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If buildings are no longer needed in their original purpose, two options soon arise: demolition or reuse. If the decision is made to reuse it, extensive conversions and renovations usually follow before its second life begins. When scientists and researchers become new users, they usually soon have a name ready for their new address. Sponsors are well-known scholars with a close relationship in terms of content, who thus achieve higher orders. This approach is brilliant from a PR perspective; it costs next to nothing and has a great impact. The University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (Boku) has followed this concept since 1960 and gave its houses well-known names. The main house is called the Gregor Mendel House after the founder of heredity theory, and there is also a Justus von Liebig House and the Oskar Simony House. As examples, the Wilhelm-Exner-Haus and the Cieslar-Haus, both on Peter-Jordan-Straße in Vienna Döbling, are examined in detail in this text.
The main location of the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (Boku) is on the "Türkenschanze" in the noble cottage district of Währing and Döbling at Peter-Jordan-Straße 82. Some of the university buildings have a long history that was in no way connected to the Boku. On historical postcards, a large, long building complex stands prominently on the hill of the Türkenschanze, the "Hospital and Sanatorium of the Board of the Vienna Merchants", built in 1909. On June 4, 1910, the hospital, built by architect Ernst Gotthilf, was opened by the “most serene” Archduke Karl. On November 22nd, His Majesty the Emperor himself came, as the Viennese merchants had initiated the construction on the occasion of his 60th anniversary in power (1908). They were proud to have taken in 700 sick people since it opened and assured the monarch that trained nurses trained at the Rudolfinerhaus were working here.
In the 1920s one read about grievances and unaffordable prices in numerous hospitals ("The Unaffordable Hospitals", Der Montag, December 7, 1925). To be specific: "The Vienna Merchants' Hospital does not give patients any cutlery or drinking glasses, supposedly for hygienic reasons. Since most patients have no idea about this peculiarity, they have to eat with their hands for a day or two until relatives bring the cutlery." Whether all of the 3,795 patients who were cared for here in 1925 and stayed in the hospital for an average of 18 days suffered from the abuses remains unanswered. In any case, there are reports of a large kitchen in a separate farm building.
But it got better. In 1936 there was even praise for the “contemporary prices” and the food. "[…] a first-class chef was hired to prepare the diet." (The Hour, February 26, 1936). In 1938, Nazi terror had also reached the hospital on the "Turks's Lair". After the takeover, all Jewish doctors and members of the nursing staff employed here were fired, and from December 1938 onwards, Jewish patients were no longer accepted here.
During the Second World War the house was in the hands of the German Air Force. During the occupation period (1945 to 1955) it was initially under Soviet control before it was confiscated by the Americans. In 1960 the building came into the possession of Boku, which was then called the “University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences”. Here, among other things, the library found an appropriate home. The time had now come to give the house a new identity and a worthy name. The choice was not difficult; on July 7, 1960, the professors chose “Wilhelm-Exner-Haus”. Wilhelm Exner (1840–1931) was closely associated with the Boku and also with the building in which he died on May 25, 1931, the night of Pentecost Sunday. In December 1930 he fell ill with bronchitis, from which there was no permanent recovery. So on Holy Saturday 1931 he decided to go to the merchant's hospital. "The main reason for this decision was the beautiful park of this sanatorium, where Exner spent many hours on happy days sitting on a bench." (Neue Freie Presse, May 26, 1931).
In order to give the former hospital a new identity as a research facility, the busy and highly successful Exner was an ideal choice. Exner, who came from a humble background (son of a railway official from Gänserndorf), was often honored for his achievements and described as the “organizer of Austrian technology”. He had studied at the Polytechnic (today TU Vienna), and in 1868 became a professor at the Mariabrunn Forestry Academy (Lower Austria), which was integrated into the Boku in 1875. Here he was not only a professor and dean, but also its top leader. "I was elected rector three times between 1881 and 1896, but since the inauguration of the rector at all Viennese universities was canceled in the academic year 1895/96 due to unrest among the university audience, I was only able to give an inauguration speech twice," he wrote in his 1929 autobiography ("Experiences"). His career at Boku is just one aspect of Exner's life. Also worth mentioning is the Technological Trade Museum (TGM), which he founded.
Today, “hospice” is often understood as a facility for terminally ill people who spend their last days here, but 100 years ago it was exactly the opposite. The "women's hospice" was a "maternity home" (quote: Allgemeine Wiener Medizin Zeitung), where primarily women from the working class were admitted. Accordingly, on Sunday, October 3, 1909, it was not the aristocracy that was represented at the opening of the house (architect: Victor Postelberg; 1869–1920), but rather the who's who of the social democratic workers. Among them were the MPs Victor Adler (1852–1918), Mathias Eldersch (1869–1931) and Karl Seitz (1869–1950); The latter was mayor of Vienna from 1923 to 1934. As soon as the house was opened, the Viennese midwives had estimated "an annual shortfall in income of 10,000 crowns" (midwives' magazine, October 15, 1909). The sponsorship was the Association of Cooperative Health Insurance Funds and the General Workers' Health Insurance Fund. The women's hospice had 30 beds for women who had recently given birth and five beds for women in labor.
In 1938, the director, Edmund Waldstein, and his family had to flee because of their Jewish origins. They managed to escape to England, where Waldstein died on June 2, 1942 at the age of 71. Waldstein was not only the initiator of the hospice and its long-time boss, he was also scientifically active, published numerous studies, was committed to the training of midwives and had a practice in Vienna's inner city.
In 1953 there was great joy in the women's hospice. The Viennese New Year's baby, a healthy boy, was born "20 seconds after midnight". In 1975 it was closed and moved to the Hanusch Hospital in Vienna Penzing. The Vienna International School then temporarily used the premises.
In 1984, Boku took over the building at Peter Jordan-Straße 70 for its own purposes. Since 1986, the house at Peter-Jordan-Straße 70 has been called Adolf-Cieslar-Haus at the request of Hubert Sterba. Today, Boku's facility management, personnel development, personnel administration, controlling department and event management are housed here, among other things.
The namesake, Adolf Cieslar (1858–1934), graduated from the Teschen State High School (now the Czech Republic) in 1876 and studied botany at the philosophical faculty of the University of Vienna until 1879. In 1883 he received his doctorate on the influence of light on seed germination. The establishment of a seed control station dates back to Cieslar (1889). In 1905 he took over the chair for forestry production studies at Boku. According to Tarik Gaafar (archivist at Boku), he achieved international success with “first methodological studies on the economic significance of the question of seed origin”. His inauguration speech as rector on October 25, 1910 also had economic aspects. He spoke “About some of the national and private economic problems of forestry production”. In order to increase the yield of rural small forest ownership, he demanded: "The entire economy of rural forests must be handed over to scientifically trained forest officials appointed by the state or the federal states."
Cieslar received a call to the university in Munich in 1911. Although this position was better paid, he declined due to his long association with the Boku. But he took advantage of this opportunity and played poker in Vienna for better pay. Cieslar won, His Majesty the Emperor increased his salary. He stayed and the student body cheered. Even if the Munich professorship didn't work out, he did receive an honorary doctorate from the University of Munich in 1934. (Thomas Hofmann, February 21, 2025)