Accessory boutique in the Julius Meinl coffee building
The city of Vienna, Austria is virtually an open-air architectural museum. Stroll down any street and you are bound to find some piece of architectural interest from the most intriguing details to outstanding buildings and façades. Located in the city's central First District this street called Fleischmarkt is no exception, even in the first couple of blocks (click each photo to enlarge):
Fleischmarkt #1: the "Orendihof", a.k.a. "Residenzpalast" (Residence Palace), housing apartments, businesses and an intimate theater, die Wiener Kammerspiele (literally, "The Vienna Intimate Theater"). Building architect Arthur Baron 1909-1910.
Fleischmarkt #3-5: Building originally for the Steyrermühl Printing Co., housing apartments, businesses and a supermarket. Architect Arthur Baron 1913-14.
Fleischmarkt #14 (directly across from #3-5—note the reflections in the windows of the horizontal photo above): Apartment building + businesses, built in 1899 by Czech architect Franz Olbricht. Considered a striking example of Art Nouveau/Jugendstil architecture with its gold leaves and twin sculptural guards, Olbricht combined neo-baroque elements and Secessionist motifs in his façade design.
Fleischmarkt #7: Julius Meinl, known especially for their coffees and jams, opened their first store at this location in 1862. The façade of this building, dating to 1899 (architect Max Conrad Kropf) depicts the story of coffee importation to Europe, from harvesting the beans to enjoying a cup in a Viennese coffeehouse.
They have since moved their store to another street in Vienna, the Graben, and produce their coffees locally in Vienna and in Vicenza, Italy.
Fleischmarkt #9: Haus mit Muttergottes Relief (House with Mother of God Relief) — dating to the 17th century, this building features the characteristic mix of occupants along with a cozy locale on the corner highlighting Erdinger wheat beer.
Fleischmarkt #13: Griechenkirche zur heiligen Dreifaltigkeit (Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity). Situated in the former Greek Quarter and replacing a simpler Greek church from the 18th century, this ornate church was built from 1856-1858 by the Danish-Austrian architect Theophil Hansen, after a study of Byzantine art in Athens.
In the above photograph, the "House with Mother of God Relief" is visible on the left side and on the right, with the red banner, is the Mandalahof. Providing a peaceful contrast to the name of the street — in English, Fleischmarkt means "meat market" — the Buddhist-centered Mandalahof contains tranquil apartments, a seminar center and therapy rooms. They also host mind- and body-centered classes such as meditation, yoga and Qi Gong.
Fleischmarkt 18: The Toleranzhaus (Tolerance House) — situated directly across from the impressive Greek Church and next to the peaceful Mandalahof, the name of this building is taken from the church's pre-history. The earlier 18th century church was built after Kaiser Franz Joseph II's 1782 Edict of Tolerance, stated to bring about religious unity. The inscription across the façade loosely translates as (correct me if I'm wrong, I'm happily tolerant of corrections):
"Perishable is this home, however Joseph's posterity never. He gave us tolerance; it gave immortality".
"Vergänglich ist dies Haus, doch Josephs Nachruhm nie. Er gab uns Toleranz, Unsterblichkeit gab sie."
A really excellent architectural stroll along one of Vienna's most interesting streets. Thank you. And don't forget that film director Billy Wilder once lived at number 7.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I didn't know about Billy Wilder — it seems that every building has such an exciting history.
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