The architectural designs of Friedensreich Hundertwasser are often compared to Antoni Gaudi of Barcelona for the uniqueness or quirkiness depending on who you ask. Hundertwasser was first known for his paintings but wanted to have his say in architectural styling. He is totally against monotonous architectures and detests standard geometry of any kind and straight lines.
His envision led him to design many buildings with irregular forms while incorporating natural features. Everything which the famous Austrian designed gets plenty of attention for its unconventional concept.
And one of them is the apartment building of Hundertwasserhaus in Vienna.
The out-of-the-norm Hundertwasserhaus is located in a quiet neighbourhood of Landstrasse district, just 10 minutes’ walk from Vienna Mitte station. The first thing which caught my eyes are the vibrant primary colours that matched up very well.
The irregular floor levels and windows make every unit looks unique. If there is one thing missing from the building, it would be uniformity.
Even the sidewalks are carpeted with wavy-patterned bricks. Not like those neatly paved ones which we commonly see.
Likewise, the use of bright colourful mosaic décor makes ordinary pillars stand out too.
The natural features like trees and bushes on the rooftop, vines on the wall façade and those big trees somehow blend in very well with the colourful Hundertwasserhaus.
There is also a nice looking fountain right in front.
The unique architectural styling must be equally stunning at those apartment units. But I will probably never know since it is not accessible to general public. Perhaps many had tried their luck, so much so that the residents decided to put up a signage. Understandably since Hundertwasserhaus in Vienna is so popular.
But interestingly, all the original residents had moved out. The reasons cited were sprained ankles and wobbly furniture LOL. How do the current residents cope with that?
Directly across is Kalke Village or Hundertwasser Village. It was previously a car tyre factory transformed to what it is today by the master himself. Inside of Kalke Village are mostly souvenir shops, art shops and cafes.
After seeing the masterpiece of Hundertwasser, we found ourselves back at Stephansplatz for dinner. Schnitzel of course!
We also bumped into Mr Mozart in the streets promoting his famous chocolate balls LOL.
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What are your thoughts about Hundertwasserhaus? Leave a comment and share it with me.
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