0 Intro

His outfits? Mostly self-sewn, and nice and brightly colored. And most importantly of all, his clothes had to be unironed! Why? Because crisp lines were “ungodly” and would “lead to the downfall of humanity”. His choice of head covering? Similarly bold in color to his buildings, paintings and collages. And to top if off, a bushy beard like Robinson Crusoe. And a gentle yet wily gaze that could hardly be more decisive – always signaling: here is a man on a mission. A man, though not from this Earth, is still somehow grounded like a thousand-year-old oak tree. A dreamer and pragmatist in one, who not only made Vienna a little bit more beautiful and closer to nature – but also Tokyo and Osaka, Tel Aviv, Napa Valley in California, as well as Zell am See, Darmstadt and Kawakawa in New Zealand. But his magnus opus is to be found in his home town. Welcome to the Vienna of Friedensreich Hundertwasser. Welcome to a fantastic world where convention went out of the window.

After all, Friedensreich Regentag Dunkelbunt Hundertwasser – or “Peace-Realm” “Rainy Day” “Darkly multi-coloured” “Hundred-Water”, to give him his full artist’s name in English – set himself against the prevailing spirit of the times in art and architecture. Which made him a genuine visionary. His ideas concerning the environment are more in tune with the times now than ever – though back then they were met by many with a condescending smile. But that is only to be expected when someone is ahead of their time.

This walk will take you through the Weissgerberviertel – the district where Hundertwasser’s most important works can be found – as well as along the Danube Canal, which carried such meaning for him. We’ll call in at his former studio and the building that saw him turn his back on straight lines altogether and trigger a huge architectural kerfuffle in the process. Come on a walk defined by a riot of color and dogma-free ideas. Let’s go!

1 Kunst Haus Wien

KunstHausWien – the single most important place to immerse yourself in Friedensreich Hundertwasser’s artistic oeuvre. Not just in Vienna, but anywhere in the world. It is home to the largest Hundertwasser collection of all. And what many people don’t know: Hundertwasser was much more than an artist who created unusual buildings. KunstHausWien is the perfect place to experience the versatility of the multi-talented man – who was born in Vienna in 1928 as Friedrich Stowasser. Spread across two floors, there are paintings and graphic works, as well as tapestries and architectural models, plenty of examples of applied art including stamps and flags – all of which reflect his passion for the environment.

KunstHausWien gives a perfect sense of who this man really was, a figure who conquered the world from Vienna with his art. Many saw him as an eccentric oddball whose ideas just didn’t match the spirit of his time. Ecology and a nature-centric way of thinking simply weren’t on people’s radars in post-war Vienna. Yet Hundertwasser spotted very early on just where humanity’s careless treatment of the natural world was heading. This is the story told at KunstHausWien, too – a place that’s essentially a Gesamtkunstwerk, or total work of art.

Run entirely in the spirit of the artist, it was the first museum in Vienna to receive the Austrian Ecolabel, an official certification for resource-conscious institutions. Hundertwasser would have approved. Still, the place has a long history that is far removed from the eco-pioneer. In the 19th century, the building was a factory for the famous Viennese furniture maker Thonet, which produced the bentwood chairs that are now Viennese design classics. In 1991, the location was redesigned according to Hundertwasser’s vision and has long since been a Viennese classic in its own right. Ever since, everything here has been wonky, colorful, and wild, like nature itself. Right at the top, on the roof, the eco-pioneer created a private apartment with a huge rooftop garden. A true oasis where the globetrotter stayed when he was in Vienna. Sadly, the apartment is only open for special occasions.

Focusing on themes like sustainability, climate change, and recycling, the temporary exhibitions at KunstHausWien are engaging and well worth a look. A museum dedicated to the major issues of our time. Here, Hundertwasser’s ideas continue to flourish, many years after his death in 2000. And right in front of the building, you’ll notice his penchant for seemingly absurd details. See that small, rounded mound just outside? Hundertwasser called it a “field marshal’s hill for tour guides”, knowing full well that one day visitors from around the world would flock here. So come on, let’s go inside and follow in the visionary’s footsteps.

