Märzpark, The Nibelung & Red Vienna

Burggasse Stadthalle

The starting point for this walk is Burggasse Stadthalle. It’s a U-Bahn, tram and bus stop. It’s a great big modern transport node and quite confusing, one of those places where you follow a long underground tunnel and emerge somewhere that is clearly not where you want to be.

Follow the signs to Urban Loritz Platz. Then cross Neubaugürtel into Hütteldorfer Straße. Some sort of map will be helpful. I recommend Citymapper.

Walk along Hütteldorfer Straße and take the first left into Löhrgasse

Löhrgasse 26 – 28, Hütteldorfer Straße 3 – 5

Built in 1925 – 26, the architect was Karl Dirnhuber.

It is bold, with a strong building mass and constructivist flair. As you can see in the photograph below, it could feature in one of those 1920s films proselytizing the wonders of modernism.

A section of Hütteldorfer Straße was briefly renamed Karl-Marx-Straße after the First World War. The name disappeared in the mid 1920s through subsequent redevelopment.

The estate once housed offices of the Vienna ‘Naturfreunde‘ (Friends of Nature) organisation which was founded in Vienna in 1895 and was linked to the socialist movement.

Here you can see the edge of the main block with one of its friends, Vogelwiedhof, nearby but hold fast, we will come to that in a short while.

Continue along Löhrgasse and turn right into Märzstraße. Now turn right into Zinckgasse and right again into Hütteldorfer Straße. You will realise that this involves walking a large building which is the Zweite Zentralberufsschule.

If you do this visit during weekday term time, you should be able to visit the courtyard.

Zweite Zentralberufsschule, Hütteldorfer Straße 7 – 17, Märzstraße 8-10, Löhrgasse 25

**Zweite Zentralberufsschule**, main entrance

This is the building you have just walked around. It is a purpose built vocational school constructed between 1925 – 26 to designs by Josef Hofbauer and Wilhelm Baumgarten.

At the time of its construction it was one of the largest schools in Vienna and among the most modern in Europe. It is still in use.

**Zweite Zentralberufsschule**, building infrastructure

Technical instruction was originally provided in carpentry, woodworking, painting, stone masonry, ceramics, industrial painting, musical instrument making, tailoring and more. Workshops and classrooms were purpose-built for that purpose.

Education reform was one of the three key policies of Red Vienna – along with house building and welfare provision.

If education is to be reformed then it’s worth making sure that the buildings support that ideal. Here they do so in both a functional and aesthetic way.

Once you have finished exploring this building, head towards Märzpark. Look for the ‘Denkmal für die Märzgefallenen’ – the Memorial to the March Fallen (of 1848) which is in the section of the park on the corner of Hütteldorfer Straße and Wurzbachgasse.

Märzpark

The park is named to commemorate the Revolution of 1848. It was build on the site of the former Schmelz cemetery and it was here that 35 people who were killed in the early days of the revolution were first buried. There had been fighting in this area during the March days. The statue in the corner is the memorial.

The whole area was redeveloped from 1920 onwards and so this park is also a product of the urban planning of Red Vienna. Eight cemeteries were converted into parks which added nearly 50 acres of green space for public use across the city.

Vogelwiedhof, Wurzbachgasse

This is almost like an Italian Renaissance palace and is a wonder of a building. The central mass of the building, strongly defined cornices, arcades, inner courtyards, sculptures and the frescoes suggest Venice or Florence.

Frescoes on public housing!

These are by Rudolf Jettmas. The ceramic sculptures are by Robert Obsieger.

The ceiling paintings by Frank Wacik illustrate fairy tales and legends. This combined art work must have puzzled, intrigued and delighted generations of children.

This housing complex was named after the medieval minstrel Walther von der Vogelweide. This fits well with its overall aesthetic and it is known locally as the ‘Fairy Tale Court’.

One of several inner courtyards of **Vogelwiedhof**

The architect was Leopold Bauer (1872 – 1938), a student of Otto Wagner. It was built between 1926 – 27.

Bauer was a modernist in his early architectural years but become more conservative in his design ideas. He was always a conservative in his political views and an opponent of social democracy.

Continue along Wurbachgasse and then left into Sorbaitgasse and then right into Geyschlagergasse

Geyschlagergasse 2 – 12

This estate was built between 1928 – 1929. The architect was Max Fellerer (1889 – 1957).

Fellerer studied under Otto Wagner and for a time worked in the studio of Josef Hoffman. He later became the chief architect for Clemens Holzmeister’s practice.

