Let's Talk About Cities #3 – Red Vienna
Das Rote Wien - The Red Vienna
In this blog post and podcast episode we will talk about Red Vienna, starting by giving some historical background information and introducing the at the time revolutionary ideas that were implemented and are still relevant today. Furthermore, we will discuss how the projects were financed and also go into detail with the Karl-Marx-Hof as a well-known example for municipal housing in Vienna that still shapes the cityscape today.
Lastly, we will talk about how the period of Red Vienna came to an end, in what way the development of municipal housing was continued with after WWII and look at how municipal housing in Vienna works nowadays.
General situation - First World War, First Republic, Lack of housing and food
Before we get to our main topic of Red Vienna, which refers to the period of Social Democratic rule of Vienna between 1920 and 1934, I want to set the scene: in 1910 Vienna was the capital of Austria-Hungary, an empire of 51 million people, and the city had slightly over 2 million inhabitants. For comparison Paris had 2.8, Berlin 2.1 and Moscow 1.6 million inhabitants at the time.1 Vienna was a cultural and political hub - a metropolis of a great empire. In 1913 some of the future most important figures of the century lived in Vienna: Sigmund Freud, Josef Stalin, Leon Trotsky, Tito and Hitler.2
Then came the war. The First World War, although it wasn’t fought in Vienna, had a huge impact on the city. There were supply issues and high inflation which together with the large number of refugees and wounded arriving in the city led to a shortage of food and housing. Hundreds of thousands of people had to queue up in terrible conditions for their ration of bread or risk going hungry.3 The rising rents led to the first efforts to introduce rent control and protection against eviction.4
The Austrian Emperor Karl I and the German Emperor Wilhelm II met in August 1918 to discuss an end to the war. The Austrians wanted immediate peace negotiations with the Allied Powers, the Germans wanted first to improve their military situation in order to strengthen their position in the peace negotiations. A German offensive on the western front failed badly and on October 26th Emperor Karl ended the alliance with the German Empire and sent an offer of peace to the Allied Powers.5
At the same time the Austro-Hungarian empire was falling apart. Emperor Karl had written a manifesto on October 16th, offering the territories of the empire more sovereignty in a federal monarchy. A reform. But the manifesto was understood as an opportunity for self-rule.6 On October 24th Hungary reduced their union with Austria to merely sharing a monarch and no longer state institutions.7 On October 28th Czechoslovakia declared their independence and on December 1st so did the Kingdom of the Serbs, Slovenes and Croats.8 On November 11th Emperor Karl wrote a proclamation giving up his claim to participating in Austrian state administration. The next day the First Austrian Republic was declared. On November 13th Karl wrote a proclamation for Hungary as well. Three days later the Republic of Hungary was announced.9 This was the end of the Habsburg monarchy.
Vienna as a federal state, Social Democracy versus Clergical Conservatism
During the war the municipal council of Vienna was run by the conservative Christian Social Party. They would have to answer for the shortages of food and housing and general misery of wartime Vienna – and face the revolutionary mood.10 On May 4th 1919, in the first free municipal council elections – for women and men – the Social Democrats achieved an absolute majority with 54 % of the votes.11
As Vienna was at the time a municipality in the state of Lower Austria, the election result also meant the Social Democrats chose the governor of the state. For the Christian Social Party this was unacceptable, as Lower Austria with Vienna equaled half of the nation's population and the voters outside of Vienna, largely conservative, did not feel represented by the Social Democrats. Therefore the Christian Socials, in their proposal for the constitution of the First Republic, treated Vienna as a state of its own - separated from Lower Austria. In return the Social Democrats wanted the territory of Vienna to be extended into parts of Lower Austria. The final constitution came into effect on November 10th 1920, with Vienna as a municipality and state but without changes to its territory.12 Given the status of a state, the municipal council of Vienna became at the same time the state council and as such could enact state laws, raise state as well as city taxes and receive federal funding as a state and a city.13 This political power would be instrumental for the Red Vienna era and beyond.
