Between the end of World War I and the civil war year of 1934, the city of Vienna created nearly 65,000 apartments. The total housing stock of the city was increased by 11%—in 15 years that are among the most difficult in the republic's history. With the facilities housed in the municipal buildings—from kindergartens and laundries to shops, cafés, libraries, cinemas, and theaters—the Social Democracy is firmly anchored in the city's landscape.

"When we are no longer here, the stones will speak for us": This was the famous core statement of Mayor Karl Seitz's speech at the opening of the Karl Marx-Hof. In today's Austria, the terrible struggles of the interwar period are largely forgotten, but the municipal buildings of Red Vienna remain as a monument to the idea that all people, regardless of their origin or status, have the right to a dignified life.

Volume II, 'From the Means of the Housing Tax,' takes the reader directly to the most beautiful municipal buildings in the city: Embedded in fifteen walks, a representative selection of the most interesting houses from the interwar period is described, realized by the best architects of their time in an incredible variety. Custom-made maps facilitate orientation, and generous photo pages, anecdotes, and background articles make the volume much more than just a guide through the past and present of Vienna.