Universität für angewandte Kunst in Wien, Wien, Österreich, 2010
Keywords
Cultural History, Cultural Studies, Urban History, Technical History, Franz Felbinger, Friedhof, Josef Hudetz, Pneumatic Despatch, Pneumatik, Rohrpost, Utopie, Wien, Zentralfriedhof, Social History, History of Medicine, Pneumatischer Telegraf, Hygiene, Air Hygiene, Stadthygiene
In 1874, engineer Franz Felbinger and architect Josef Hudetz release their publication “Begräbnisshalle mit pneumatischer Förderung” (“Funeral Hall with Pneumatic Despatch”). Within fifteen pages, Felbinger and Hudetz present their concept for a pneumatic despatch to transport corpses from Vienna to the Viennese Central Cemetery on the outskirts of the city. The pneumatic system promises to deliver its freight fast and securely. To distinguish their commercial project from competing proposals, Felbinger and Hudetz want the “Begräbnisshalle” to be more than a mere transport system. They propose a “change in the funeral system”. Even 140 years after the “Begräbnisshalle” was suggested, the idea of transporting corpses to the Central Cemetery using air pressure has not been completely forgotten, but has been inscribed in the cultural memory – like so many other technical utopias. This research paper presents the technical history of the genesis and context of the scheme conceived by Felbinger and Hudetz in 1874.
