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Viennese Wilhelminian style houses: historical substance is in danger of disappearing forever!
Vienna's Wilhelminian style houses are in danger: despite new building regulations, historic buildings are losing their substance. Experts warn of social and ecological consequences of the demolition.
Viennese Wilhelminian style houses: historical substance is in danger of disappearing forever!
The loss of historic Wilhelminian style houses in Vienna continues inexorably, and despite political efforts to protect them, nothing appears to be changing in this worrying development. How ad hoc news reports, the inventory of historic apartment buildings continues to shrink, even as building regulations become stricter. The concept of “economic demolition” ensures that many buildings, despite their value, are left to decay to make room for new buildings.
Although official statistics show a decline in approved demolition applications, the actual loss of historic fabric is worryingly high. In many cases, demolition is not done for legal reasons, but rather by allowing the buildings to fall into disrepair. Districts that do not belong to the strictest protection zones are particularly affected. Prominent demolitions in thesperrgasse and the Obere Amthausgasse illustrate the weaknesses in the protection system.
Stricter building regulations without effect?
The city of Vienna has taken numerous measures in recent years to strengthen the protection of older buildings. Loud courier An amendment to the building regulations allowed demolitions to be approved only under strict conditions. However, since the building regulations were changed, not a single application for demolition has been approved. Of the 19 applications, eight were rejected, two were withdrawn and nine are still being processed. Before the amendment, around 30 applications were received annually, more than half of which were approved due to “economic impasse”.
The situation takes an interesting turn due to the public interest, which now has to be taken more into account in the audit. Damage caused by neglect does not count toward demolition readiness calculations, which undermines some owners' strategy of letting buildings fall into disrepair. City councilor Kathrin Gaal (SPÖ) is pleased with the development, which is intended to support reconstruction and preservation.
Ecological and social consequences
However, the demolitions not only have structural consequences, but also ecological and social ones. The loss of “grey energy” due to the demolition of old buildings is considerable, and new construction is often only aimed at the upper price segment. This endangers the social mix in the city and leads to a loss of cultural identity, warn urban sociologists ORF.
The experts are calling for the ecological costs of demolition to be included in the assessment of the “economic readiness for demolition”. Without serious reforms in tenancy law and tax incentives for maintenance, the “economic demolition” will continue to make waves and result in more demolitions.
Given these developments, it looks like there will be little change in 2026. A more comprehensive “burden sharing” is called for in order to halt the impending loss of historical heritage in Vienna. Time is of the essence if the loss of architectural diversity in the city is not to be pushed towards uniformity.