Julius-Tandler-Familienzentrum

The Julius-Tandler-Familienzentrum stands in Vienna’s 9th district, Alsergrund, a building opened in 1925 as the city’s children’s reception centre. Designed by Adolf Stöckl, it replaced an overcrowded home in Margareten and was praised internationally for its social standards. The architect’s work remains protected as part of the city’s heritage. The centre was founded by Julius Tandler, a doctor and politician who shaped Vienna’s welfare system in the 1920s. Between 1925 and 1964 it cared for around 63 000 children, many removed from homes under emergency orders. Psychologists Charlotte Bühler and Hildegard Hetzer used the site for studies that influenced child development tests still in use today. Today the building houses the city’s adoption and fostering office alongside family advice services. The former courtyard once held Anton Hanak’s Magna-Mater fountain, now relocated to Rathauspark. Inside, visitors find offices and consultation rooms where social workers continue the centre’s original mission of supporting families.