The Metropolis Experiment-Vienna and the 1873 World Exhibition

摘要

As the subtitle of this exhibition at the Wien Museum Karlsplatz correctly suggested, this was both a show on "Vienna around 1870" and a show on the 1873 World Exhibition in Vienna. The two exhibitions were consciously intertwined, reflecting how closely Vienna and its World Exhibition were connected. The show started with four sections on the development of Vienna during the boom years of 1867-73: the construction and financing of the Wiener Ringstrafie, the regulation of the river Danube, the construction of the new freshwater conduit from the Semmering to Vienna, and the introduction of new traffic systems (such as the horse tramway) and means of communication (such as pneumatic postal delivery). The fifth part, "City within the City," focused on the planning, building, and opening of the first World Exhibition outside London and Paris. The major players and the context for the building site in the Prater-a former imperial hunting ground and public recreational area for the Viennese (including the so-called Volksprater, a popular fun fair)-were introduced. The center of this room in the Wien Museum sported a purpose-built large section model of the main building of the World Exhibition-the Rotunda-and several original drawings by its architect, Carl von Hasenauer (Figure 1). The emphasis of the section was on the building process, showing, alongside the model and drawings, an impressive series of photographs taken during the lifting of the enormous ring that holds the dome of the Rotunda, the largest column-free interior of its day. The very interesting smaller pavilions of the World Exhibition were mostly presented in the form of contemporary photographs, which, though of good quality, were lacking in context. More information on the various architects and on the purposes of these smaller structures would have been welcome (at least by the dedicated architectural historian)-for example, on the display of school buildings, comparing different school types from all over Europe, or on the early example of a transportable house. There were buildings among these pavilions that, even by the standards of eclecticism, were unique. The building for the shipping company Austro-Hungarian Lloyd, for instance-a cross between a classical pavilion and a sailing vessel (complete with masts, rigging, and crow's nest)-really deserved a closer look. Instead, there was an interesting excursus on the role the relatively new medium of photography played in the World Exhibition.