathing complex , numerous shops, workshops and bars, as well as a consumer branch, a WÖK kitchen, an inn, a post office and rescue station, a library and a mother's advice center should be available. A school and a kindergarten should be available for the education of children and young people. The original plan also provided for a gym, a meeting place and a theater building. This means that the residential complex was designed so that everyday life could take place almost exclusively in its areas. Some of his ideas, such as the gym or the second laundry, were rejected because they could not be implemented due to the financial crisis .
Housing complex today
Today's residential complex consists of the main courtyard with two symmetrically connected, but asymmetrically limited side courtyards and a separate open courtyard wing. It lies on the north side of Friedrich-Engels-Platz and is bordered by this, Forsthausgasse, Leystraße, Aignerstraße and Wehlistraße. Friedrich-Engels-Platz protrudes into the complex and, together with the adjoining Kapaunplatz, forms an axis that divides the complex into two courtyards, both of which are built around the edge of a block. In urban development, block edge construction means the arrangement of several residential buildings in closed construction around a shared open space. While the western courtyard is completely closed, the eastern one is open to Wehlistraße. A building block runs in between, which in turn separates the two squares from each other. The monumental main exhibition side of the complex is obstructed by trees, all of which were only planted in the late post-war period. With technical progress came the increased use of cars, so the trees were planted to reduce traffic noise, sacrificing the signaling effect of socialist architecture.
The residential complex has a grocery store and business premises located at the main gate under the towers. In the western part, on Laystrasse, there is a hairdresser, TV service and the Engelshof pharmacy. The municipal kindergarten is located in the central courtyard. The complex also includes a schnitzel restaurant, a shisha bar, a plant doctor, a foot care service and a bicycle rental.
The apartment units are standard kitchen-living room apartments with 45 square meters and a balcony. Kitchen-living room apartments are apartments in which the kitchen and living room have been designed as one unit. There were no apartments facing north and the living rooms had parquet floors. What was new and unusual was the use of two tall rectangular windows in each room to provide better lighting.
Art as an important part of the system
The Friedrich-Engels-Platz residential complex adorns many different artistic elements. The portal with its two corner houses and the high flagpoles impresses the viewer as soon as they enter the facility. The animal representations and mosaics designed by Mario Petrucci around 1953, which show fish and forest animals, are scattered around the square and are considered a homage to the former hunting ground of Brigittenau. At the corner of Wehli-Straße there is a memorial created by Petrucci in 1952 for Gregor Mendel , the discoverer of the Mendelian rules of inheritance named after him. Behind the passage from Friedrich-Engels-Platz to Kapaunplatz are the larger than life stone sculptures “Striding man and striding woman”, which were made in 1932 by the Austrian sculptor Karl Stemolak . Originally, two 25 meter high free figures, which were supposed to symbolize the efforts of the social democracy to build up and care, were planned in front of the gate. However, these were rejected in February 1931 due to the reduced housing budget. There is also a memorial plaque for the Austrian plant breeder Erich Tschermak, Edler von Seysenegg , on the site of the community building. The laundry with its monumental chimney, on which a clock is attached that can be seen from afar, is used to read the time and embellish it, is a particularly striking detail of the residential complex. The balcony and gate grilles are provided with small constructivist details.
The residential complex on Friedrich-Engels-Platz is characterized by an abundance of sculptures, art signs and monuments, all of which are well preserved. The art on the site is open to the public and serves to beautify and liven up the facility. At the same time, it brings variety to the cityscape and is of interest to tourists as well as educational opportunities for residents. The facility is connected to Friedrich Engels Platz - bus and tram stop - by an underpass. The underpass is also a street art passage, which was painted during the youth initiative. There are various fast food shops, markets and bars near the stop.
Life in the Engelsplatzhof
The quality and way of life of the residents of complexes such as Friedrich-Engels-Platz was strongly influenced by socialist values that formed the basis of modern Vienna. In the past it was mainly those residents who were members of the socialist party. In the course of time, however, the perception of the residents changed, which is related to the increasing migration in Vienna. The social housing program was made available to people without an Austrian passport in 2001, so that they could apply for communal housing. This not only led to changes in the organization and way of life in the city in general, but also in the individual facilities, such as the Engelsplatzhof. The multicultural image of the city corresponds to the multicultural population in Engelsplatzhof and other municipal housing developments in Vienna. Despite all the changes, facilities like this represent the past and mark the future of modern ways of life by creating micro-cities as part of large cities.
Connection to public transport
- Bus lines 11B, 11A, 5A;
- Tram lines 2, 33, 31;
- Underground lines U4 and U6;
- S - Bahn lines S1, S2, S3, S45, S7. The S-Bahn line S7 runs directly to the airport ;
- The Handelskai and Heiligenstadt stations are important nearby transport hubs .
gallery
Friedrich-Engels-Platz
The portal
The clock tower
Figures "Striding" and "Striding" by Karl Stemolak (1933)
Gregor Mendel Monument by Mario Petrucci (1953)
"Hunt" mosaic by Mario Petrucci (1953–1957)
"Fishing" mosaic by Mario Petrucci (1953–1957)
literature
- Hans and Rudolf Hautmann: The municipal housing of Red Vienna 1919–1934. 1980.
- Helmut Weihsmann : The Red Vienna. Social democratic architecture and local politics 1919–1934. 1st edition, Vienna 1985 / 2nd edition, Vienna 2002.
Web links
- Municipal housing in Brigittenau. In: dasrotewien.at - Web dictionary of the Viennese social democracy. SPÖ Vienna (Ed.)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Ursula Prokop: Rudolf Perco 1884-1942. From the architecture of Red Vienna to Nazi megalomania . Böhlau Verlag Ges mb H and Co KG, Vienna Cologne Weimar, Böhlau 2001, ISBN 3-205-99304-7 , p. 158-159 .
- ↑ Ursula Prokop: Rudolf Perco 1884-1942. From the architecture of Red Vienna to Nazi megalomania. Ed .: Böhlau Verlag Ges mb H and Co KG, Vienna Cologne Weimar. Böhlau 2001, ISBN 3-205-99304-7 , pp. 160-163 .
- ^ Friedrich Achleitner: Austrian architecture in the 20th century. Ed .: Architekturzentrum Wien. B. 3. Rezidenz Verlag, Salzburg 2010, ISBN 978-3-7017-3209-8 , p. 143-144 .
- ↑ Ursula Prokop: Rudolf Perco 1884-1942. From the architecture of Red Vienna to Nazi megalomania. Ed .: Böhlau Verlag Ges mb H and Co KG, Vienna Cologne Weimar. Böhlau 2001, ISBN 3-205-99304-7 , pp. 180-182 .
- ↑ Austria Forum | https://austria-forum.org : Gregor Mendel monument by Mario Petrucci 1953. Retrieved June 24, 2020 .
- ↑ Ursula Prokop: Rudolf Perco 1884-1942. From the architecture of Red Vienna to Nazi megalomania . Ed .: Böhlau Verlag Ges mb H and Co KG, Vienna Cologne Weimar. Böhlau 2001, ISBN 3-205-99304-7 , pp. 169-171 .
- ↑ Graffiti decorate Brigittenauer Platz. Retrieved June 24, 2020 .
- ↑ From: Michael Bonvalot: The municipal housing - a place for a life. In: Bonvalot.net. March 13, 2015, accessed June 24, 2020 (German).
Coordinates: 48 ° 14 ′ 44.7 " N , 16 ° 22 ′ 40.6" E