The Autonome Wohnfabrik is a self-organised housing project in Salzburg, Austria, run by a collective of currently six people. According to the project’s own description, its aim is to create a practical alternative to dependence on the housing market and on private landlords, and to show that housing can be organised collectively and affordably.
The project is based at Poschingerstraße 10 in Salzburg, where the group has lived for almost eight years. The house, originally built in 1870 and first renovated around 1950 during post-war reconstruction, also serves as a social and political space. The group states that the building has hosted numerous concerts and political events in what was formerly a club venue.
Autonome Wohnfabrik presents itself as part of a broader effort to remove housing from speculation and long-term market dependence. The collective says it decided to buy a house, live in it in a self-managed and solidaristic way, and keep it permanently off the market. The project is organised within HabiTAT, an umbrella network of housing projects in Austria. The site explains that HabiTAT was founded in 2015, inspired by the German Mietshäuser Syndikat model. The house was financed through a combination of bank loans and private direct loans, which are repaid through residents’ rent payments. Those rents are described as relatively low, but sufficient to cover maintenance, potential vacancies, and a solidarity contribution to HabiTAT.
The project also indicates that parts of the house still require renovation, particularly a damp basement, and that it is seeking financial support for further work.