Healthy town. The renewal ofthe City ofVienna 1934-38

In the 1930s, various measures were taken to adapt the old towns to the increasing traffic, to loosen up their densely built-up areas and to replace old, unhygienic buildings. Corresponding ideas and methods determined the debates and strategies taken by urban planners and heritage preservationists. Vienna was affected by this renewal process. From 1934 onwards, the city government provided funds to revive the construction industry after the Great Depression and to push on with the renewal of the city. From 1934 onwards, supported by financial means from the so-called Assanierungsfonds, many outdated and traffic-obstructing buildings which did not meet the requirements of the time, even with regard to the housing conditions prevailing there, were destroyed in Vienna. In its place, new buildings with more comfortable apartments for the middle class were erected, which also fitted better into the citys overall plan and thus did not hinder traffic. In addition, subsidies from the Hausreparaturfonds made it easier for homeowners to renovate, among other things, the facades of their houses. As a result, on many old buildings ornaments and structural elements from the late 19th century - which were then considered "worthless" and "tasteless" - were removed. In addition to improving housing conditions and traffic flow, the aforementioned measures were also intended to improve the cityscape. This book deals with a chapter of the architectural and urban history of Vienna that has thus far been neglected. The healing of the city in the years of the so-called Ständestaat (1934 1938), its dimensions, and the parallel discussions of experts are examined. Not only art historians, conservationists and representatives of the Heimatschutz-movement, but also architects and urban planners discussed and criticized the increasing renovation and redesign of the old town. In addition, the public also protested against the progressive removal of historical buildings and showed great sympathy for the fate of Old Vienna. In the view of many residents and also experts the familiar image of the old town was in danger of being gradually lost due to demolition. Finally in this book, the renewal of the city of Vienna in the late 1930s is compared with similar developments in other European countries, especially in cities in Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. This shows the great importance of this topic in general for urban planning and heritage preservation in these years and shows interesting similarities and differences. The comparison allows a precise analysis and evaluation of the urban changes of the city of Vienna between 1934 and 1938.

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