Österreichische Zeitschrift für Kunst und Denkmalpflege LXXVIII, Heft 4

This article starts by critically examining the term “vernacular architecture,” which, unlike in English-speaking countries, has only recently been adapted for use in the German language. It then discusses how monument preservation has treated vernacular architecture since 1900. After an initial romanticizing gaze for the purpose of “sentimental value,” there was no way to actually place specific objects under monument protection until the Monument Preservation Act of 1923. In so doing, farmhouses were to be placed under protection for the first time. During the post-war era, the cultural landscape and vernacular architecture seemed in greater and greater jeopardy. Beginning in the 1970s and 1980s, people started wondering how to deal with the potential “multitude of monuments” and, ultimately, how to select them: deciding which objects should be placed under monument protection.

Keywords:

In 1963, state conservator Alfred Schmeller became the first person to recognize the uniqueness of the cellar district in Heiligenbrunn. Since then, the cellar has been maintained in its present-day form by means of public funds. The ensemble, with its 106 listed historic monuments, exemplifies the continual development of cellar construction: varied building methods and cellar types form a notable ensemble of rural commercial construction from the preindustrial era that is still in use today. The buildings remain in their original positions and have not been picturesquely rearranged into a “museum village.” They document a traditional agricultural form that has experienced a resurgence since the 1960s. Due to changes in winegrowing, these buildings are losing much of their original significance. Some have fallen into decay or become quaint locales for serving drinks and selling the region’s typical Uhudler wine, although this has long been produced elsewhere.

Keywords:

The Carinthian cultural and settlement landscape has traditionally been shaped by agriculture. However, the economic and sociocultural changes of recent years are gradually leading to the erosion of rural structures, thereby altering the region’s landscape in the long term. A significant portion of architectural and urban planning values are at risk of disappearing. Traditional farm barns, particularly the Carinthian “pillar barns” (Kärntner Pfeilerstadel), are increasingly being replaced by modern types of livestock buildings. Alternative uses for vacant pillar barns are rarely considered for various reasons. Due to insufficient documentation, there is a risk of the complete loss of a regional cultural asset. This article aims to raise awareness for the preservation of the “Carinthian pillar barns".

Keywords:

The “Längsscheunen” (longitudinal barns), which were normally built in the garden section of housing lots, either detached or in long rows outside the village, were once an essential element of economic life in the wine quarter. In 2010–11, in the Niedersulz Museum Village, an extensive architectural study was made on nine of the barns that were reconstructed there, focusing on the structure, the processing, and the condition of the construction. The article attempts to approach the construction and the peculiarities of this type of building using the longitudinal barn of Waidendorf as an example. The names of a barn’s individual parts vary from region to region, so they proved to be quite challenging. Especially interesting were the findings that the sparseness of forests in the wine quarter led to inhomogeneous barn constructions and that one of the barns had been verifiably built using rafter timber.

Keywords:

The retirement house represents a special category of rural architecture. But so far, not enough concentrated scholarly research has been dedicated to it. This type of building can be seen throughout Austria to varying degrees. Upper Austria, for example, contains many retirement houses that can be traced to the sixteenth century and feature a number of architectural designs using various building materials. Old farmers would move into these tiny homes after turning the farm over to their successors. Such buildings are becoming increasingly rare, so examples from the regions of Upper Austria should be examined to shed light on the living and working culture in the country.

Keywords:

The Tauern houses Schößwend and Spital, located on the north side of the Felbertauern, were already being used during the Middle Ages as a resting point for freight haulers and traders. They arose from former “Schwaigen” (stockyards), and the Salzburg sovereigns entrusted them with certain tasks meant to protect and supply the traders on the often long, difficult passing routes. Since the sovereigns had an economic interest in the trade route remaining functional, they supplied the former stockyards with natural produce. Both Tauern houses Schößwend and Spital, together with their outbuildings, bear witness to a complex business enterprise with a continuity that has lasted for centuries. They have been preserved in an authentic overall condition, allowing them to impressively demonstrate the design features and creative preferences of the late Middle Ages and the early modern era.

