Social and Cultural Prehistory of Vienna
The Character of Vienna
By Cindy W.

The social structure in Vienna was determined, in large part, by its physical setting. A wall, built in 1200 as a defense against outside forces, surrounds Vienna.(1) This wall lays the foundation for the social structure of Vienna, since the lower classes lived on the outer edges of the city, in the most dangerous areas, while the upper classes lived closer to the center of the city, as far away from outside threats as possible. It is interesting that this structure is the opposite of many cities in the United States (Detroit, Atlanta, etc.) in which the less expensive neighborhoods can be found in the "inner-city," while the more expensive neighborhoods surround them.

During medieval times, Vienna was the center of commerce. It had a "bourgeois" character according to Olsen. But by the 15th century, trade was moribund, and by the time of the first Turkish Siege of 1529, Vienna was mainly a town comprised of craftsmen and shopkeepers.(2)

Vienna, more than Paris and London, was a consistent monarchy. Although this produced a very stable government, it also caused the people of Vienna to be consistently powerless. In 1525, Emperor Ferdinand I deprived Vienna of its political independence and its medieval liberties. The Habsburgs dominated Europe for about seven hundred years (from the 13th century to the 20th century). And beginning in 1533, the Habsburgs began to live primarily in Vienna where the nobility built themselves a palace. (3)

Hofburg Imperial Palace 1--http://www.sitesatlas.com/Places/ausVienna.htm

Since there was an increasing threat of Protestantism among the commercial classes, churches were encouraged to settle in Vienna as well. The Lesser nobility rented lodgings or bought bourgeois houses, and by the Final Turkish siege of 1683, Vienna was firmly established as a wealthy city and a center of power (sustained by bourgeois and proletarian suburbs).

In contrast to medieval times when Vienna was characterized by the proliferation of a middle class, in later years, Vienna’s character was completely transformed to one in which the crown, the church, and the aristocracy dominated. In terms of religion, Vienna was also completely changed into a Catholic city. (4)

Cathedral in Vienna 1--http://www.hotels-europe.com/info-countries/austria/capital.htm

In the 18th and 19th centuries, Vienna experienced rapid growth, reflecting its stature as the center of culture in Europe. Germans, Italians, Poles, Hungarians, Bohemians, Slovaks, Serbs, Croats, and Jews all settled in Vienna. These foreigners were not confined to ghettos, as they were in other countries, but rather they lived throughout the city.(5) While poverty was problematic in Vienna, it appeared primarily in the suburbs beyond the city walls. Since the 17th century, Vienna was mainly comprised of members of the court and the aristocracy due to the high costs of rent, which only allowed wealthy people to afford living there. The concentration of the court and nobility in the heart of the city resulted in the availability of shops selling luxury goods such as tailoring, embroidery, and jewelry. Thus, a sizable proportion of the population earned their livelihood by catering to the wealthy.

During Maria Theresa’s reign (1740-1780), the population grew from 88,000 to 175,000 inhabitants which resulted in a shortage of housing in the city center.(6) Although the physical appearance of Vienna was altered by the city’s rapid growth, there were only minor changes in the social character of Vienna. The upper class remained in their palaces in Vienna in the 17th and 18th centuries. Since the center of Vienna remained the center of importance, it was the place where fashion, beauty, and money were located. Thus, only the wealthy people could afford to live in the heart of Vienna, or the center of social life. Oftentimes, the wealthy people of Vienna built summer palaces in the inner suburbs, where they were able to enjoy the beauty of nature.

The birth of the industrial era began around 1780 in Vienna. It was concentrated in the manufacturing of paper, silk, weaving, and brewing. Thus, Vienna was transformed from a city of small factories and merchants, to one of large industrialists. This transformation resulted in massive unemployment, which led to social and political unrest. The construction of large factories resulted in an even more severe housing shortage, which led to laws against foreigners moving into certain neighborhoods, and even forbade working class marriages for fear that the population would grow too rapidly.(7) The industrial era enriched a small portion of the population, but impoverished many people. In 1810, out of a total population of 250,000, there were 27,000 workers in the factories, barely able to afford basic necessities.(8) In addition, inflation was high, resulting in social unrest. By the 1830’s, in the middle of the Metternich era, (1815-1850) conditions were ripe for a revolution.

Endnotes:
(1): Stadt Wien, "The History of Vienna-Medieval City". http://www.magwien.gv.at/english/history/vhifma.htm
(2): Olsen, Donald J: The City as a Work of Art: London, Paris, Vienna; Pg. 64.
(3): Ibid, Pg. 64.
(4): Ibid, Pg. 64.
(5): Brion, Marcel: Daily Life in the Vienna of Mozart and Schubert, pg. 6.
(6): Ibid, Pg. 13.
(7): Ibid, pp. 228-235.
(8): Ibid, pg. 237.

Images:
1: Hofburg Imperial Palace 2--http://www.sitesatlas.com/Places/ausVienna.htm
2: Cathedral in Vienna 2--http://www.hotels-europe.com/info-countries/austria/capital.htm

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Barea, Ilsa: Vienna. (NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 1966).

Brion, Marcel: Daily Life in the Vienna of Mozart and Schubert. (NY: The Macmillan Company, 1962).

Brook-Shepherd, Gordon: The Austrians: A Thousand-Year Odyssey. (NY: Carroll & Graf Publishers, Inc., 1996).

Crankshaw, Edward: The Hapsburgs: Portrait of a Dynasty. (NY: Carroll & Graf Publishers, Inc., 1996).

Olsen, Donald J: The City as a Work of Art: London, Paris, Vienna. (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1986).

Rickett, Richard: A Brief Survey of Austrian History. (Vienna: Georg Prachner Verlag, 1966).

Stadt Wien, (11/27/00) "The History of Vienna-Medieval City". http://www.magwien.gv.at/english/history/vhifma.htm (10 March, 2002).

Stadt Wien, (11/27/00) "The History of Vienna-Late Medieval Period". http://www.magwien.gv.at/english/history/vhisspma.htm (10 March, 2002).

Stadt Wien, (11/27/00) "The Period of the Turkish Sieges (1529-1683)". http://www.magwien.gv.at/english/history/whisfnz.htm (10 March, 2002).

Stadt Wien, (11/27/00) "The History of Vienna-Roman Period)". http://www.magwien.gv.at/english/history/vhisrom.htm (10 March 2002).

"Let’s Go to Austria". http://www.hotels-europe.com/info-countries/austria/history.htm (13 March 2002).

"Vienna 1815". http://www.mcps.k12.md.us/schools/churchillhs/departments/ss/apeuro/car (10 March, 2002).

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