Breitner Taxes
Hugo Breitner was the city councilor for finance during the Red Vienna period and the brain behind the taxes that financed the city’s policies. We’ll go through some of the most important of these taxes.14
The welfare tax was one of the taxes that brought the most revenue. It was paid by employers as 4% of the wages and salaries of the workers as well as by banks and bankers as 8% of their deals. In 1929 the revenue was 79,6 million Schilling.15
The amusement tax brought a revenue of 17,2 million Schilling in 1928. It taxed event venues such as operas, concerts, theaters, cinemas and sports event venues.16
The tax on food and luxury items reached a revenue of 17,1 million Schilling in 1929. It taxed premises such as restaurants, cáfes and bars.17
The housebuilding tax is perhaps the most famous of the taxes introduced by Breitner. To this day there are inscriptions on the buildings built with it proudly proclaiming: “erbaut aus den Mitteln der Wohnbausteuer” which means “built with the means of the housebuilding tax”. It was used specifically to finance the city’s building policy, making up about a third of the investments. In 1930 its revenue was 36,3 million Schilling.18
Red Vienna
When talking about Red Vienna, some might only think of the municipal residential buildings that were built at that time and still shape the appearance of the city today. But besides creating more housing, the emphasis was also put on social welfare as well as a reform of education.
Until then, a welfare system based on charity, church and private institutions had determined the care policy in Vienna. The plans that were proposed by Julius Tandler to amend the welfare system were intended to replace the existing traditional one as a socio-political experiment. The aim was to improve living conditions, especially for working-class families with many children, by expanding the welfare facilities. They created a network of facilities that determined the new care structure, among them were counselling centres for mothers, youth departments, kindergartens and adoption centres.19
As the hygienic situation after WWI was quite bad, it had to be assured that all apartments were equipped with running water. Furthermore, a concept for public bathing houses was developed and many of the ones that were built back then, such as the Amalienbad, still exist. Moreover, sanatoria for patients suffering tuberculosis or venereal diseases were established, various hospitals were taken over or the size of them extended.20 The Christian Social criticised the new welfare system as being unnecessarily bureaucratic and even described it as “caring madness”. They continued to advocate voluntary and individual welfare being provided by church organisations.21
Additional to the new welfare system and housing policy, the city’s infrastructure was improved: The tram was modernized, the garbage system refined to work on a larger scale and the condition of the streets was improved with asphalt and cobblestone.22
Finally, a school reform took place. In addition to that, all kinds of cultural activities like theatres, concerts and the establishment of libraries were promoted.23
Project (Main persons, urban planning, architecture, Karl-Marx-Hof, points system)
In the period of the Red Vienna, a total of 382 municipal residential complexes were built and designed by 199 different architects, some of them being students of Otto Wagner.24 It seems paradoxical that socialist ideas and ideals were carried out by mostly bourgeois architects.25 However, the main principle of Red Vienna’s social policy was to improve the quality of living for everyone, but it was seen as a “postulated social obligation”26 to take action for those in need. The decision of who was entitled to move into a municipal building was based on a point system. There were three classes to categorize the necessity: weak, medium and strong need. If the person applying for a municipal flat was homeless or injured from war, he or she would for example get 5 points, being an Austrian citizen however was only “worth” one point while being born in Vienna was worth four points.27
Karl-Marx-Hof
Oftentimes, the municipal residential complexes such as the Karl-Marx Hof were characterized by the dwellings being accessed through the yard that most of them had and not through the street as it was common previously. The big inner yards were very important as they ensured enough light, fresh air and possibilities to move around and meet.28
Even though Karl-Marx-Hof, situated in the 19th district of Vienna, is not the biggest municipal residential complex that was built in the time period of Red Vienna (The biggest municipal residential complex is Sandleitenhof with 1.587 apartments.) nor the first one that was built (The first one was the Metzleinstaler, later Matzleinstaler Hof, built in 1920), it might be one of the most known ones. It was designed by the architect Karl Ehn and built within three phases between 1926 and 1930. At the opening in 1930, the mayor at that time, Karl Seitz, announced
“Once we will no longer be, these stones will speak for us.”
