As part of the annually grant funded spring research trip, I traveled
for a two week period in March 1995 to Austria. Meetings with professionals
active in various aspects of the field provided insight into Austrian preservation
policies and philosophies and their commitment to international preservation
issues. Research was greatly facilitated by familiarity with both the language
and the country from many previous trips.
During the first week I visited Graz, the capital city of Styria, in the
southeastern part of the country which is distinguishable for its medieval
walled city center with clay tiled roofs. Dr. Hasso Hohmann, from the International
Urban Forum Graz, conducted a private tour of the historic city, pointing
out preservation concerns that his agency has dealt with since its founding
in 1978. As he pointed out, most of the historic buildings in the downtown
area have undergone significant changes over the past century, as shop owners
have changed their storefronts to conform to modern standards. Although
this precedence started as early as the mid-19th century, the International
Urban Forum Graz became especially concerned over the future of historic
buildings as the trend for shop display areas extended to open glass areas.
Although Austrian state law requires all historic property owners to apply
for permits before any alteration work on historic buildings can proceed,
many owners were finding ways to illegally make the desired changes. Preservation
action groups such as the International Urban Forum Graz not only act as
advocates for preservation but also act as police agencies for local projects.
Their responsibilities in these projects include the preservation of historic
fabric as well as integrity of shape, form, and overall appearance for new
additions.
Graz has a tremendous mix of historic buildings that embellishes the city
with diversity and charm. The many accessible narrow passages between buildings
and the many public courtyards augment that charm and provide an element
of mystery and discovery to the explorer. What makes it all work is the
fact that the main thoroughfare through the downtown area, the Herrengasse,
was converted to a pedestrian mall, extending more than 20 blocks. Pedestrians
can wander freely and safely while sharing the wide, cobble-stoned road
only with the light rail train that runs down the center of the street with
stops at each major intersection. With benches, extensive plantings, and
even a play ground in the middle of the pedestrian zone, a very pleasant,
relaxed and pollution free environment is achieved.
Meeting with the State Conservator for Styria, Dr. Friedrich Bouvier, reconfirmed
the tremendous success that protection of historic buildings and art has
achieved in Austria. He pointed out that Austria, in 1928, passed a law
automatically protecting all public owned buildings with government funds
and that Austria does not set an age restriction on eligible properties.
This extensive list includes churches, museums, and state, country and local
government buildings. As a result, a significant portion of urban architecture
will always remain intact in Austrian cities. In general, preservation receives
much wider recognition and support in Austria, however, certain threats
do exist. Dr. Bouvier mentioned problems of contractors trying to bribe
commission members, having inadequate penalties for poor workmanship, and
having the laws be too complicated for homeowners to understand. In addition,
reuse of vacant castles and palaces pose regulation problems as builders
are eager to subdivide these large spaces into apartments.
I explored the issue of farm building protection in greater detail with
Dr. Viktor Pöttler, the founder and director of the Austrian Buildings
Museum in Stübbing. During the early 1960s, Dr. Pöttler started
to collect representative farm buildings from all regions of Austria in
an effort to create the first open-air museum of its kind in Austria. He
chose the particular site in Stübbing because it is situated in an
isolated valley with hills and extensive forests that he could shape to
resemble the natural landscape of Austria. The museum is organized so that
the visitor wanders from east to west, following the map of Austria to visit
each region with its distinctive style of farm buildings. Each building
was endangered in its original location and was disassembled and moved by
him to the museum. The buildings are supplemented with outbuildings, tools
and furniture but there is no interpretive material on site in an effort
to provide the most authentic setting as possible. Dr. Stübbing, now
in his mid-70s, is still regarded as a pioneer in the preservation of the
rural history and culture of Austria due to his diligence, determination
and perseverance.
For my second week of research, I visited Vienna and met with members of
the National Conservation Office and an Austrian preservation architect
who is active in several European countries. Dr. Andreas Lehne and Dr. Ernst
Bacher, both officials of the National Conservation Office in Vienna and
members of ICOMOS, provided historical reference to the preservation movement
in Austria and explained some of the concerns they are currently facing.
Preservation policy originally started during the 19th century, however,
in more recent times, like the 1960s and 70s, there was a boom period for
public advocacy and precedence. Since then preservation has lost some of
its fire in the public eye of Austrians due in part to an unfavorable reaction
to this progressive period. While recognition of a rich and diverse cultural
tradition worth preserving is shared by most Austrians, the tremendous focus
and government funding of preservation has begun to be questioned. Are Austrian
cities loosing a modern identity at the expense of preserving the old? Are
historic buildings really being preserved as cultural artifacts or simply
as tourist meccas? How many monuments can realistically be preserved since
there is no age limit for designated protection? These are some of the difficult
questions facing the National Conservation Office in meeting the challenges
of the future. Another concern facing Austrian preservation today is the
integration of historic buildings with modern ones. Vienna as a city encourages
and financially supports modern art projects which many architects are taking
advantage of by combining art expression with building construction. A good
example of this is the Hundertwasserhaus, designed by the painter Friedrich
Hundertwasser, who combined a socially innovative housing design with the
expression of modern art. With world-wide fame, the housing complex has
become a major tourist destination.
To understand what options exist for city officials desperately trying to
provide more available living space in Vienna while preserving the historic
fabric of the city, I met with the preservation architect Hans Wanek. As
he pointed out, many architects in Vienna are currently redesigning attic
spaces of historic buildings to create apartments and or office spaces.
To minimize the intrusion of the modern addition to the old structures,
many different designs have been tested, some with more success than others.
Mr. Wanek's firm specializes in quality renovation work, which is illustrated
in his latest project of a mixed-use building on the Oppolzergasse. In an
effort to add a two story addition for apartments, he managed to camouflage
the addition as a quasi French Second Empire roof line with dormer windows,
hidden behind the historic roof balustrade. By placing the main fenestration
towards the interior courtyard, minimal damage to the exterior facade occurred.
Consequently, tenants can enjoy quiet balconies with floor to ceiling windows
facing the courtyard. Many interior changes that were necessary to accommodate
an elevator and stairs was also done professionally and respectful of the
historic fabric of the building.
After two eventful and fact filled weeks, I returned to UVM with a new understanding
and appreciation of the extensive preservation structure in Austria. Although
Austria and many other European countries are well ahead of American preservation
efforts and financial backing, I believe that the basic philosophy and language
that preservationists speak is shared universally.
