Some architecture alumni from Stuttgart colleges and universities built important buildings in Vienna. As part-time Stuttgart citizen and part-time Viennese I enjoy this fact. And I will write about it from time to time. Today – the builder of the Viennese town hall.
In the middle of the 19th century the number of Viennese inhabitants jumped from 50,000 people up to more than 430.000. The old town hall didn’t had space enough to manage Vienna. What followed where years of metropolitan discussions much like the discussions about the hygienic needs. 23 places for a new town hall were discussed. And then finally a tender for the new building was finalized. 65 Austrian and foreign architects handed in their proposals. Members of the selection committee were among others the famous architects Ferstel and Semper. Project XIV with the title „Saxa loguntur“ (the stones talk) won. In a ceremony the sealed envelope with the architects’ name was opened and the winner was: Friedrich Schmidt (1825 – 1891), a German Viennese. Second till fifth places went to Parisian and Berlin architects only from place six onwards native architects were awarded. 1873 they started with the foundation stone; ten years later an area of 19,592 square metres had been covered and the cap stone could be set. Again ten years later the German Viennese became a honorary citizen of Vienna. 1886 he became a baron.
Humbly he steps back behind his work – 1896 the memorial for Schmidt had been uncurtained behind the town hall – photo.
The way there lead the born Württemberg citizen from studying in Stuttgart via his work as stonemason and later foreman at the Cologne cathedral, “years of travel” in Italy via the call into the building committee of the restoration of St. Stephen’s Cathedral to a professorship at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna (middle ages art, architectural class) to building two churches and a school in Vienna with his own architectural office.
He “won” the town hall mainly due to his well thought solution of the room functions; never on the other hand died the discussions down about the Gothic style. [1] For example by Otto Wagner “Because in the middle ages a town hall was naturally Gothic the one built in 1880 – having completely different tasks – must not necessarily lie in the Gothic style!” [2]
Yes it is a fairy tale castle but what a castle!! Especially when illuminated at night: whether classic or modern and way-out like during the Life Ball, as giant Advent calender or candy coloured during the Viennese Ice Dream – one cannot but gaze at it both carried away and amused.
And festive reception halls wherever you look. “On his/her way to the festive reception halls the visitor gets totally distracted from looking into the offices and work spaces.” [1] Distracted by the opulence and diversity of these rooms it can easily happen that one on the way to the general assembly of the Society for the History of Vienna follows happily a red carpet and suddenly arrives in the neighbour hall where this evening the Austrian Oscar winner Stefan Ruzowitzky gets celebrated. Vienna celebrates happily and much in the town hall. Whether once per year Viennese wine and winemakers or life as such with proms or Austrian books with a special book week – the town hall is deeply rooted in the life and a German architect has developed with his building a home for the local mentality.
And his adoption went that far that he starts the storeys only after ground floor, raised ground floor and Halbstock (another “in-between” storey) using typical Viennese bending-the-building-laws tricks. And suddenly you feel you have to wait longer for the elevator. I am not that adopted that I can stand this so I am only happy that there is no first, second and third basement and I would have to wait even longer for the elevator.
More town hall? Rathausführung per Mausklick (Virtual Town Hall Guide, in German), Life Ball-Beleuchtung (Life Ball Illumination), Advent, Viennese Ice Dream
Schmidt-Sources:
[1] „Das Wiener Rathaus“ (The Viennese Town Hall, in German) by A. Hauer, Stadt Wien, Presse- und Informationsdienst (MA 53), Wien, 1992
[2] „Eine Naissance der Architektur. Otto Wagners Häuser an der Wienzeile.“ (A Genesis of Architecture. Otto Wagner’s Houses at the Wienzeile, in German) by Dr. Iris Meder in „Die Münze“, Münze Österreich, Wien, 18. Jahrgang, 5. Ausgabe, Nov./Dez. 2007
„Friedrich von Schmidt (1825 – 1891). Ein gotischer Rationalist.“ (Friedrich von Schmidt (1825 – 1891) A Gothic Rationalist, in German) exhibition catalogue by Peter Haiko, Renata Kassal-Mikul, Historisches Museum der Stadt Wien, Wien, 1991