„Wenn wir einst nicht mehr sind, werden diese Steine für uns sprechen.“29
It is astonishing that out of the total area of 156.027m2 only 28.751m2 was built on. (ergo not even 20% of the total area) The rest of the area was used for greenery, playgrounds as well as roads.30 Some say that the building itself - with the almost 1,2 km long fassade (which makes it the longest structurally connected residential building in the world) and the monumental form - reminds them of a fortress. This is very telling in a sense that the residents of the Karl-Marx-Hof didn’t really need to leave the block at any time as it had all necessities needed for daily life. Within the complex, there were social institutions such as a youth centre, a kindergarten as well as advisory centres for mothers. Moreover, there were public baths, a library, laundromats, a pharmacy, a post office, several clinics and even a coffee house.31
The Karl-Marx Hof played an important role in the civil war in february 1934 (Februarkämpfe), many battles took place at the complex as well as in other municipal houses in Vienna. Throughout World War II, the construction of more municipal housing in Vienna was mostly put on hold, Karl-Marx-Hof was called Biedermannhof and Heiligenstädter Hof in the meantime, but after the war was named back to Karl-Marx-Hof and renovated.32
Today, it still represents the time of Red Vienna as possibly no other municipal residential complex and attracts tourists from all over the world.33 As some of the apartments were merged, today there are 1272 flats, a bit fewer than the original amount of 1382 apartments that were designated for around 5000 people.34
End through Ständestaat
The end of Red Vienna came with the end of the First Republic. The tensions between social democratic Vienna and the mostly conservative rest of Austria had continued to rise. Each political side had paramilitary groups attached to them: the Republican Defense League of the Social Democrats stood opposite the Homeland Protection as well as other forces of the conservative and nationalist camps. The World War I peace treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye had limited the size of the Austrian army to 30.000 men and the paramilitary groups were formed partly to complement the army but mostly to support their respective ideological motives.35
The stated purpose of the Republican Defense League was to protect the Republic and its constitution, to support the national army and police in keeping public peace and order as well as to support public events of the Social Democratic Party. It took part in political marches and protected workers’ strikes. Its opposites, the Homeland Protection and other groups such as from the early 30s onwards the SA and SS, openly called for the abolition of democracy in favour of authoritarian rule.
On January 30th 1927 one of the worst clashes between the Defense League and a conservative-nationalist group of frontline veterans (Frontkämpfer) took place in Schattendorf. During a march of the Defense League they were fired upon by frontline veterans. One child and one adult were killed. The three shooters were freed from all charges by the court, whereupon the wrath of the working class erupted. On July 15th the same year huge crowds gathered in the city center of Vienna to protest against the perceived “class justice” and a general strike was called throughout the nation. The Palace of Justice in Vienna was set on fire by the crowds. Police killed 94 people and injured over 1000. In other parts of the country the Homeland Protection broke the general strike.
The paramilitary forces on both sides increased their preparations and the Defense League considered the government to be on the side of the enemy. Clashes between them became more intense. The Homeland Protection of the state of Styria under Walter Pfrimer on September 13th 1931 initiated a coup d’etat and marched on Vienna but were stopped by the Republican Defense League and the national army, although the army purposefully were slow to react – leaving the Homeland Protection enough time to disperse and hide their weapons. The court process that followed was a sham: the leaders of the coup were aquitted.
More and more the Republican Defense League was persecuted by the government and the army, under influence of the Homeland Protection, seizing their weapons and stopping them from carrying out marches. After Engelbert Dollfuss became Chancellor in 1932 the persecution intensified and the Defense League was forbidden from gathering.36 In March 1933 Dollfuss took advantage of issues with proceedings in parliament, declaring it unable to function and therefore defunct. He used a 1917 emergency law to abolish the freedom of the press, the freedom of assembly and other constitutional rights.37 The Republican Defense League was outlawed and members were arrested. The Fatherland Front (Die Vaterländische Front) was founded as a unity party to rule as a one-party-government, incorporating the Christian Social Party and the Heimatblock – the party of the Homeland Protection.
The Social Democratic Party was not yet banned but its members were persecuted with razzias and arrests by the police and the army. The goal of the government was to provoke a violent uprising which would then be quelled by the army and the Homeland Protection. That aim was achieved on February 12th 1934 as a group of Defense League members in Linz tried to stop a search for weapons in the Social Democratic party headquarters in the Hotel Schiff with violence. It was the start of the Austrian civil war, also known as the February uprising.
