So, it had all begun. Vienna was bursting at the seams. The old city walls had been torn down in 1858 and with the new ’Ringstrasse’ came an enormous building boom. Many of the monumental buildings along and around that boulevard were built during this era. This was impressive. This was imperial Vienna. But, on the other hand, most of the new urban dwellers ended up living in one of the city’s many tenement buildings. With beds in short supply, landlords were able to charge exorbitant rents and, quickly, a system developed whereby a bed was commonly rented twice a day – once during the day and, then again, for the night.
