Digital Baroque Vienna: Neuer Markt, C. 1760

In the context of the European plattform Time Machine, the question also arises for Vienna of a digital data repository for (art)historical data that can be retrieved in a three-dimensional information system. Regarding the historical city of Vienna (today's Innere Stadt), a source-based interpretation and large-scale reconstruction of the cityscape from the 18th century onwards is possible. Based on existing buildings as well as an increasing number of image data (e.g. reliable historical maps) and written sources of aristocratic, ecclesiastical, urban and civic building activities the imperial capital can be visualized through digital modelling, which – linked to a scientific database – provides a significant gain in knowledge about the urban development and architectural history of Vienna.

The Viennese marketplace Neuer Markt was chosen as a model area to test the extent to which this extensive and diverse stock of sources can be used efficiently for systematic reconstruction work. The structural diversity of Neuer Markt gave rise to an ideal-typical urban space where the high and low nobility, an order (with the imperial family as founder), the magistrate and the bourgeoisie met as builders. The ensemble of Neuer Markt was significantly enriched by the erection of a fountain located in the center (Donnerbrunnen, 1738–1739). The planned re-erection of the original lead figures in the Wien Museum (copies have been on display at Neuer Markt since 1873) has now brought the fountain back into the focus of research.

The modelling is conducted through close cooperation between art historical expertise and technical implementation. As the modelling process encompasses both the square and small-scale architectural details, the resulting dialogue inevitably raises questions that have been given little or no consideration in art historical assessment – for example, on actual building heights or on the cubature and spatial relationship of buildings, i.e. on aspects that historical views usually show in an idealised way.

In this sense, the pilot study sets fundamental art historical research in relation to a 3D-visualization, interpreting the process of modelling and its documentation as essential research tools. A first dissemination solution is being developed in cooperation with the Wien Museum, where the digital model is being made accessible to the public for the first time via a dedicated 3D multimedia station as part of the reorganization of the collection in December 2023.