!!!Baukunst
Architecture: The development of architecture in Austria was to a
large extent determined by the cultural and geographic conditions in
the country. In Austria, architectural principles were taken over from
Italy and the German-speaking areas as well as from the France. The
integration process had different outcomes in the different parts of
the country, and in some epochs works of global significance were
created. One characteristic of Austrian architecture is the synthesis
of architectural concepts. This is reflected in the fact that in
Austria, in comparison with other European countries, the periods
between two architectural styles are generally prolonged and have
gained a significance of their own. This was especially so in the
first half of the 16%%sup th/% century and around 1800. Major
architectural works and styles were created by all social classes: The
clergy built churches and monasteries, the nobility constructed
castles, palaces and town residences, the bourgeoisie erected town and
country houses, the peasantry developed regional types of farmhouses,
and, finally, council houses were built in the time between the two
World Wars to serve the needs of the labourers.
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Earliest examples of construction in Austria have been preserved from
the 2%%sup nd/% century A.D. There are remains of a Roman town in
Carnuntum and at Magdalensberg Mountain, and some smaller,
pre-Romanesque places of worship have also been preserved.
Pre-Romanesque structures are rare, because wood construction
prevailed at those times, and the old cathedral of the town of
Salzburg was pulled down to create space for new structures.
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In the Romanesque period (from the 11%%sup th/% century onward),
building began to flourish in Austria, which was due to the growing
importance of the land under the Babenberg rulers. Castles,
monasteries and churches were the main building projects. Most
Austrian castles that exist to date were built in that period, and
although many were altered in the late Middle Ages and the modern
period, old parts have been preserved in many instances, such as
keeps, chapels or the main residential tract. Monasteries were
constructed either in the Benedictine or in the Cistercian tradition.
Early church buildings frequently followed the basilica plan with
three naves and with apses but without vaults. Only few large
structures have been preserved, such as the cathedral in Gurk, but
there are a great number of village churches (usually with one nave
only) with a square chancel and a dominant tower. A special category
of church are fortified churches, which were equipped with defensive
walls for protection of the rural population. A typical structure to
be found in Austria is the ossuary, with either a round or a polygonal
base (e.g. in the towns of Tulln, Hartberg).
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The transition to the Gothic style took place slowly in the
13%%sup th/% century, and it occurred first in the Babenberg marches.
Architects directly took over French forms (e.g. the Capella Speciosa
in Klosterneuburg). It was again the Cistercians who played a leading
role, as was demonstrated with the construction of hall-type chancels
in the monasteries of Heiligenkreuz and Lilienfeld. The new style
spread only slowly to other parts of the country, with the Mendicant
Orders playing a leading role. The main agents of the new
architectural ideas, were, however, the lodges of craftsmen and
masters ( Building Lodge). The lodge involved in the construction of
St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna was the chief body of
churchbuilders in Austria. It erected churches in the provinces of
Lower Austria, Upper Austria and Styria.
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The transition from massive Romanesque construction to Gothic skeleton
construction was completed in the 14%%sup th/% century. High Gothic
religious buildings are characterised by lofty interior spaces of
great height, created through the use of very slim supportive and
weight-carrying piers that are decorated with columns and pilasters
(ribbing). A projecting system of buttresses and flying buttresses
projects weight outward. It carries the weight of the vaults and
leaves the interior walls quasi de-materialised. Later on, the
Romanesque basilica plan was gradually abandoned in favour of
structures showing strong tendencies toward a single room plan: The
classical basilica (characterised by different height of nave and
aisles, with the nave having its own windows) was superseded by an
intermediary type of church with a windowless nave and aisles of
different height and subsequently by the hall church. Accordingly, the
extreme exploitation of the vertical line was followed by rooms laid
out in a more horizontal plan in the 15%%sup th/% century (late
Gothic period). The overflowing abundance of architectural forms is
visible in the decoration of windows and portals and in intricate
vault forms such as stellar and net vaults and flying ribs. Austria
played a significant role in the construction of towers in those
times. The Gothic tower on the south transept of St. Stephen's
Cathedral in Vienna, for example, is exemplary in Europe. Interesting
polygonal spires can be seen in the church of Maria am Gestade in
Vienna, in the pilgrim church of Judendorf-Strassengel and in the
parish church of Steyr.
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During the late medieval times, the nobility enlarged their castles,
which became fairly complex, while the rise of the burghers led to
increased building activity in the towns. Numerous Austrian towns have
Gothic structures at their centre (e.g. Steyr, Krems, Bruck an der
Mur, Innsbruck, Feldkirch).
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There are very few religious buildings in the Renaissance style in
Austria, as this style was mainly advocated by the Catholic Imperial
Court and its adherents, while Protestants were reluctant to accept
the new architectural ideas. From the 16%%sup th/% century on,
Renaissance principles, coming from Italy, first permeated the
southern areas of the country (examples are Porcia Palace in Spittal
an der Drau and the Landhaus residence in Graz). Later they spread
further north, where the style was strongly influenced by traditions
from the German Laender. The assimilation of the new style was
frequently restricted to isolated elements which were subject to
independent architectural interpretation, especially in the case of
burgher's residences. This was mainly the case with columns and
arcades and can be seen in arcaded courts in the Wachau region and in
the area south of Vienna. As the façades were remodelled, the
aspect of the cities, formerly dominated by gabled town houses, also
underwent changes. The Renaissance style played an important role in
the construction of fortifications, castles and palaces. This was true
for new edifices as well as for the modernisation of existing medieval
structures.
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The Baroque style spread through all of Austria in the course of the
Counter-Reformation. The first precursor of Baroque architecture north
of the Alps is seen in the cathedral of Salzburg, which was erected
from 1614 on and was directly influenced by Italian architectural art
of that time. The major role in spreading the Baroque style
(17%%sup th/% century) was, however, played by the Jesuits
(wall-pillar churches in Innsbruck, Vienna, Leoben, Linz) and by
visiting Italian architects.
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The victory over the Turks near Vienna (1683) caused a considerable
increase in building in Austria, and numerous church, prestige and
residential buildings from that period still dominate the picture of
many Austrian towns and villages. Austria was lucky to have a number
of highly qualified architects when she regained her position as a
major power in Europe and enjoyed a period of economic prosperity.
Amongst the architects who were to leave their marks on Austrian
architecture for a long time to come, is J. B. Fischer von
Erlach, whose work displays strong Italian influences and who was
active in Salzburg (Holy Trinity Church and Collegiate Church) and in
Vienna (Schwarzenberg Palace and St. Charles' Church). Other
representatives are J. L. von Hildebrandt, who was trained in
Rome and created one of Austria´s most significant palaces, the
Belvedere in Vienna, J. Prandtauer, whose main achievement was the
construction of monasteries (Melk, St. Florian), M. Steinl, who
worked in several artistic fields and as an academy professor
influenced the following generation of architects (Duernstein and
Zwettl). Somewhat later there was also J. Munggenast (Altenburg
monastery). In the province of Upper Austria, the main Baroque
architect was J. M. Prunner (Stadl-Paura), in Tirol the Gumpp
family had a decisive influence on Baroque architecture, and in Styria
the style saw a late peak in the middle of the 18%%sup th/% century
owing to J. G. Stengg and J. Hueber. Architecture in the age of
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Enlightenment and Romanticism in Austria was initially promoted by
artists trained in France (I. Canevale, C. de Moreau, L. Montoyer).
Later on, markedly bourgeois variations of the style developed,
especially in the style of interior decoration ( Biedermeier) that was
considered exemplary for a long time. The chief Biedermeier architect
was J. Kornhaeusel. Late Classicistic style was markedly sober and
functional. Representative structures are various administration
buildings built under the rule of Franz I. The bareness of the style
was broken in the middle of the 19%%sup th/% century through the use
of small ornaments that had developed from the historical repertoire
of forms (Romantic Historicism). At the same time, heterogeneous
motifs were freely combined (Vienna Opera House by A. Sicard von
Sicardsburg and E. van der Nuell), while later stylistic purity was
desired (strict Historicism). The Vienna Ringstrasse boulevard is a
so-called Gesamtkunstwerk in townscaping (a "total work of art" in
which architecture expresses a dominant idea) created by important
foreign (T. von Hansen, G. Semper, F. von Schmidt) and local (H.
von Ferstel, C. von Hasenauer) architects. Historicism was superseded
by architecture that was determined by function and new materials. The
new style was mainly developed by O. Wagner. He had initially
experimented with Jugendstil and consequently developed a style
characterised by clear forms (Postal Savings Bank in Vienna). As a
teacher, he had a strong influence on a number of leading architects
(J. M. Olbrich, J. Hoffmann, J. Plečnik). After 1900 a
specifically Viennese style developed, which focused on geometrical
form with sparingly used decoration. The generation of Wagner's
students chiefly determined the architecture of Vienna´s council
houses constructed in the time between the two World Wars, which
sometimes exhibited regional characteristics and sometimes indulged in
a somewhat pompous language of form. These council houses were
exemplary on an international scale because they were equipped with
facilities such as laundries, kindergartens, libraries, etc. A. Loos
gained world renown for his architectural work, and even more for his
publications. He considered building an activity determined by
cultural and historical factors. In his view, ornamentation had become
useless as a consequence of the progress of culture. Architects under
his influence working abroad (J. Frank, R. Neutra, E. A.
Plischke) played a major role in the development of the International
Style, while in Austria the aim was to create a national style that
would integrate Alpine traditions (C. Holzmeister, L. Welzenbacher).
After World War II, architects strove to bring Austrian architecture
in line with international developments (R. Rainer, K. Schwanzer). In
recent times Graz has developed into an architectural centre (G.
Domenig) next to Vienna (H. Hollein, W. Holzbauer, G. Peichl, Coop
Himmelblau), while an independent tradition mainly focussing on
favourably priced wood constructions in domestic architecture has
gained ground in the province of Vorarlberg.
!Literature
Oesterr. Kunsttopographie, 1907ff.; Dehio-handbook
Kunstdenkmaeler Oesterr., 1933ff.; W. Buchowiecki, Die gotischen
Kirchen Oesterreichs, 1952; R. Wagner-Rieger (ed.), Die Wiener
Ringstrasse, 11 vols., 1967-1981; R. Wagner-Rieger, Wiens
Architektur im 19. Jahrhundert, 1970; F. Achleitner, Oesterr.
Architektur im 20. Jahrhundert, 4 vols., 1980ff.; G. Brucher,
Barockarchitektur in Oesterreich, 1983; idem, Gotische Baukunst in
Oesterreich, 1990.
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