Gazing out the window on an afternoon ride on the #6 tram, depending on which side you are sitting on, you may slowly roll past a large and impressive social housing building on the Margaretengürtel. It looks much like other social housing buildings, though the size and style of it captures the attention more than…
In order to find out more about the mood in Vienna at the end of 1955, this SV explorer searched the archives and found a long ‘Letter from Vienna’ sent by the correspondent of The New Yorker magazine to his American readers back home in November 1955. From this letter we find out that the…
400 years ago, the Baroque painter Artemisia Gentileschi put everything at risk as she wrote history for being among the first women to express experiences with sexual violence through art. The story might be more significant than ever since in today’s times more and more women reach out and share their traumatic experiences of assault…
When walking around Vienna, it’s always a good idea to look up and admire the beautiful building facades that are so easily overlooked. One building that can hardly be overlooked is the DC Tower. The name stands for Donau City Tower, and since its completion in 2014, it has been the tallest skyscraper in Austria…
Some time ago, we told you the story of the Donnerbrunnen: The fountain located in the Neuer Markt that features a partially nude reclining statue of Providentia surrounded by allegorical figures symbolizing the main rivers of Austria. The nude figures of the fountain were deemed a scandalous affront to public decency and were removed in…
From bike flea markets and repair stations to concerts and general nightlife, the WUK has become a much-loved and indelible part of the Viennese landscape. Sadly, it wasn’t always so, and its survival was by no means ensured. The WUK originally served as a factory for machines and locomotives from the time it was constructed…
The Theseus temple was originally intended as a frame and presentation site for only one single contemporary work of art: Antonio Canova’s monumental group Theseus slays the centaur. For almost seventy years, the impressive white marble sculpture was exhibited inside the Theseus temple until it was moved to the Art History Museum. The temple was…
Today it’s a place of history and art, but the place isn’t called Brotfabrik for nothing: the Ankerbrotfabrik in the 10th district was indeed a bakery in its original incarnation. Built in 1891 by a student of Theophil Hansen (architect of the Parliament and Musikverein among others), the factory belonged to the brothers Heinrich and…
This weekend, on Saturday the 6thof October the “ORF – Long Night of Museums” takes place for the 19thtime, an annual highlight of the Austrian cultural calendar. Among varied exhibitions, many exciting events and special offers, visitors can choose their personal highlights and visit (or at least try to visit) all 135 participating houses in…
If you like second hand furniture or perhaps you are an art collector or you just love flea markets, chances are that you have been to the Glasfabrik. Established in 1996 and located in Ottakring, the Glasfabrik offers its customers everything from large furniture to small items, and things that you did not know you…
