Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
OTTO WAGNER
No single architect personifies the dawning of Austria's modern age in architecture more than Vienna-born Otto
Wagner. Wagner, who for many years headed the Hofbauamt (Imperial Construction Office), ushered in a new,
functional direction around the turn of the 20th century. When he was finished with Austria's capital it had a
subway transport system replete with attractive art nouveau stations, he had given the flood-prone Wien River a
stone 'sarcophagus' that allowed the surrounding area to be landscaped and part of it to be given over to the
Naschmarkt food market, and he had given us the Postsparkasse building and a sprinkling of other interesting
designs in Vienna and its suburbs.
Wagner's style was much in keeping with the contours of his epoch. He was strongly influenced in his early
years by the architects of the Ringstrasse buildings and the revivalist style (which entailed resurrecting mostly
the styles of ancient Rome and Greece), and he even (unsuccessfully) submitted his own plans for the new Jus-
tizpalast (Palace of Justice) in Vienna in a Ringstrasse revivalist style. Gradually, though, Wagner grew sceptical
of revivalism and spoke harshly about his early works, characterising revivalism as a stylistic, masked ball. His
buildings dispensed with 19th-century classical ornamentation and his trademark became a creative use of mod-
ern materials like glass, steel, aluminium and reinforced concrete. The 'studs' on the Postsparkasse building are
the perfect example of this. Those who venture out to his 1907 Kirche am Steinhof will find another unusual
masterpiece: a functional, domed art nouveau church built in the grounds of a psychiatric institution.
One of Wagner's most functional pieces of design was the Vienna U-Bahn (subway) system. He developed
the system between 1892 and 1901 during his long spell heading the construction office of Vienna and he was
responsible for about 35 stations in all - stops like Josefstädter Strasse on the U6 and Karlsplatz on the U4 are
superb examples. One interesting way to get a feel for Wagner's masterpieces is simply to get onto the U-Bahn
and ride the U6 north from Westbahnhof. It's sometimes called Wagner's
Gesamtkunstwerk
(total work of art) -
in this case, one you can literally sit on.