2 Hundertwasserhaus

Undulating floors, slanted walls, and trees growing out of the facade? It sounds like a renovator’s nightmare, but what we’re actually talking about is Hundertwasser’s architectural masterpiece, which stands before you now: the glorious Hundertwasserhaus, which breaks all of the rules of conventional architecture. You could say that it made waves worldwide. A building like a LSD trip! A structure that wouldn’t be out of place in Alice’s Wonderland. Completed in 1986, it was the first time that Hundertwasser’s architectural vision had been realized. The project was a true labor of love for the artist.

Once the basic structure was in place, Hundertwasser was hands on every single day for more than a year, side by side with the workers, ensuring that his vision was realized right down to the very last detail. What was a construction flaw for some, Hundertwasser saw as pure beauty. And beauty – as we know – lies in the eye of the beholder. For Hundertwasser, straight lines and right angles were the real flaws. “The straight line leads to humanity’s downfall,” was his stark take. That’s why even the windows are arranged irregularly here. They don’t line up neatly; they jump around all over the place. Hundertwasser described this playful design with characteristic poetry: “Windows have to be able to dance.” And at the Hundertwasserhaus, the windows are dancing a tango at the very least, if not a pogo. In addition, lush greenery is spread across the facade, culminating in a mini woodland planted on the roof. Hundertwasser turned architectural dogma on its head. Which not everyone was thrilled about in the 1980s. The Hundertwasserhaus was a source of fierce controversy. But that skepticism soon turned to enthusiasm. When the building was presented to the general public with a open house event, 70,000 people came. Today, it is one of the most visited sights in Vienna.

And if you think the Hundertwasserhaus is a luxury residence for wealthy art lovers, you’re mistaken. The building is one of the City of Vienna’s many social housing projects, known here as a Gemeindebau. Any Viennese resident who has an income below a certain threshold can apply for an affordable apartment here. But I’m going to have to disappoint you: the waiting list for these particular apartments is very long. You can only visit the Hundertwasserhaus from the outside. All indoor areas are residents-only!   

3 Hundertwasser Promenade

It’s no coincidence that this green promenade winding along the Danube Canal is named after Friedensreich Hundertwasser. He even referred to this arm of the Danube as his “first sea”. The eco-pioneer had a strong connection to this area from childhood. But it wasn’t by choice: Hundertwasser – who was half-Jewish – was forcibly relocated with his mother after the Nazis took power, to Obere Donaustrasse on the opposite side of the canal. And so, the banks of this arm of the Danube became both an adventure playground and a source of inspiration for the young Hundertwasser. Back then, his surname was still Stowasser. So how exactly did he become “Hundertwasser”? The prefix “Sto” means “hundred” in Slavic languages. So the name Hundertwasser – hundred water – is essentially a translation. Many of Hundertwasser’s earliest works were created here right by the Danube Canal. He loved this motif, which he considered time and again in his watercolors. In fact, you can see and admire these paintings at KunstHausWien. But they have quite little in common with his later works.

On the banks of the Danube Canal, he immersed himself in nature. Quite literally. And not always with positive outcomes. Hundertwasser loved to swim in the canal. After one of these daring dips – given that the water was heavily polluted back then – he picked up a nasty case of paratyphoid fever. As an adult, he would attribute his lifelong heart condition to the infection contracted in his youth. Perhaps this was one of the reasons why he campaigned so vehemently for the preservation of the natural world. Today, though, you can swim in the Danube Canal without risking infection. But it’s better to leave your swimsuit where it is, because there’s a lot of boat traffic on this stretch of water. And with any luck, you might even spot beavers, which have started to reclaim this slice of urban nature in recent decades.

You’re probably wondering about the Hundertwasser-designed pavilion that you’re currently standing in front of. It was part of a boat dock that is no longer in use these days. Even so, the brightly colored structure and its curved columns is still a delight to behold, even though it has lost its original river traffic function.

4 MS Vindobona

Friedensreich Hundertwasser sought freedom in its ultimate form – and he found it out on the open sea. He spent nearly ten years of his life on the water. Why? Because of a boat he named Regentag which he bought in Palermo in the late 1960s. In Venice, he redesigned it to fit his vision. Over a period of seven years. And then he set sail. He navigated the world’s oceans aboard the Regentag, all the way to the Caribbean. He passed through the Panama Canal and sailed to New Zealand. The boat was his home and creative hub. It was a place where no one could place any demands on him. On the high seas, there are no borders. Out on the water, everything is open and free. Which suited Hundertwasser perfectly. His emotional bond with the vessel was so strong that he even incorporated its name, Regentag, into his artist name. You must be wondering by now how he came up with the name? It’s quite simple, really: Regentag means rainy day in German and when it rains, colors take on an extra depth. Those were Hundertwasser’s fondest days.

