Karl Marx-Hof, also called Karl Marx Courtyard, is one of the best-known public residential complexes. This world’s longest residential building is located in Heiligenstadt, a neighborhood of the 19th district of Vienna, Austria. It is built on land that, until the twelfth century, had been under the waters of the Danube. It was so deep that it was possible for ships to travel over the area. However, over time, the water level came down and by 1750 only a pool of water remained in the area. At that time, many gardens were built in the areas which were later removed by the Vienna city council. The area then came under the control of the Social Democratic Party of Austria, the people of which then turned it into one of the architectural marvels of the world.
Karl Marx-Hof was built between 1927 and 1930 by the city planner Karl Ehn. Only 18.5% of the total area was built upon, while the rest was developed into play areas and gardens. The building suffered heavy damage during the Austrian Civil War of 1934 when both the military and police forces bombarded the whole building trying to force out innocent families and Party workers who were inside to save themselves from the attack. This damage wasn’t repaired until the Great World War 2.
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After some time the building was in great shape again, eager to attract new residents towards it. Now Karl-Marx-Hof in Vienna is the world’s longest residential building with no other even matching the size of it. 1,400 apartments with the capacity of holding up to five thousand people is a great marvel provided by the residential complexes of Karl Marx-Hof.
It is stretching for more than a kilometer and is known for large houses and diplomatic residences. The design also includes several amenities such as a swimming pool, library, laundries, shops, a school and medical facilities to facilitate its residents.
The facilities have made the residents quite happy who are eager to stay in one of the apartments. The eastern side is the largest in terms of stretching as it stretches for the full 1,100 meters. However, in many western sections of the complex, there are blocks that create internal courtyards and parks for the residents.
The Karl Marx Hof apartments were some of the first in the city of Vienna that each included a toilet, running water and balconies, and other facilities and features that many at that time had never seen before. As time passed, these facilities became old and depleted, overpowered by the facilities provided by new technology. They are clearly not so popular now due to their small size, absence of showers and many other modern facilities. Several tunnels had to be incorporated into the design to allow the continuation of city streets and traffic flow. One may complain about the lack of modern features but it still is a thrill to live in the World’s Longest Residential Building.
