Historic architecture of the cellars in Vienna´s city

Current investigations in the field of the topography of monuments and archaeological research brought evidence that Vienna`s inner district and historical centre contains numerous large cellars from the middle ages to 17th and 18th centuries. These basements of the existing buildings are revealing many details of former sructures, but the large cellars are completely unknown to the public, even to specialists in architectural history. Only few examples of these rich subterranean structures so far have been documented and published, and just these few reports are products of the qualified staff-members of the purposed project. The research-project will try to investigate a certain number of cellars in all details, including the survey and mapping of the structures by means of photogrammetry, which will be executed by architects of the Austrian Federal Bureau for Conservation free of charge for the project. Besides the documentation will include a precise description, photographic evidence and parallel investigations of all possible historical sources. Among the objects being thoroughly explored are the cellars of "Am Hof 13, Rabensteig, Heiligenkreuzerhof, Bräunerstraße 5, Steindlgasse 6, Kohlmarkt 14" and a few more, which will be chosen during the current work (Annagasse, Himmelpfortgasse, Bäckerstraße, Sonnenfelsgasse, Schönlaterngasse). In a "second group" some more cellars will be explored more in general only with photographic and textural documentation, but without surveys. Among these objects there are some cellars, which had been investigated by the staff-members already before, so that their written reports can be used also for the current project (Drahtgasse 3, Färbergasse 6, Hoher Markt 5, Judenplatz 5 und 8, Jordangasse 5, Kurrentgasse 6, Schulhof 2). In the group of detailed research there are most significant monuments of Vienna`s medieval history, for instance the foundation of a tower, belonging to the Babenberg-residence from 12th century (Am Hof 13), or a hall with rib-vaults in romanesque style at Heiligenkreuzerhof, the Viennese town-court of the cistercian monastery of Heiligenkreuz in Lower Austria. In the cellar of Steindlgasse 6 traces of a medieval gate of the Jewish ghetto was found. Another startling structure is the two-storey vaulted pillar-hall of Bräunerstraße 5. The project`s results will be gained methodologically by the use of the Harris-matrix. Finally the results are intended to be published in a special edition of "Österreichische Zeitschrift für Kunst und Denkmalpflege" by the Federal Bureau for Conservation. The results of the project can by expected as vaulable contributions to the knowledge about Vienna`s urban development and history, especially during the middle ages. Also new evidence about historic building technology eventually will be gained as result of this project.