Didn’t the residents of Siedlung Lockerwiese recognize that they lived in a special place? The Siedlung Lockerwiese stands before us. It is more than just houses. It is a unique blend of garden city ideals and municipal housing.
Let’s delve into the story of this remarkable place. It began in 1928. The city of Vienna started building this settlement in stages. Karl Schartelmüller was the architect behind this vision. He also designed the Freihofsiedlung. The Siedlung Lockerwiese became Vienna’s second-largest garden city complex.
The name “Lockerwiese” comes from the land’s history. “Lockerwiese” means “loose meadow”. The ground here was once soft pastureland.
Imagine the area before the Siedlung Lockerwiese existed. It was fields of grass. The soil was loose, and reeds grew here and there.
The Siedlung Lockerwiese is located in Hietzing. It is in Vienna’s 13th district. The Versorgungsheimstraße borders it to the south. The Wolkersbergenstraße is to the west. Engelhartgasse and Wilhelm-Leibl-Gasse define its northern edge. To the east are Seelosgasse, Schirnböckgasse, Egon-Schiele-Gasse, and Waldvogelstraße.
Faistauergasse winds through the Siedlung Lockerwiese. It runs north to south. This street connects the community. Holowatyj-Platz is at the heart of the settlement. It sits at the intersection of Faistauergasse and Camillianergasse.
The first construction phase ran from 1928 to 1930. This phase developed the southern part of the Siedlung Lockerwiese. It stretched between Camillianergasse and Versorgungsheimstraße. From 1930 to 1932, they built the middle section. This area lies between Camillianergasse and Wolkersbergenstraße.
The Siedlung Lockerwiese expanded northward in 1938 and 1939. This added 120 row houses. It also included a block with twelve apartments. A local Nazi party office was also built during the expansion. Schartelmüller was again the architect for this project.
After World War II, construction continued. In 1950 and 1951, Franz Mörth and Otto Schönthal designed a sports field. They also added four apartment blocks. These were near Versorgungsheimplatz. In 1953, Adolf Wölzl added roof extensions.
From 2008 to 2016, the Siedlung Lockerwiese underwent renovations. The city invested about 30 million euros in this project.
The Siedlung Lockerwiese features a mix of building types. There are six apartment buildings and 599 row houses. In total, there are about 800 apartments. The entire Siedlung Lockerwiese is protected as a historic site.
The streets in the Siedlung Lockerwiese have artistic names. Egon Schiele, for example, has a street named after him. Some artists even lived here. Actress Senta Berger spent the end of the war here. Helmut Qualtinger learned his roles in his mother-in-law’s garden.
The Siedlung Lockerwiese preserves a unique village feel. The winding streets avoid straight lines. The streets all lead to the “market square.” This creates a sense of community. The Siedlung Lockerwiese stands as a testament to Vienna’s social housing history.