Kornhäuselturm, Tower building in Innere Stadt, Austria
The Kornhäuselturm is a nine-story tower built from 1825 to 1827 to Joseph Kornhäusel's designs at Seitenstettengasse 2. Its plain facade has few, relatively small windows, and its south side on Fleischmarkt stands free, with only wall remnants and corbels recalling the former adjoining buildings.
The building was constructed between 1825 and 1827 and marked the start of vertical building in Vienna's architectural development. Its completion showed that the city was reaching toward heights beyond traditional horizontal structures.
The building takes its name from architect Joseph Kornhäusel, its creator, and locals still refer to it by his name today. Its narrow facade with small windows defines the character of this central district even now.
The tower has no street-level entrance: access was originally through the stairwell of the adjoining building at Seitenstettengasse 2. Its south side on the Fleischmarkt is now exposed, where only wall remnants and corbels recall the demolished three-storey houses; a Vienna tourist board information panel is mounted on this windowless facade.
Adalbert Stifter lived in the tower in the 1840s, and a memorial plaque at Seitenstettengasse 2 marks the connection. He watched the total solar eclipse of 8 July 1842 from the tower's viewing platform and described it in his text Die Sonnenfinsternis.
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