This is a distinctive, modern building that still feels contemporary almost 100 years after its completion. The window boxes on the entrance blocks add a great splash of colour. White often works best as a backdrop for colour, rather than being a monotonous feature of its own (see above).

The balconies add an almost sculpted feel. The way in which this attention to detail is applied to all the housing of Red Vienna is part of what makes the overall project so impressive.

Once you have finished here, cross the Marzpark diagonally with the Vienna Stadthalle on your right hand side.

Turn right into Hütteldorfer Straße and then right into Vogelweidplatz. Walk along and then turn left into Langmaisgasse; you will see the church. You will now be in Burjanplatz and will be able to see Johann Witzmann Hof.

Johann Witzmann Hof, Reuenthalgasse 4

As I approached this, I wrote in my notebook, ‘There has been more variety on display in this short walk than there is across acres of new development in cities such as London’.

Built between 1926 – 1927 and designed by the architect Rudolf Krausz (1872 – 1928). He was a versatile designer and applied a range of styles over different building types.

It’s possible to imagine Krausz sitting at his desk making the original drawings by hand, sketching in the arches, the courtyards, the balconies, working on the shapes and symmetry. The proportions are so well done that the building exudes a subtle classicism.

It’s a strong mass without slipping into monumentalism and has that illusive quality that is always apparent when encountered, but difficult to create; class.

Kriemhildplatz

Kriemhildplatz was created in the early 1900s from a former military parade ground. It was named Kriemhild, after the wife of Siegfried in the Nibelung saga.

There are a number of good buildings which represent the architectural ideas and practice of the Viennese Secession of the early 1900s.

Walk along Kriemhildplatz and then turn left into Alliogasse. You will see the Ebert Hof at the end of the street. The address is 15 Loeschenkohlgasse.

The gates may appear locked but there has always been one open when I have visited so you should be able to walk through the estate.

Ebert Hof

The estate was built between 1925 to 1926. The architects were Victor Mittag (1896 – 1962) and Karl Hauschka (1896 – 1981).

The ‘Spring Fountain’ sculpture in the inner courtyard is a bronze of a boy with birds. It was created by Anton Endstorfer (1880 – 1961).

It is a rather good blend of styles with gothic arches at ground level and a development into the renaissance in the upper floors. The whole effect is to create a modernism that nods to the past without becoming frozen nostalgia.

When you come out at the other end, turn right into Hütteldorfer Straße. Then turn right into Costagasse and left into Loeschenkohlgasse

Ortsvermittlungs Stelle Funf Haus, Loeschenkohlgasse 25 – 27

I cannot glean much reliable data about this building and even the construction date varies between sources; it’s either 1929 – 1930 or 1931. The architect is possibly Rudolf Perthen.

It was likely that it was constructed bythe Technisches Baumt der österreichischen Post und Telegraphenverwaltung (Technical Construction Department of the Austrian Postal and Telegraph Administration).

What is known is that its original use was as a telephone exchange. I have included it here because it’s a striking building in its own right, and as you are walking past, you may wonder what it is.

It might also raise a question or two about revolutionary tactics in the 21st century.

A hundred years ago revolutionaries would talk about seizing railway stations, post offices and telephone exchanges. What would be the contemporary equivalents? Motorway service stations, data centres, DNS servers and television broadcasting centres?

Hold those thoughts and continue along Loeschenkohlgasse until you reach the junction with Preysingasse. On the corner is a building designed by Oskar Strnad.

Loeschenkohlgasse 30 – 32

This was built between 1931 – 1932. It is by Oskar Strnad (1879 – 1935) who worked as an architect, stage designer and interior designer.

Along with Josef Frank and Walter Sobotka he helped establish the firm of Haus und Garten in 1925.

Strnad was an exponent of Wiener Wohnkultur (Vienna living) which weaved a way between tradition and avant-garde modernism.

The underlying ideas were of cosy comfort in the living space of the home, spaces that were adaptive and could absorb a Biedermeier chair, a Persian rug and a factory produced steel coffee pot and much more besides.

He and Josef Frank were hugely influential on the development of interior design in the 20th century.

The building is in the mould of deluxe austerity but is rescued from obscurity by the refined balconies. When I visited in October 2026 the whole complex was undergoing extensive renovations.

This is a fascinating and erudite article about Wiener Wohnkultur by Christopher Long. It can be read free at JSTOR (you just need to create an account).

If you have wandered along Loeschenkohlgasse to see more of the building, return to Preysinggasse and turn left into Preysinggasse.

