Focus District Mariahilf
Mariahilf? I already know it! The Secession, the Suchthilfe building, the Naschmarkt, and Vienna’s longest shopping street can all be found within an area of just under one and a half square kilometers, in which many Viennese feel at home. And yet: Vienna’s 6th district, which was created in 1850, is a lot more than just its parallel axes of Wienzeile, Gumpendorfer Straße, and Mariahilfer Straße. The narrow district that stretches from the Ring to the Gürtel offers a dense and delicate network of hidden squares, passages, narrow streets, and green courtyards. The VIENNA DESIGN WEEK 2022 invites its visitors to get better – or newly – acquainted with this architectural structure and with Mariahilf’s dynamic design scene.
The festival is turning its spotlight on a district that underwent gentrification long ago and will investigate the relationship between local identities, shared spaces, and anonymous shopping and tourism infrastructures. The construction of the new metro line, the intensely debated plans for the Naschmarkt and its flea market, and the revolution that is facing the whole spectrum of bricks-and-mortar retailing are just some of the hot topics that can also be addressed using design tools. This is where the VIENNA DESIGN WEEK steps in and also turns the district into a stage for international design.
