when entering the staircases or hallways of fin-de-siècle buildings in vienna, visitors are sometimes surprised by colorful stained glass windows, often featuring beautiful jugendstil ornament. the use of stained glass windows in residential buildings goes back to the middle of the 19th century but seems to have reached its peak around 1900-1910. while the majority are relatively simple, some stained glass windows also feature representational motifs like flowers, ships, or even figural scenes. unfortunately, a large portion of the stained glass windows has been destroyed due to war, renovations, or replacement. and today, they are constantly threatened by modern plastic windows offering superior insulation values.