DannyB

Bella Ciao in Margaretenstraße

There is a large window in the apartment I’m staying in which faces south. I leave the blinds up and early in the morning light appears from the rising sun. It starts with a deep crimson line and slowly brightens into yellow, gold and orange with a pink tinge. And then it’s daylight. I walkContinue reading “Bella Ciao in Margaretenstraße”

Perchtoldsdorf, Niederösterreich

Through a series of unusual events and accidents I find myself en route to Perchtoldsdorf, a village on the outskirts of Vienna. This involves catching the number 60 tram from Westbahnhof to Rodaun and then a long walk. The journey is fascinating in itself, travelling through centuries of the built environment. Traces of buildings fromContinue reading “Perchtoldsdorf, Niederösterreich”

A Day in Vienna

As I walked along Sechshauser Straße to the local shops I noticed a Stolperstein in the pavement in memory of Salomon (Sigi) and Ottilie Reinstein. It did exactly what it is designed to do. It made me stop and think. I stood there for some time looking at the stone and the door and theContinue reading “A Day in Vienna”

Penzing Vienna, A Radical Walk

Vienna has its odd corners, crinkles in the landscape, curios that no-one knows anything about and pockets of resistance to decades of fashionable change. Such places are rarely sumptuous but they often include things striking and unusual. These places are about discovery rather than broadcast. We find them seemingly by chance, rather than being toldContinue reading “Penzing Vienna, A Radical Walk”

District XV, Wien

I arrived in Vienna after a two day train journey across Europe. The owner of the apartment I’m staying in met me, explained how everything worked and handed over three keys, to the front door, the main door, and the letter box. He was friendly and welcoming and made me feel at home. I cooked,Continue reading “District XV, Wien”

Europe in the Rain

Europe is over. The sages have met. A small, but self-important clique. They imagine themselves as Zimmerwald, though few can speak more than the one language. Nor have they ever operated in conditions of illegality, poverty or imprisonment. In the chutzpah stakes they win, at least in the assessment of their own self worth. MightyContinue reading “Europe in the Rain”

De Dageraad, Amsterdam

The housing known today as De Dageraad was built between 1919 – 1921 and had its origins in the Dutch cooperative and socialist movements. Towards the end of the 19th century the working class grew in size and included workers in an ever increasing number of industries, trades and services. The development of mass productionContinue reading “De Dageraad, Amsterdam”

Ijselbuurt-Oost, Amsterdam

One of the (many) trials and tribulations of being an independent researcher (that is, not attached to any formal teaching institute) is that much information is learned the hard way. A very hard way. It sometimes feels like ploughing through a field of deep mud with a broken share pulled by an ancient ox thatContinue reading “Ijselbuurt-Oost, Amsterdam”

Roelof Hartplein, Amsterdam

The scale of the achievement of the housing built in Amsterdam between 1915 and 1940 is impressive. It is estimated that over 90,000 homes were built in total and managed by the municipality, housing associations, cooperatives and charities. Much of this filled the area which is known today as Amsterdam Zuid, built to a planContinue reading “Roelof Hartplein, Amsterdam”

Betondorp; Amsterdam’s concrete village

Betondorp is a garden village in Amsterdam Oost, constructed between 1923 – 1927 during a period of intensive house building across the city in which thousands of homes were constructed by cooperatives, associations and the city council. It is part of the larger Tuindorp Watergraafsmeer garden village which consists of two distinctive areas. One halfContinue reading “Betondorp; Amsterdam’s concrete village”