6th District (Mariahilf)
The first day of my challenge: 6th district with the PC-E NIKKOR 24 mm 1: 3.5D ED. With this wide-angle lens, focus and aperture must be set manually. You can also correct the perspective using the tilt or shift function. Therefore it is particularly suitable for architecture and landscape photography. Lucky choice for a densely built-up district I actually know very little about the district. So I did some research on the Internet, packed the camera, tripod and filters and cycled towards Mariahilf. I parked my bike in Rahlgasse and walked around the district for a few hours.
Mariahilf, the second smallest district in Vienna, is one of the inner districts of Vienna. It was formed in 1850 from five suburbs, which correspond to today’s parts of the district (Gumpendorf, Laimgrube, Magdalenengrund, Mariahilf and Windmühle). The formerly predominantly agricultural areas (viticulture and clay mining) are now one of the densest built-up districts in Vienna. The area slopes down to the Wienfluss and the Inner City. The difference in height between Mariahilfer Straße and Wienzeile is almost 30 m. Several stairs were built to bridge the height differences.
The Rahlstiege connects Rahlgasse with Mariahilferstrasse. It was completed in 1870. In 1886, the “goose girl fountain” was set up at the top of the stairs, which was originally located on the Gänsemarkt on the fire site and then in front of the Mariahilfer church, where it had to make way for the Haydn monument. Older students know the stairs very well. The issue point for student tickets for public transport was right next to the stairs.
Like many other buildings in Mariahilf, the new Capistranistiege is colorfully painted.
The Fillgraderstiege was built in a secessionist style.
The Wienfluss is Mariahilf’s southern border with the neighboring districts. The river was regulated at the end of the 19th century. The river, which was previously covered with overgrown embankments and which could overflow in the event of flooding, was given a brick bed that was completely roofed in the area of the Naschmarkt. Otto Wagner’s original plans provided for a complete roofing of the river up to Schönbrunn Palace and the construction of a magnificent boulevard. These plans were not implemented because the costs would have been too high. The oldest underground line in Vienna (U4)runs along the river. Large parts of its infrastructure come from the much older Wiener Stadtbahn from 1898 and 1925. This applies in particular to the station buildings designed by Otto Wagner.
By tilting the lens one achieves a “miniature effect” that makes the subway look like a model railway.
The Naschmarkt is the largest inner-city market – known for its variety of products and gastronomy.
Otto Wagner’s “Wienzeilenhäuser” are residential buildings built between 1898 and 1899. The house on the Linke Wienzeile 38 is known for its spectacular corner solution, which is in the shape of a quarter circle.
The so-called Majolikahaus in the Linke Wienzeile 40 was built in 1898. The facade is clad in majolica tiles by Wienerberger decorated with floral motifs. These tiles are weather-resistant, easy to care for and washable – for Otto Wagner hygiene was an important part of modernity.
A traditional “Würstelstand” in front of the building of the Insurance Institute of the Austrian Railways.
The Rosa Lila Villa is an Austrian lesbian, gay and transgender centre on the Linke Wienzeile. The initiative to establish the house is rooted in the squatter scene of the 1970s and 1980s. After long negotiations, the house, which had been approved for demolition, was finally completely renovated. It was designed as a consulting and event venue, gastronomy and a residential project.
Along the busy Wienzeile grow flowering yellow resedes (Reseda lutea) – a widely used pioneer plant that is resistant to stray salt, among other things. That’s why you often find them next to roads.
Many well-known personalities lived in Mariahilf. The famous Austrian composer Joseph Haydn bought a house with a garden in 1793. After some reconstructions in 1797 he moved in and lived there until his death in 1809. Among many other compositions, the two oratorios The Creation and The Seasons were created. Today there is a small museum.
During the 2nd World War II (1943-1944) the Vienna Flak towers were built to ward off aerial attacks. One of them is the tower in The Esterhazy Park, from which the battle tower in the Stiftskaserne in the (7th district) was directed. Today, this FLAK tower houses the Haus des Meeres – one of 3 zoos in Vienna. It has a focus on marine aquariums and terrariums.
In the Esterhazy Park there is also Torture Museum, which shows medieval torture methods.
The Apollo Theatre – also near the Haus des Meeres – was built in the beginning of the 20th century. It was one of the most popular Variety Theatres in Vienna in the 20th century. After the First World War, the decline of the Varieté began. In 1929 it was converted into a cinema, which still exists today.
Some institute buildings of the Vienna University of Technology are also located in Mariahilf.
The house facades In Mariahilf are often green with plants or decorated with beautiful street paintings. Other houses, on the other hand, are still as they looked decades ago …
All in all, this trip to Mariahilf was a great success for me due to the many new impressions. Previously, I only knew Mariahilfer Strasse as a shopping centre, Wienzeile and Gumpendorfer Strasse as busy access roads to the city. Photographing with the 24mm PC lens was also very instructive. After all, this is a completely manual lens, the exact operation of which wants to be learned.