But the Regentag wasn’t the only ship he designed. Right where you’re standing is the mooring for the MS Vindobona – a river cruiser that Hundertwasser redesigned in the mid-1990s, adding his signature style. He called it a “pleasure cruiser for dreaming”. It is available for trips on the Danube around Vienna. And you can even rent it for events. Hundertwasser also designed the ship’s interior.

But his magical connection to water also has a deeply tragic side to it. Friedensreich Regentag Dunkelbunt Hundertwasser died at sea. His heart gave out in February 2000 while he was sailing from his adopted home in New Zealand to Europe on the cruise ship Queen Elizabeth II. Right in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. A tragical and ironic twist of fate, wouldn’t you say?

5 Ankerhaus

To get a good view of this Hundertwasser site, you’re going to need to crane your neck steeply. The best spot is in the middle of the pedestrian zone, diagonally opposite house number 10. It’s known as the Ankerhaus. Can you see the green studio floor with the large windows, right at the top of the building? Yes? That’s exactly where Friedensreich Hundertwasser’s studio was – and he lived here for many years too. Although Hundertwasser was known for his modest lifestyle, this apartment really was something special.

The property spans three floors and features a large rooftop garden, which he created to bring a slice of nature into the very heart of the first district. The interior of the apartment was quite green and, above all, pretty quirky – just as you’d expect from an extraordinary artist. The apartment was filled with plants. Hundertwasser placed pots and planters on virtually every horizontal surface. But he didn’t stop there: he also designed a “Plant  Purification System” for the apartment that naturally purified household wastewater by passing the contaminated water through several troughs filled with aquatic plants. He was a pioneer of the circular economy – a concept that people are much more familiar with today. In his private rooms Hundertwasser installed an odor-free composting toilet that worked without water. I’ll spare you the precise details though. By the way: The plant-based purification system and the composting toilet  are part of the permanent exhibition at KunstHausWien.

From the 1970s onwards, Hundertwasser created numerous artworks on the studio floor of the Ankerhaus building – which was designed by the famous Viennese architect Otto Wagner. But in truth, Friedensreich Hundertwasser wasn’t really what you would call a studio person. He preferred to paint, draw, and design his art wherever he happened to be. For this, he always carried a mini painting set, which allowed him to express himself artistically at any moment – especially on his many travels, which took him all around the globe from the 1950s onwards. In fact, Hundertwasser visited almost every continent. He had homes in Normandy, France, and in Italy, where he bought a huge garden with a palazzo in Venice, which he redesigned in his own style. But it was New Zealand that was destined to become Hundertwasser’s home away from home. He acquired a vast piece of land on the countryside in the form of an entire valley – nearly 400 hectares! He planted 150,000 trees on this former sheep grazing land to give it back to nature. And it is in this valley that Hundertwasser is buried. In an earthen mound grave with a tulip tree planted on top. This, too, is ultimately another expression of the circular economy that Hundertwasser championed throughout his life.

6 Loos Haus

Friedensreich Hundertwasser and modernist architecture – was not a love affair. Quite the opposite, in fact: the sober and functional architectural principles of the 20th century made him deeply uncomfortable. This aesthetic coldness spurred him to pursue his own ideas for a more human-friendly approach to construction that was close to nature, too. Rationalism and functionalism were not his thing. Hardly surprising, given that he was a man whose imagination knew no bounds.

He came up particularly hard against the ideas of Austria’s poster child for modernism, Adolf Loos, whose masterpiece you’re standing in front of now. Completed in 1911, the Loos Haus on Michaelerplatz is a genuine Viennese architectural icon. A groundbreaking structure, it was internationally regarded as a milestone of early modernism. But Hundertwasser found little to admire in this pared-down architecture. He even wrote a manifesto titled “Los von Loos!” - or “Leave Loos!”. In it, Hundertwasser condemned the sterile and linear architecture of modernism in the strongest possible terms, going so far as to call it “box-prison nonsense”. For him, this kind of building was a wrong turn that needed to be abandoned as quickly as possible. Hundertwasser even spoke of a moral obligation he felt as an Austrian. He said: “This architectural crime spread from Austria to the world. So the atonement must begin here.” Pretty radical, don’t you think? But in art anything goes!

