Cottage Quarter

‘Melker Cottage’ Quarter

Public parks and villa quarters are typical features of urban planning in the Gründerzeit period. Such trends prevailed in Melk as well. For this purpose, Abbot Alexander Karl made pieces of property between the historical centre and the railway line available at attractive terms.

The city park was laid out in the western portion of this area in around 1885-1886. A villa quarter, similar to that erected by the Vienna Cottage-Verein (‘Cottage Association’), was to arise in the eastern part. In 1893 the savings bank commissioned the head architect of the Vienna association, Carl von Borkowsky, to build a ‘model villa’ on which later residences were to be designed (Abt Karl-Straße 6). Borkowsky made use of elements from the Neogothic style, whereas Baroque influences were mostly predominant in later buildings.

As a movement arising in objection to such historicist architecture, Art Nouveau combined sweeping asymmetrical forms with geometric figures (Florianistraße 3). The Villa Loos von Losimfeldt (Abt Karl-Straße 16) signals the rise of modern architecture.