Friedensreich Hundertwasser's anarchic apartment block — uneven floors, trees growing from windows, coloured ceramic facades, and a complete rejection of the straight line. Love it or hate it, you cannot ignore it.
Location
Leopoldstadt, Vienna
Map
Insider Intel
Walk the perimeter — it is a residential building so interior access is limited. Cross the street to Hundertwasser Village (commercial but designed in the same style) for a cafe and the bathroom experience. The building is best appreciated as a manifesto in three dimensions against modernist uniformity.
Morning or late afternoon to avoid peak tour group congestion. The building photographs well in any light. Combine with a walk along the nearby Danube Canal for street art contrast.
Completed in 1985, designed by artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser with architect Joseph Krawina. Hundertwasser believed straight lines were godless and boring — the building has none. Each of the 50 apartments has unique window configurations and many have trees growing inside. The uneven floors were Hundertwasser's idea of reconnecting humans to natural terrain. Critics call it kitsch, defenders call it visionary. Either way, Vienna allowed it to be built and it remains one of the most photographed buildings in the city.