Hundertwasserhaus
On Gingerguide's self-guided Vienna audio tour, Hundertwasserhaus is a stop worth about ~30 min. Stand in front of it, press play for a short narrated story, and put any follow-up question to the built-in AI guide.
- Type landmark
- Suggested visit ~30 min
- Vienna Vienna guide
About Hundertwasserhaus
A colourful, wavy-floored municipal apartment block designed by artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser and built in the 1980s, famous for its patchwork facade and trees growing out of the windows.
The Hundertwasserhaus is an expressionist municipal apartment block in Vienna's third district, built between 1983 and 1985 to the concept of the artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser. Its patchwork facade, uneven floors, onion-domed turrets, roof gardens and “tree tenants”, trees rooted inside the flats and growing out through the windows, express Hundertwasser's rejection of the straight line and the ruler.
Hundertwasser was an artist rather than a trained architect, and the building was realised with the architect Josef Krawina and executing architect Peter Pelikan, though Krawina's role was later disputed. It remains a lived-in public-housing residence owned by the city, so the interior is closed to visitors and it is admired from the street. The commercial Hundertwasser Village sits opposite, and the separate KunstHausWien museum stands a few streets away. It is not, despite the resemblance, a work by Antoni Gaudí.
Did you know? Friedensreich Hundertwasser was a painter, not a trained architect, and he loathed the straight line as “godless and immoral”; architects Josef Krawina and Peter Pelikan turned his ruler-free vision into a building that stands up.
How much time do you need at Hundertwasserhaus?
Around ~30 min works well for Hundertwasserhaus — time to look properly and listen to its story on the spot. Linger if you like; nothing on a self-guided walk is on a clock.
Should you stop at Hundertwasserhaus?
Yes — Hundertwasserhaus made the cut as one of 35 places the Gingerguide team researched and narrated across Vienna. The story tells you why it is worth the stop, and the AI guide fills in anything you still wonder.
Nearby stops in Vienna
Sources and further reading
Where to check the facts about Hundertwasserhaus and read more:
Day 2 of the Vienna in 2 days itinerary →Day 3 of the Vienna in 3 days itinerary →
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Hear the story of Hundertwasserhaus
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