Karl-Marx-Hof, Vienna

Karl-Marx-Hof is a monumental municipal housing complex, stretching through Heiligenstadt in Vienna’s Döbling district. Karl Ehn designed it, and the complex opened in 1930 as a major project of Red Vienna. Its extraordinary scale is the surprise: the continuous residential building extends for about 1,050 metres, making it the longest of its kind in the world.

The long façade before you is organised around broad passageways, heavy arches, balconies and tower-like forms. Those passages link the two sides of the development, while spacious courtyards and planted areas soften the monumental exterior. The design includes 1,382 apartments intended for about 5,000 residents, along with communal facilities such as laundries, baths, kindergartens, a library and medical offices.

In 1934, the complex became a battleground during the February uprising. Armed insurgents took shelter here and surrendered only after government forces used artillery against the building. During the Nazi period, the housing complex was renamed Heiligenstädter Hof; its original name returned after the war.

Look at the sculptural figures above the main arches: Josef Riedl created them as symbols of freedom, care, enlightenment and physical culture. Karl-Marx-Hof is named for Karl Marx, and its architecture still presents housing as a powerful public statement.