Haus Dellacher

Heritage Site Welcomes Mid-Century Architecture Enthusiasts

A rare treat for those passionate about modernist architecture, this villa for rent in Austria is a cultural landmark was designed by the Austrian-born American architect Raimund Abraham, and built for his friend, photographer Max Dellacher, between 1965 and 1969. A registered historical monument, the iconic, mid-century modern residence was rescued from near ruin after standing vacant for decades, and has been fully restored to its original style by prominent Austrian architect Johannes Handler.

A temple of mid-century modern architecture, this villa for rent in Austria is a registered architectural landmark located in Austria’s Burgenland region. It stands in stark, geometric contrast to its pastoral surroundings, and was designed as a series of symmetrically arranged cubes covering a hillside. An early work of the Austrian-American architect Raimund Abraham, who designed the notable Austrian Cultural Forum in New York, the spacious, rectilinear home sleeps six, and features interior built-in furnishings also designed by the architect, including original floors, fixtures, lighting and interior décor accents such as carpeting and paneling.

Originally designed as a single-family residence, the angular, two-level home offers three bedrooms, each outfitted with a double bed, and two bathrooms. There is also a fully-equipped kitchen and an open-concept dining and living room, each featuring the warm wood paneling and floors essential to the mid-century modern era. Bedrooms are bright, white, and clean-lined, with inset windows of varying shapes and sizes and views out to green woods. 

A skylight provides the dining room’s source of natural light, as the room was intentionally designed devoid of windows in order to avoid a view of the garden to create maximum intimacy. The built-in wood furnishings in the home’s common areas feature patters of alternating circles and squares, architectural references that are repeated throughout the home in fixtures and lighting. Original larch wood floors were restored to their early gleam, and an interior staircase spirals upward connecting the home’s lower garden level with its hilltop entry on the home’s north side.

Built into a hillside and occupying two levels, the narrow, rectilinear residence’s vivid white exterior stands out sharply against its pasture-like garden environment. A deep covered patio created by a bold, double-sided exterior stairway opens out to the main lawn, where a walled walkway also leads to the turquoise lap pool, with the woods extending into the distance beyond.

Read more about the preservation of this architectural masterpiece in our Stories section here.

AROUND

Considered one of Austria’s most important architectural destinations, the residence is situated in a park-like setting that offers privacy and isolation despite its easy access to goods and services in nearby villages. Multitude leisure activities are available in this picturesque, ultra green region, including hiking and cycling in the nearby Geschriebenstein Natural Park, and trekking Lower Austria through Burgenland to Hungary on the Alpannonia long distance trail. Vineyards crisscross the region, and visits to wineries, tasting rooms, and wine routes are popular. The spa town of Bad Tatzmannsdorf is easily accessible for wellness activities, and history buffs will favor vistis to castles such as Schlaining and Bernstein, also located nearby and open to tourism. Lovers of mid-century modern and Brutalist architecture will find multiple other architectural locations in the area to visit as well.

LOCATION​

Oberwart, Austria. Nearest airport: Vienna (approximately 70km)

BEST TIME TIME TO VISIT: June through September