Social Housing - Goethehof
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Location number: 1220015
Municipal Housing
Garden
Courtyard
Elevator
Stairs
Staircase
Meadow
Housing Complex
1920s
Indoors & Outdoors
Elevator
In 1934, the Goethehof was one of the last strongholds of resistance against the Austrofascist corporate state. During the February Uprising, the housing complex was fiercely contested. Police forces and the Federal Army shelled the Goethehof over an extended period of time. Eventually, the Social Democratic stronghold was defeated. A commemorative plaque for the defenders was not installed until the 1980s. The complex included a kindergarten run according to the Montessori principle. It was designed by Bauhaus students Friedl Singer and Franz Dicker. Parts of its modern furnishings were destroyed in 1934 and completely eliminated in 1938. In the 1990s, the Goethehof gained wider public recognition through the television series Kaisermühlen Blues. The housing complex is one of the so-called superblocks. It was jointly designed by several architects, and its individual sections display different architectural styles. The complex consists of three large courtyards, which are connected by a monumental façade along Schüttaustraße. Toward the Alte Donau, the complex is open in design. Two concave building blocks form its lateral boundaries in the direction of the water. The central courtyard opens through the main entrance toward the recreational area. In the left courtyard there is a freestanding kindergarten. The architecture ranges from expressive brick accents to sober, geometric forms.
