Linke Wienzeile 38, Art Nouveau apartment building in Mariahilf, Austria.
Linke Wienzeile 38 is a six-story residential building whose facade displays nine golden medallions featuring female portraits, surrounded by floral patterns and ornamental details. The corner section has a rounded edge with a loggia on the upper floor, creating a distinctive architectural accent along the street.
Otto Wagner built the Maison aux médaillons and its neighbour, the Majolikahaus, in 1898-1899 along the Linke Wienzeile. The golden muse medallions and other gilded ornaments on the facade were made by the painter and decorator Koloman Moser, co-founder of the Wiener Werkstätte. The building also opens onto the start of the Köstlergasse.
The building demonstrates how artistic decoration and daily living were intentionally combined in early 1900s Vienna. Visitors can observe today how ornamental details were integrated into a functioning residential space rather than kept separate from it.
The building is conveniently located near public transportation and can be viewed from the street, though interior spaces remain private residences. The best way to appreciate it is to spend time looking at the facade from different angles to catch all the ornamental details.
The muse medallions and gilded ornament on the facade were made by painter and decorator Koloman Moser, co-founder of the Wiener Werkstätte, not by a sculptor. The gilded bronze figures of a female crier (Rufferin) crowning the pilasters at roof level are the work of sculptor Othmar Schimkowitz.
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