Keywords:

In Styria, researching farmhouses has a tradition going back to the 19th century. This research was institutionalized through the initiatives of Archduke Johann, which led to the founding of the oldest institute for folklore studies in the German-speaking world through Viktor von Geramb at the University of Graz. Although vernacular architecture dwindled during the 20th century, it became documented and presented in museums. This laid the technical foundation for the Austrian Open Air Museum Stübing, founded in 1962 according to Scandinavian and Swiss models. In addition to multiple initiatives to preserve Styrian farmhouses by offices of the province of Styria in recent decades and the establishment of the Styrian Revitalization Fund, the Austrian Federal Monuments Office has striven to preserve Austria’s diverse rural heritage. This has proved challenging due to societal changes that are still taking place.

Keywords:

This article examines the development of the municipalities of Sölden und Sautens in the Ötztal Valley, which are different both in terms of their geographic location and their historical development. Sölden, the largest municipality in Austria in terms of area, is a tourist destination. Sautens, on the other hand, was disadvantaged for a long time by being unconnected to the Ötztal Valley federal road, although that changed in the 1950s. The analysis is based on the Franciscan Cadastre from 1856, which provides detailed, statistical data on the buildings of that time. In Sölden, the number of buildings more than doubled—from 447 in 1856 to 935 in 2020—38% of the historic objects being demolished. In Sautens, the number of buildings rose from 211 to 557, with 29% of the historic objects being demolished. This study offers insight into the settlement history and the architectural development of both municipalities over a period of 150 years.

Keywords:

The historic Montafon house and courtyard landscape is a defining part of the southernmost Vorarlberg valley and remains a key architectural element of a changing cultural landscape. The article briefly touches on some traits of the property and associated cornerstones of historical research, then takes the rare opportunity to deanonymize using examples of local rural architecture and current observations. From building inscriptions to parochial registers and the guild archive, the family members successively reconstruct a historical Montafon carpenter family that, besides creating special parts of the local building landscape through distinctive “branding,” are also responsible for an early artisanal staging of their own trademarks with recognition value.

Keywords:

Although building construction using wood has increased throughout Austria in recent years, this traditional construction material had to contend with image problems during much of the twentieth century. During the interwar period, construction techniques using wood began to be modernized in a way that was promising—by using prefabricated components, for example—but this trend came to a halt with the rise of the Nazi regime. For many decades, this almost put a stop to the century-long tradition of making buildings out of wood and kept that tradition from being transformed using contemporary designs. Starting from the western province of Vorarlberg, buildings come to mind that were designed by a few architects who resumed the use of wood as a building material after 1945—as a connection of old and new that avoids kitsch; as wooden cases that radiate comfort; and as a new path in wooden construction that makes a virtue of necessity.

Keywords:

Given the profound structural transformation in rural areas since the late 19th century, as well as current trends, the question of identity of these areas arises. This contribution presents the results of house research and its practical application, which have been advanced through European recommendations and conventions. In this context, only the most significant documents of the European regulatory framework can be highlighted. The issue requires a specific and current selection of methodological approaches for identifying cultural landscapes, inventorying them, and integrating cultural landscape elements into modern cultural landscape development. Subject and components of the systematic and comprehensive approach include, first and foremost, the preparation of data provided by various stakeholders across different planning levels. The final step involves the presentation of a descriptive framework or matrix applicable to all house landscapes, and thus to rural cultural heritage, using a spatial reference system with cultural landscape regions or cultural landscape units of Upper Austria (Herbert Maurer). This enables the integration of cultural heritage into the broader context of social development, spatial planning, and environmental policy.

Keywords:

Small secular heritage is a significant, often overlooked part of the Austrian cultural landscape. The thesis “Secular Small Heritage in Rural Austria” studies this heritage using a case study of the Styrian municipality of Semriach. Although small sacred heritage is studied frequently, secular structures such as barns and grainaries remain overlooked. The article presents the most important findings of the thesis and conveys the state of research on small secular heritage. It follows the structure of the aforementioned thesis and discusses its most important findings. One thing became clear: although small secular heritage makes up an important part of local history, its preservation mainly depends on private owners. Thus the public should be made aware, and targeted protective measures should be taken to better regulate the decay of this heritage and to protect its cultural significance.

Keywords: