Social Housing Karl-Marx-Hof
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Location number: 1190016
Denkmal
Gemeindebau
Innenhof
Spielplatz
Stiege
Stiegenhaus
Wiese
Wohnhausanlage
1920er
Innen- & Außenbereich
Erdgeschoss
Leerstand
The Karl-Marx-Hof was built between 1927 and 1930 on the former Hagenwiese site, which required extensive groundwork due to its soil conditions. Opened by Mayor Karl Seitz, the complex held great symbolic value for the Viennese Social Democrats and was intended as a monumental building demonstrating the new self-confidence of the working class. In February 1934, it became the scene of intense fighting during the civil war between the Schutzbund and state forces, resulting in deaths and executions. In 1938/39, the Nazi regime expelled 66 families, and during World War II the Karl-Marx-Hof was heavily bombed due to its proximity to the Heiligenstädter Bahnhof. The Karl-Marx-Hof impresses with massive walls, large arched passageways, imposing gates, and simple façades with continuous balconies. Across 156,000 m², spacious courtyards with greenery provide communal spaces. The complex includes numerous facilities such as a clinic, pharmacy, library, shops, and central laundries. In the center, the “Ehrenhof” opens onto Heiligenstädter Straße, flanked by the tallest towered section, while the sides transition into lower wings. A life-sized bronze figure by Otto Hofner depicts a “Sower” in the landscaped Ehrenhof. Four slender figures by Josef Riedl on the central section symbolize freedom, care, enlightenment, and physical culture, emphasizing the foundations of healthy, communal living in line with Social Democratic ideals. The housing complex is named after Karl Marx (1818–1883), the influential communist theorist. After the February 1934 events, it was briefly renamed “Biedermann-Hof” after Karl Biedermann (1890–1945), commander of the Heimwehr and resistance fighter against the Nazis. In 1935 it became the “Heiligenstädterhof,” and after World War II it regained its original name.
