Living in the Werkbundsiedlung — what is it like?
Short and honest: you live in a house of 1932 that was built as an exhibit — 70 houses by more than 30 architects, among them Loos, Hoffmann, Rietveld and Neutra, on the edge of the Lainzer Tiergarten, with tram 62 at the door. The trade-off: the houses are small, listed and two thirds owned by the city — one rarely becomes free.
Living Snapshot — the area in numbers
The Werkbundsiedlung is not a Grätzl of its own in Vienna Living Map’s data — what is rated are the residential areas around it: Auhof about 300 metres to the west and Lainz about 700 metres to the east.
What shapes daily life
The estate was an exhibition before it was a place to live. The Austrian Werkbund had it built in 1930–1932 under the direction of Josef Frank, first planned for Triester Straße, then moved to Lainz: 70 houses by 32 architects from Austria and abroad, among them Adolf Loos, Josef Hoffmann, Gerrit Rietveld, Richard Neutra, Hugo Häring, André Lurçat and Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky. From 4 June to 7 August 1932 they stood open as a model of the “New Living”, and 100,000 people came. Afterwards only 14 houses with their gardens could be sold; the rest were rented out and passed to the city in 1938.
The war took six houses, and others built in their place, among them Roland Rainer. The estate has been listed since 1978. In 1983–1985 Adolf Krischanitz restored 56 of the 64 remaining houses, and in 2012–2019 a second restoration by Praschl-Goodarzi Architekten followed. In 2020 the estate received the European Heritage Label, affixed in June 2021. Today 48 of the 70 houses belong to the city, the rest are private.
What works surprisingly well
Quiet and cool by Viennese standards: in the nearest Grätzl, Auhof, quiet stands at 9.1 (Vienna median 6.8) and the modelled summer-heat index at 43 out of 100 (median 56). The Hörndlwald begins about four minutes away on foot, and beyond it the Lainzer Tiergarten.
Tram 62 terminates at Wolkersbergenstraße, right at the estate, and runs to the Opera; buses 53A and 54A stop at Ratmannsdorfgasse and Wlassakstraße. And you live in a house that exists only once: each by a different architect, each built towards its garden.
What you consciously accept
The houses are small and strict: terraced and detached houses of 1932, built for little money and much light, with room sizes that feel tight today. Little may be altered — the estate is listed, and the city allocates 48 houses like municipal flats. One rarely becomes free; anyone who wants to live here needs patience or luck with one of the private ones.
The underground is far: the U4 at Ober St. Veit is about half an hour away on foot. Anyone commuting into town every day takes the 62 — and counts the ride in.
20 minutes of everyday life
Five stops, one evening after work — every observation is true exactly here, not everywhere.
- Lainz, Wolkersbergenstraße 17:30
The terminus of tram 62, right at the estate. From here it is a few steps into Veitingergasse. - Veitingergasse 17:33
The northern edge of the estate: flat roofs, white and coloured render, the gardens behind. In 1932, 100,000 visitors queued here for two months. - Jagićgasse 17:38
The eastern side, houses of 1932 next to the replacements for the six destroyed in the war. Everything has been listed since 1978. - Jagdschlossgasse 17:44
The south-western edge, towards the Lainzer Tiergarten. The second restoration of 2012–2019 brought the façades back to the colours of 1932. - Hörndlwald 17:50
About four minutes on foot from the estate the woods begin, and beyond them the Lainzer Tiergarten — the evening walk the estate promised from the start.
Who is it for?
For anyone who wants to live in a piece of architectural history and needs the woods outside the door — and takes tram 62 every day. If you want large rooms, an underground within walking distance or a free hand in altering the house, look elsewhere: the houses are small, listed and mostly in the city’s hands.
Check the light per floor
The houses are low and closely set, each towards its garden: how much sun reaches a window is decided by the neighbouring house and the side. The light check calculates, for the address and the floor, when direct sun reaches the windows — on 21 June and 21 December, from the officially measured heights of the neighbouring buildings. The preview for one room is free. To the light check →
Open this place in Vienna Living Map →The Auhof Grätzl portrait · The Lainz Grätzl portrait · Architecture in Vienna · Hietzing district · Karl-Marx-Hof · Arsenal
Method & sources
History, exhibition, sales, war and restorations: Wikipedia, article “Werkbundsiedlung Wien”. Number of architects and the Heritage Label: Wien Geschichte Wiki (City of Vienna), article “Wiener Werkbundsiedlung”. Ownership (48 of 70 houses) and listing since 1978: werkbundsiedlung-wien.at. All read on 12 October 2026. Quiet and summer heat: Vienna Living Map’s own data for the Auhof Grätzl; walking minutes from the straight-line distance times 1.3 at 80 metres per minute.
Frequently asked
What is the Werkbundsiedlung?
A model estate of the Austrian Werkbund in Vienna-Hietzing: 70 houses by 32 architects, built in 1930–1932 under the direction of Josef Frank and shown from 4 June to 7 August 1932 as an exhibition of the “New Living”. Today 64 of the houses still stand, listed since 1978, with the European Heritage Label since 2020.
Which district is the Werkbundsiedlung in?
In the 13th district, Hietzing, postcode 1130, in Lainz between Veitingergasse, Jagdschlossgasse and Jagićgasse. Tram 62 terminates right at the estate, and the U4 at Ober St. Veit is about half an hour away on foot.
Can you live in the Werkbundsiedlung?
Yes, the houses are lived in. 48 of the 70 belong to the City of Vienna and are allocated like municipal flats; the rest are private. One rarely becomes free, and little may be altered because of the listing.
Which architects built in the Werkbundsiedlung?
32 from Austria and abroad, among them Adolf Loos, Josef Hoffmann, Gerrit Rietveld, Richard Neutra, Hugo Häring, André Lurçat, Josef Frank, Oskar Wlach, Clemens Holzmeister and Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky. For the six houses destroyed in the war others built later, among them Roland Rainer.
When was the Werkbundsiedlung restored?
Twice: in 1983–1985 by Adolf Krischanitz (56 of the 64 remaining houses) and in 2012–2019 by Praschl-Goodarzi Architekten.
What is it like to live in the Werkbundsiedlung?
Quieter and cooler than the Viennese average, in the data of the Auhof Grätzl, with the Hörndlwald about four minutes away on foot and tram 62 at the door. In exchange, small houses, listed status and half an hour on foot to the U4. The estate has no score of its own; the Auhof Grätzl reaches 94 out of 100.