The Flak Towers
During
World War II, the German army built many Flaktürme. These anti-aircraft
flak towers were used by the Luftwaffe to help protect the cities such
as Berlin, Hamburg and Vienna.
While most of them were demolished after the war in Germany, the six flak towers built in Vienna are still standing.
One is located within a military base of the Austrian Army, one has become an aquarium, the Haus des Meeres, and several projects are considered for the others. In 1995 most of the MAK Collection of Contemporary Art moved to the Flakturm VIII G-Tower in Arenbergpark, just a couple of minutes away from the Rochusgasse U-Bahn station.
At first sight, the Arenbergpark with its huge trees spread across the lawn, abundant colorful flowers, classic park benches and the kindergarten buzzing with children’s screams and laughter, looks like most parks in Vienna. But there is one small difference: two gigantic flak towers, rising over the trees, are dominating the scenery. The L-Tower (Leitturm or Lead Tower), situated at one end of the park, remains empty. But at the other end, there is the G-Tower (Gefechtsturm or Combat Tower), home to one of the most interesting collection of contemporary art in the city.
Upon entering the massive G-Tower, the feeling of being trapped in this cold, dark and chilling bunker with its 3.5 meters thick reinforced concrete walls is a bit unsettling. Especially in the summer when it is sunny and hot outside, the contrast is even more striking. There is a long gloomy corridor leading to the first room where a collection of weird-looking modified cars, like Fat Car by Vienna’s most notorious contemporary artist Erwin Wurm, is lined up to create a funny yet strange effect.
A security guard then brings the visitors to the next floor in a freight elevator so that they discover the whole of the Contemporary Art exhibition scattered all over the 4000 square meters of floor space. The permanent collection of the MAK Depot of Contemporary Art offers works of art created by internationally acclaimed artists such as Ilya Kabakov, Chris Burden and Bruce Nauman, as well as architectural projects by the likes of Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky and Coop Himmelb(l)au. The visitors are also invited to go on the roof of the tower to admire the impressive view of Vienna.
Map
With the map of Vienna and the Flakturm below, you can zoom in or out or move in all directions by using the controls to the left. And the buttons on the top right switch between a traditional map view, a satellite view and a mixture of the two.
Details of Museum
MAK Depot of Contemporary Art
Dannebergplatz 6
A-1030 Wien
Tel: +43 (0)1 711 36-231
The exhibition depot is only open on Sundays, from 2.00 to 6.00 P.M., from early May until late November.
Website: www.mak.at
Places to Go in Vienna
Vienna is so rich in places to visit that it's hard to do them all justice - here we've added some of the principal attractions and some that are a little less-known:
Some of the Main Sights:
More Out of the Way:
