Paper short abstract:

The contribution focuses the shaping of places by early vernacular architecture research in two aspects: first, the characterization and creation of places by “typical” forms of houses. Second, the research as place for shaping one’s life through the documentation of vernacular architecture.

Paper long abstract:

Vernacular architecture research in the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy had its starting point in 1891 within the Anthropological Society in Vienna. The enthusiasm of the early researchers - many of them amateurs - and the fact that there was nearly no knowledge of rural houses led to the construction of places and regions of "typical" houses. Starting with one of the first attempts which divided the whole monarchy into five areas with specific types of houses, further research led to a more differentiated view. Authors like Johann Reinhard Bünker or Rudolf Meringer picked out certain places and their surroundings and described some of the buildings found there in a very detailed way, thus shaping a virtual landscape of houses. Offprints of articles in the society's journal led to a wider spreading of the new knowledge, drawings and, later-on, photographs laid the foundation for the imagination of selected places. Bünker, e.g., being a descendant of Swiss immigrants to Carinthia and afterwards living and working in western Hungary, wrote about 15 mostly extensive articles on places of German, Hungarian or Polish speaking population and is actually even cited as an early witness on a website about ecological sheep breeding in eastern Styria.

A second aspect is the Anthropological Society as a place for vernacular architecture research as joint interest of people who - in turn - invested lots of time and money to "conquer" places as important dimension for shaping their own lives as professionals or amateurs.