Klemio
Hundertwasserhaus
This is a riot of a 1980s apartment block: wavy floors, mismatched windows, splashes of color, and trees growing out of the facade. It is a quick photo stop and nothing more, because people actually live here and you can only look at it from the street. Plan about 20 to 30 minutes, and combine it with the nearby Kunst Haus Wien museum if you want something you can go inside.
Photos: Dietmar Rabich (CC BY-SA 4.0), Dietmar Rabich (CC BY-SA 4.0), Dietmar Rabich (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons
A fun, free, five-minute photo stop, no more and no less. The architecture is a genuine change of pace, but since you can only see it from outside, do not build a big plan around it. Pair it with the Kunst Haus Wien if you want something you can actually walk into and linger over.
Worth it for
- Fans of quirky, colorful architecture and good photos
- Anyone wanting a break from Vienna's imperial sights
- Visitors already pairing it with the Kunst Haus Wien
You can skip if
- You expect to go inside or tour the building
- You are tight on time and only want the central headline sights
Tickets & tours for Hundertwasserhaus
Which ticket should you buy?
What it is
The Hundertwasserhaus is public housing designed by artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser and built in the mid-1980s. He hated straight lines and uniform grids, so the building has undulating floors, no two windows quite alike, ceramic columns, gold onion domes, and live trees planted into the structure. It was his protest against the boxy architecture he saw as soulless.
It is genuinely fun to look at and very photogenic, a complete change of pace from Vienna's imperial stone. But understand what it is: a residential building, not a museum, so the interest is entirely the exterior.
How to visit
You view it from the street, full stop. Residents live inside, so there is no entry, and you should keep noise down and not block the doorways. The best angles are from the corner of Kegelgasse and Lowengasse, where you can take in the colored facade and the trees. The little square has benches and a fountain, so it is an easy place to pause.
Directly opposite is the Hundertwasser Village, a small former tire shop converted into a souvenir-and-cafe space in the same style. It is touristy and you can wander in for free, with a quirky (paid) toilet that people photograph as a joke.
Pairing it with something more
Because the house itself is a five-minute stop, it is worth pairing with the Kunst Haus Wien a couple of blocks away. That is a proper museum, also designed by Hundertwasser, with a permanent display of his work and rotating photography shows, and you can actually go inside and spend real time.
Do the house, glance at the Village, then walk to the Kunst Haus Wien if you want substance. Together they make a satisfying half-day in this corner of the 3rd district.
Hundertwasserhaus: FAQs
No. It is a lived-in apartment building, so there is no public access to the interior. You admire and photograph it from the street only, and you should be respectful of the residents.
About 20 to 30 minutes is plenty for the house and a glance at the Village across the road. It is a photo stop, not an attraction you spend hours at.
Yes. The Kunst Haus Wien, a couple of blocks away, is a museum Hundertwasser also designed, with his work and photography exhibitions inside. That is where to go if you want more than a facade.
A small shop-and-cafe complex across the street, built in the same colorful style. It is free to enter, fairly touristy, and good for souvenirs and a quick look. The novelty toilet inside is a running photo joke.
Tram 1 to Hetzgasse drops you about a two-minute walk away. By U-Bahn, Landstrasse (U3, U4) is the nearest station, followed by a short walk or a tram connection.
Only if you like quirky architecture or want a break from imperial Vienna. It is a short detour from the center, and pairing it with the Kunst Haus Wien makes the trip more worthwhile.
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