The Republican Defense League fought the army and the police. A general strike was called. But the Defense League and the Social Democrats had already been weakened through persecution in the years prior. The general strike failed and few of the Defense League took part in the uprising. The battles were principally fought in working class districts of Vienna, Linz and smaller cities. The army bombarded the defensive positions of the Defense League, including the buildings of Red Vienna, with artillery.38 The Karl-Marx-Hof, Reumannhof and Sandleiten were among buildings bombarded and heavily fought for. The Social Democratic Party and its organisations as well as unions were banned and 9 people were executed. Some party leaders fled the country.39 It was the end of Red Vienna and of democracy in Austria.
The battles ended on February 15th. The government claimed 314 people were killed and 805 wounded but those numbers are likely too low. The artillery bombardment in Vienna is estimated to have taken the lives of 250-270 civilians. Even Hitler – by then dictator in Germany – was critical, saying Chancellor Dollfuss had “with criminal stupidity had women and children shot”. In July the same year Austrian National Socialists attempted a coup d’etat which failed, but Dollfuss was killed. Fatherland Front politician Kurt Schuschnigg would rule as dictator until the Anschluss (annexation) by Nazi Germany in 1938.40
Siedlerbewegungen
After WWI, there were many homeless people and a lack of housing. Surely being inspired by the garden cities, many “wild” settlements were built, meaning that the people constructing those didn’t actually have the building permit for it. Those “wild” settlements were replaced by larger facilities that were supported by the City of Vienna in the 1920s. Between 1921 and 1933, 8,340 settlement houses or housing units with the character of the garden city were built, all of them enabling the owners to grow their own food in the gardens and therefore also fight hunger. In the 1930s, some sites could be accessed by unemployed people, in exchange they had to perform a certain amount of work in the small lots, resulting in self-sufficiency. However, after introducing the housebuilding tax, the party turned away from realizing more settlement houses and concentrated on constructing multi-storey residential buildings, mostly as it was way cheaper.41
Gemeindebau after Second World War
The construction of municipal buildings was - except for some housing estates - standing completely still during WWII. As many of the previously constructed municipal buildings were destroyed or damaged during the war, they had to be reconstructed and/or renovated. There was a time pressure to make sure that the destroyed dwellings were habitable as many people were homeless at that time.41
After 1945, a new era for the municipal buildings began. The first large building project of the municipality after WWII was the Per-Albin-Hansson-Siedlung West, the construction started in 1947 and was named after the former prime minister of Sweden to honor his aid during the war.42 Contrary to the superblocks that were characteristic for the Red Vienna, mainly “gap buildings” were built, the main driver being to create as much housing as quickly as possible. That was also displayed as the architectural finesse and design, those buildings were called “Emmentalerbauten'' as it was mainly about efficiently creating housing and not caring so much about the style of the buildings.43 The numerous social facilities also weren't as cared about as it was the case in the Red Vienna.44 Separating the different functions was characteristic for that time, the common notion of not having to leave the complex as everything was within the complex, was lost. 45
Today?
In 2018, around 500.000 people, which equals every fourth Viennese, lived in municipal housing.46 Vienna manages around 220.000 municipal flats which makes it the biggest municipal real estate owner in Europe.47
Today, there is the so-called Vienna-Housingticket (Wiener Wohnticket) that is the “entrance ticket” to the entire housing offer of Vienna (Gemeindebau, SMART apartments, subsidized housing). In order to be eligible for a municipal apartment, one has to fulfill the following requirements: 48
Minimum age 17 years
Two years of continuous main residence at the current Viennese address (without secondary residence)
Austrian citizenship or equivalent
Below the maximum income limits according to the Vienna Housing Subsidy and Housing Rehabilitation Act (WWFSG) - the income limits do not apply to apartments of the Vienna Housing Initiative 2011 and 2015 and to subsidized rehabilitated apartments
No concerns regarding tenancy law
“Clarified” family circumstances
In addition, it is required that one has a specific reason for needing housing such as for example being a single parent, to have an age-related or iIllness-related housing need.
1 Mutschlechner, M. 2014. Masses of people – the development of the population. Der Erste Weltkrieg. https://ww1.habsburger.net/en/chapters/masses-people-development-population.
2 Walker, A. (2013). 1913: When Hitler, Trotsky, TITO, Freud and Stalin all lived in the same place. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-21859771.
3 Erster Weltkrieg. 2018. Wien Geschichte Wiki, . https://www.geschichtewiki.wien.gv.at/index.php?title=Erster_Weltkrieg&oldid=345455.
4 Mietervereinigung. 2021. Wien Geschichte Wiki, . https://www.geschichtewiki.wien.gv.at/index.php?title=Mietervereinigung&oldid=484224.
5 Mutschlechner, M. 2014. Der zusammenbruch. Der Erste Weltkrieg. https://ww1.habsburger.net/de/kapitel/der-zusammenbruch.
6 Mutschlechner, M. 2014. „An meine getreuen österreichischen völker!" – das völkermanifest kaiser karls. Der Erste Weltkrieg. https://ww1.habsburger.net/de/kapitel/meine-getreuen-oesterreichischen-voelker-das-voelkermanifest-kaiser-karls.
7 Mutschlechner, M. 2014. Der Zerfall der Habsburgermonarchie – Teil II: Die Situation in Wien und Budapest. Der Erste Weltkrieg. https://ww1.habsburger.net/de/kapitel/der-zerfall-der-habsburgermonarchie-teil-ii-die-situation-wien-und-budapest.
8 Mutschlechner, M. 2014. Der Zerfall der Habsburgermonarchie – Teil I: Auf dem Weg zur Selbstbestimmung. Der Erste Weltkrieg. https://ww1.habsburger.net/de/kapitel/der-zerfall-der-habsburgermonarchie-teil-i-auf-dem-weg-zur-selbstbestimmung.
9 Mutschlechner, M. 2014. Der Zerfall der Habsburgermonarchie – Teil II: Die Situation in Wien und Budapest. Der Erste Weltkrieg. https://ww1.habsburger.net/de/kapitel/der-zerfall-der-habsburgermonarchie-teil-ii-die-situation-wien-und-budapest.
10 Rotes Wien. 2020. Wien Geschichte Wiki, . https://www.geschichtewiki.wien.gv.at/index.php?title=Rotes_Wien&oldid=436325.
11 Blau, E. (2018). Architecture of Red Vienna, 1919-1934. MIT Press. p. 32-34.
12 Wien wird Bundesland. 2021. Wien Geschichte Wiki, . https://www.geschichtewiki.wien.gv.at/index.php?title=Wien_wird_Bundesland&oldid=802174.
13 Blau, E. (2018). Architecture of Red Vienna, 1919-1934. MIT Press. p. 32-34.
14 Hugo Breitner. 2021. Wien Geschichte Wiki, . https://www.geschichtewiki.wien.gv.at/index.php?title=Hugo_Breitner&oldid=456031.
15 Fürsorgeabgabe. 2020. Wien Geschichte Wiki, . https://www.geschichtewiki.wien.gv.at/index.php?title=F%C3%BCrsorgeabgabe&oldid=392196.
16 Städtische Luxussteuer. 2020. Wien Geschichte Wiki, . https://www.geschichtewiki.wien.gv.at/index.php?title=St%C3%A4dtische_Luxussteuer&oldid=392194.
17 Nahrungs- und Genussmittelabgabe. 2020. Wien Geschichte Wiki, . https://www.geschichtewiki.wien.gv.at/index.php?title=Nahrungs-_und_Genussmittelabgabe&oldid=392198.
18 Wohnbausteuer. 2020. Wien Geschichte Wiki, . https://www.geschichtewiki.wien.gv.at/index.php?title=Wohnbausteuer&oldid=392192.
19 Schwarz, W. M., Spitaler, G., & Pilz, K. (2019). Mutter (Rotes) Wien. In Das rote Wien 1919-1934: Ideen, Debatten, praxis (pp. 75–76). essay, Birkhäuser.
20 Rotes Wien. 2020. Wien Geschichte Wiki, . https://www.geschichtewiki.wien.gv.at/index.php?title=Rotes_Wien&oldid=436325.
21 Schwarz, W. M., Spitaler, G., & Pilz, K. (2019). Mutter (Rotes) Wien. In Das Rote Wien 1919-1934: Ideen, Debatten, Praxis p 75–76. essay, Birkhäuser.
22 Rotes Wien. 2020. Wien Geschichte Wiki, . https://www.geschichtewiki.wien.gv.at/index.php?title=Rotes_Wien&oldid=436325.