Hundertwasser loved these kinds of manifestos, where he positioned himself in direct opposition to mainstream views. After all, he knew exactly how to present himself if he wanted to make people sit up and take notice. On more than one occasion, Hundertwasser stripped completely naked and threw paint around while publicly delivering his manifestos. Hundertwasser openly courted scandal. And in the conservative Austria of the post-war years, he regularly got what he was after: attention from the newspapers. Just like the occasional police report – though these never came to anything.

7 Alserbachstrasse Tree Tenant

Why am I bringing you here? To this busy intersection in Vienna’s 9th district? The answer is on the facade of Alserbachstrasse 11, the building with the striking corner bay, with a city library on the ground floor. I’m sure you can see it already. Up on the first floor, there’s something growing out of the facade. To be precise: it’s a hornbeam, stretching its branches out of the window. Green anarchy at a grey intersection, you could say.

But who started this? You’ve guessed it: Friedensreich Hundertwasser – who pulled out all the stops in his role as an eco-activist. To incredible effect. He called this particular action the Alserbachstrasse Tree Tenant. Back in 1981, when this rather unorthodox greening measure played out, it was meant as a word of caution. It was a call for maximum greenery in urban spaces to improve people’s quality of life. He wanted to show that even vertical surfaces can be suitable for planting trees. Hundertwasser put it, as always, with a characteristically antagonistic undertone: helping vegetation reclaim its rights by all means is our duty! This was years before terms like “vertical greening” were part of anyone’s vocabulary

Hundertwasser repeated the tree tenant idea on multiple occasions. You’ll also find green tenants like this at the Hundertwasserhaus and KunstHausWien. The very first tree of this kind was planted in Milan in the early 1970s.

Hundertwasser had a major passion for all things window-related. One of his ideas was what he called “window rights”. His demand: everyone should have the right to design the facade around their windows as far as their arms or paintbrushes could reach. This was his way of fighting the sterile monotony of modern residential buildings. For Hundertwasser, it was an act of resistance. And he promised support to anyone who followed his call: “Anyone who exercises their window rights and then gets trouble from the authorities can turn to me. I’ll help them.”

8 Spittelau Waste Incinerator

Let’s take a little trip back in time. It’s May 15, 1987: thick smoke is rising from Vienna’s Spittelau waste incineration plant. But it’s not the city’s rubbish that’s burning. It’s the waste processing plant itself. Within a few hours, this key piece of Viennese infrastructure went up in flames. After the fire, the first demand was: the incineration plant had to be rebuilt somewhere else – far outside Vienna’s residential areas, where it would not bother anyone. But that’s not how things turned out. Vienna’s municipal government decided to rebuild on the same site. And not a plain old functional structure. The idea was that Friedensreich Hundertwasser should design the new plant! The only catch: Hundertwasser was considerably less thrilled about the whole thing than Vienna’s mayor Helmut Zilk was.

The best known eco-warrior of his day cast as the designer of a dirty incineration plant? It was more than a contradiction. But Hundertwasser saw the challenge for what it was. He wrestled with the decision for a year. Should he take on the commission, being – as he was – such a high-profile advocate of a waste-free society? Again and again, Hundertwasser weighed up the pros and cons, ran the numbers, pored over studies. Ultimately, he caved and accepted the commission. Why? Because you can’t close your eyes to reality – as he wrote to a friend at the time. He knew full well that a waste-free society wasn’t achievable overnight.

Ever the pragmatist, he set out the conditions for his involvement: the City of Vienna had to exhaust all the possibilities for waste prevention and recycling. He called for investment in environmental protection and the latest waste incineration technology. The result: Vienna got the world’s cleanest waste treatment plant of its day. And Hundertwasser? In the end, he even waived his fee. For him, making the city more livable was what actually mattered. He even thought of adding nesting spots for falcons, high up on the chimney.

This striking construction with its brightly-colored, organic architecture, has long since become a landmark. A monument to acting with foresight, if you like. The building’s impact was so great that Hundertwasser would go on to design another waste incineration plant in Osaka, Japan. Come on, let’s walk around the building and have a look at all the details. You can also book guided tours here.