The Biggest Earthly House.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 956, 27 June 1890, Page 4

The Biggest Earthly House.

The ‘ Freihaus ’ (free house), situated in Wieden, a suburb of Vienna, is said to be the moßt spacious building on the globe. Within its walls a whole city of human beings live aDd work, sleep and eat. It contains, in all, between 1200 and 1500 rooms, divided into upward of 400 dwelling apartments of from four to six rooms each. This immense hquse has 13 courtyards—five open and eight covered —and a large garden within its walls. A visitor to the btuilding relates that he once spent two hours in looking for a man known to reside in the house. Scarcely a trade, handicraft or profession can be named whloh is not represented in this enormous building. Gold and silver workers, makers of fanoy articles, lodging-house keepers, book-binders,

agents, turners, hatters, officers, locksmiths, joiners, tutors, scientifio men, Government olerks, three bakers, eighteen tailors, twentynine shoemakers, and many other tradesmen live in it. The house has thirty one staireases, 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 ' ‘ Friehaus ’ must be provided with both the given and tho surname of the person for whom intended, the number of the court, the number of the staircase, and the number of the apartment, otherwise it is as apt to go astray as though addressed to a city unprovided with directions as to street and number. At the present time 2112 persona live in this immense building and pay an annual rental of over 100,000 florins.