23 Ibid
24 Wohnbaupolitik des "Roten Wien". 2020. Wien Geschichte Wiki, . https://www.geschichtewiki.wien.gv.at/index.php?title=Wohnbaupolitik_des_%22Roten_Wien%22&oldid=392205.
25 Schwarz, W. M., Spitaler, G., & Wikidal, E. (2019). Einleitung. In Das Rote Wien 1919-1934: Ideen, Debatten, Praxis p. 12. introduction, Birkhäuser.
26 Rotes Wien. 2020. Wien Geschichte Wiki, . https://www.geschichtewiki.wien.gv.at/index.php?title=Rotes_Wien&oldid=436325.
27 Kolonky, S. 2010. Master Thesis: Ringstraße des Proletariats? Zum Wandel der Sozialstruktur der BewohnerInnen fünf ausgewählter Gemeindebauten im Kontext der Wiener Stadtentwicklung des 20. Jahrhunderts.
https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/11590002.pdf
28 Wohnbaupolitik des "Roten Wien". 2020. Wien Geschichte Wiki, . https://www.geschichtewiki.wien.gv.at/index.php?title=Wohnbaupolitik_des_%22Roten_Wien%22&oldid=392205.
29 Weihsmann, H. 2002. Das Rote Wien. Sozialdemokratische Architektur und Kommunalpolitik 1919-1934 p 401. Translated by author.
30 Ibid
31 Karl-Marx-Hof. 2021. Wien Geschichte Wiki, . https://www.geschichtewiki.wien.gv.at/index.php?title=Karl-Marx-Hof&oldid=803477.
32 Ibid
33 Ibid
34 Marxismus zum Wohnen. Karl-Marx-Hof: Das Rote Wien im Waschsalon. http://dasrotewien-waschsalon.at/karl-marx-hof
35 Prieschl, M. n.d. Der Republikanische Schutzbund. Bundesheer. https://www.bundesheer.at/truppendienst/ausgaben/artikel.php?id=982.
36 Ibid
37 Februar 1934. 2020. Wien Geschichte Wiki, . https://www.geschichtewiki.wien.gv.at/index.php?title=Februar_1934&oldid=392223.
38 Prieschl, M. n.d. Der Republikanische Schutzbund. Bundesheer. https://www.bundesheer.at/truppendienst/ausgaben/artikel.php?id=982.
39 Februar 1934. 2020. Wien Geschichte Wiki, . https://www.geschichtewiki.wien.gv.at/index.php?title=Februar_1934&oldid=392223.
40 Prieschl, M. n.d. Der Republikanische Schutzbund. Bundesheer. https://www.bundesheer.at/truppendienst/ausgaben/artikel.php?id=982.
41 Siedlerbewegung. 2021. Wien Geschichte Wiki, . https://www.geschichtewiki.wien.gv.at/index.php?title=Siedlerbewegung&oldid=465241.
42 Baumann, N. 2012. Master Thesis: Die Entwicklung der Wiener Gemeindebauten im Kontext ihrer Architektur p.62. University of Vienna. http://othes.univie.ac.at/19275/1/2012-03-19_0703539.pdf
43 Baumann, N. 2012. Master Thesis: Die Entwicklung der Wiener Gemeindebauten im Kontext ihrer Architektur p.63. University of Vienna. http://othes.univie.ac.at/19275/1/2012-03-19_0703539.pdf
44 Mandl, C. 2016. Wiener Wohn-Sinn: Wiener Gemeindebau von den Anfängen bis zur Gegenwart
45 Mandl, C. 2016. Wiener Wohn-Sinn: Wiener Gemeindebau von den Anfängen bis zur Gegenwart
46 Baumann, N. 2012. Master Thesis: Die Entwicklung der Wiener Gemeindebauten im Kontext ihrer Architektur p.71. University of Vienna. http://othes.univie.ac.at/19275/1/2012-03-19_0703539.pdf
47 Municipal Housing in Vienna. History, facts & figures. City of Vienna - Wiener Wohnen. 2018. https://www.wienerwohnen.at/ueber-uns/ueber.html
48 Allgemeines. Wohnberatung. n.d. https://wohnberatung-wien.at/wiener-wohn-ticket/allgemeines.