Schmelz, Preysinggasse

Schmelz is one of those urban spaces that carry a great deal of history. It was initially laid out as a military parade and exercise ground in 1847. Perhaps the Habsburg state caught a sense of revolution in the air.

During the First World War, food shortages encouraged people to take over private land to grow fruit and vegetables. This is what happened here.

In 1920 the Freie Vereinigung der Schrebergärtner der Zukunft (Free Association of Allotment Gardeners of the Future) was formed. This was part of the wider Siedlerbewegung (settler movement) when the people of Vienna appropriated land on a large scale.

Through the pressure of demonstrations, lobbying and building a wide base of support, (including from architects such as Adolf Loos and Josef Frank), the movement eventually gained official support from the socialist council. The settlers themselves formed themselves into cooperatives and associations.

Schmelz and the surrounding area requires its own dedicated Radical Walk, today is just an opportunity to sample a small part of it.

Continue along Loeschenkohlgasse and then turn right into Tellgasse and then left into Schweglerstraße.

Schweglerstraße 52

This was built between 1926 – 27 to a design by the brothers Franz and Johann Schlarbaum. It belongs in the category, ‘cooperative housing’ projects.

Housing cooperatives and other non-profit housing were able to borrow money from the Bundes-Wohn- und Siedlungsfonds. This organisation was formed in 1921 to provide loans and guarantees for municipal authorities, institutions and non-profit building associations to build housing.

Between 1921 and 1928 it provided funding for 8,654 homes. This is not insubstantial, although it is smaller than the 64,000 homes built by the Red Vienna council. It really became a force after the Second World War when it helped with the construction of over 150,000 new homes.

This building was for civil servants.

Cross the small square which will be on your left and then turn right into Brünhildengass. This will lead you to Grassinger Hof.

Grassinger Hof, Brunhildengasse 3

Built in 1932, the architects were the brothers Josef Berger and Martin Zeigler. It is an elegant block with balconies and a large courtyard between the housing and the street. It feels tucked away and that adds to its charm.

In the 1920s building programme, consideration was always given to the provision of air, light and green space.

The whole area that you have just walked through is known as the Nibelungenviertel – the Nibelung Quarter. And this street is named Brunhildengasse.

Brunhild (or Brunhilda or Bürnnhilde) was a Valkyrie and daughter of the god Wotan.

Wagner fans will have already spotted several references to the Nibelung saga, the basis of his extraordinary 15 hour long Ring Cycle opera.

The culmination of the four operas is Götterdämmerung and Brünnhilde’s immolation scene.

What has all this got to do with Red Vienna? I’m not sure, but when I walk around all sorts of stuff comes into my head and I’m sure that’s the case for you too.

Wander around this as you will and then into Walkürengasse and then left into Camillo-Sitte-Gasse.

Camillo-Sitte-Gasse

Camillo Site was a Viennese architect, painter and theoretician of all things urban.

He published an influential book in 1889, The Art of Building Cities. Sitte highlighted the importance of the aesthetic quality of urban space and was an advocate of irregularity and the forms of the Italian city states of the Renaissance, including the use of the square as a spatial organising feature.

With that in mind, look out for Forstner Hof on the right hand side.

Forstner Hof, Camillo-Sitte-Gasse

Built between 1924 – 1925 to a design by the architect Gottlieb Michal. There are many different elements which are nicely brought together in an integrated whole.

On the street side of Camillo-Sitte-Gasse are shops at ground level and apartments above. Through the gate and into a peaceful courtyard there are play areas and mature trees.

Walk through the estate to Alliogasse. There you will see the extension to the estate which was built between 1926 – 27, also by Gottlieb Michal.

Look out for the sculptures of the signs of the Zodiac by Anton Endstorfer.

Walk to the end of Alliogasse and turn left into Gablenzgasse.

Gablenzgasse 35 – 37

Built between 1931 – 1932 to a design by the architect Leo Kammel Sr. (1885 – 1948). Kammel was a student of the Czech architect Jan Kotěra. He was influenced by, and an exponent of, Czech Cubism.

This can be clearly seen in the building itself. It’s a stereometric modernism that would not be out of place in any European city.

Above the main entrance is a relief of glazed tiles by Florian Josephu Drouot. It depicts a woman, man and child with the inscription ‘Work – Peace’.

This is the final Gemeindebau of this walk. A few metres away is Habichergasse where there are tram stops.

Or, if you feel like more adventure you could go and find the Shutzhaus Zukunft auf der Schemlz. This was also built as part of Red Vienna and is a pleasant place to eat and drink.

And if you like beer, that might be another connection through 100 years of Vienna history.