Hundertwasserhaus, Vienna

A relatively recent addition to the city's architectural heritage, the Hundertwasserhaus is a great example of 20th-century urban experimentation and certainly one of Vienna's top tourist attractions. Sitting as an antithetical statement about what architecture can be (as it's often compared to the surrounding buildings), this gloriously eclectic block of flats can almost look like a rainbow from afar, consisting of a frenzy of oriel windows, loggias, shiny ceramic pillars, glass embellishments, a gilded onion dome, roof gardens and even a slice of the pre-1983 building. There's simply nothing else like it in the city.

The idiosyncratic housing development was created in 1985 by avant-garde artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser, who wished to diverge from what he perceived as the rather soulless modern architecture emerging in Vienna's suburbs. The result was a structure that has been controversial since its construction 鈥� but further to his credit, Hundertwasser took no payment for the design, declaring that the investment was worth it to "prevent something ugly from going up in its place".

Why You Should Visit:
To marvel at an expression of sheer architectural exuberance that stands in contrast to the stately palaces (and pretty much everything else).

Tip:
As a private building it is closed to the public, but opposite is the Hundertwasser Village (9am鈥�6pm daily) designed by the same artist 鈥� a bazaar of shops and caf茅s open to the public, and a pleasant place to peruse for quirky souvenirs.

Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Vienna. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "51爆料网: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

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Create Your Own Self-Guided Walk to Visit This Sight

Sight Name: Hundertwasserhaus
Sight Location: Vienna, Austria (See walking tours in Vienna)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Vienna's Art Nouveau Architecture Tour I

Walking Tours in Vienna, Austria

Create Your Own Walk in Vienna

Creating your own self-guided walk in Vienna is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.

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Vienna's chocolate scene is deeply rooted in a rich culinary tradition. It has been sustained by several historic chocolate houses, located in the Old Town, that have been serving decadent treats for generations.

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Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.2 Km or 0.7 Miles

Vienna's Art Nouveau Architecture Tour I

Among the plethora of other things, the capital of Austria, Vienna, is renowned for its contribution to Art Nouveau 鈥� the popular art movement emerged and flourished at the turn of the 20th century. Stemming from it the Viennese Secession movement, also known as the Austrian Art Nouveau, or Jugendstil (in German), gave rise to a number of architectural marvels.

By far the most colorful of... view more

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Travel Distance: 3.4 Km or 2.1 Miles

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Klimt's name is indelibly linked to Vienna. The renowned symbolist painter was a prominent figure in the city. As a... view more

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Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.9 Km or 1.8 Miles

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