THE BIGGEST HOUSE IN THE WORLD.

North Otago Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 6978, 1 March 1890, Page 3

THE BIGGEST HOUSE IN THE WORLD.

The " Freihaus," situated in Wieden, a suburb of Vienna, U said to be the most spacious building on the globe. Within its walls a whole city of human beings live and work, sleep and eat. It contains, in all, between 1200 and 1500 rooms, divided into upwards of 400 dwelling apartments of from four to six rooms each. This immense house has thirteen courtyards- five open and eight covered— and a large garden within its walls. A visitor to the building relates that he once spent two hours in looking for a man known to reside in the house. Scarcely a trade, handiwork or profession can be named which is not repreuented in this enormous house. Gold and silver workers, makers of fancy articles, lodging-house keepers, bookbinders, ageuts, turners, hatters, officers, locksmiths, joiners, tutors, scientific men, Government cloikts, three bakers, eighteen tailors, twenty -nine shoemaker*, and many other tradesmen live in it. The house has thirty-one staircases, and fronts on three streets and one square. In one day the postman's delivery has amounted to as many as 1000 pieces in this single but Titanic house. To address a letter to the house and to the person it is intended for does not assure the sender that the person to whom it is addressed will ever receive it. In order to " make assurance doubly sure," all letters addressed to the " Freihaus " must be provided with both the Christian and surname of the person for whom intended, the staircase, the number of the apartment, otherwise it is apt to go astray as though addressed to a city unprovided with directions as to street or number. At the present ti*ne 2112 persons live in thU immense building and pay an annual rental of over 100,000 florins.