Gödel in Vienna
Kurt Gödel lived here in Vienna from 1924 until his emigration in 1940. During this time he proved his celebrated theorems, which clarified what can and what cannot be expressed in first-order logic: the completeness theorem and the (first and second) incompleteness theorems.
A number of commemorative plaques document stations of Gödel's life in Vienna.
| Period | Address | Inscription and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 8th, 1924 – Apr 8th, 1927 |
Florianigasse 42, 1080 | "Der größte Logiker des 20. Jahrhunderts Kurt Gödel 1906–1978." "The greatest logician of the 20th century, Kurt Gödel (1906–1978) lived here as a student of mathematics and philosophy. (unveiled on April 27th, 2008) |
| Apr 8th, 1927 – Jul 20th, 1927 |
Frankgasse 10, 1090 | "Kurt Gödel 1906–1978 Der bedeutendste Logiker seiner Zeit wohnte hier als Student der Mathematik und Philosophie." v⊢A ⇔ ⊨A "Kurt Gödel (1906–1978), the most outstanding logician of his time, lived here as a student of mathematics and philosophy April 8th, 1927 to July 20th, 1927. (unveiled on April 28th, 2008) |
| Oct 6th, 1927 – Jul 1st, 1928 |
Währinger Straße 33, 1090 | "Kurt Gödel 1906–1978 Der bedeutendste Logiker seiner Zeit wohnte hier als Student der Mathematik und Philosophie vom 6.10.1927 bis zum 1.7.1928." T⊬⊥ ⇔ T⊬CONST "Kurt Gödel (1906–1978), the most outstanding logician of his time, lived here as a student of mathematics and philosophy October 27th, 1927 to July 1st, 1928." (unveiled on April 28th, 2008) |
| Jul 4th, 1928 – Nov 5th, 1929 |
Lange Gasse 72, 1080 | "Kurt Gödel 1906–1978 Der bedeutendste Logiker seiner Zeit wohnte hier als Student der Mathematik und Philosophie vom 4.7.1928 bis zum 5.11.1929." ZF ⊢ CONSZF⇔CONSZFC+CH "Kurt Gödel (1906–1978), the most outstanding logician of his time, lived here as a student of mathematics and philosophy July 4th, 1928 to November 5th, 1929." (unveiled on April 28th, 2008) |
| 1930 – 1937 | Josefstädter Straße 43-45, 1080 | "In diesem Hause wohnte von 1930–1937 der große Mathematiker und Logiker Kurt Gödel 1906–1978. Hier entdeckte er seinen berühmten Unvollständigkeitssatz, die bedeutendste mathematische Entdeckung des zwanzigsten Jahrhunderts 2006" "In this house lived from 1930–1937 the great mathematician and logician Kurt Gödel (1906–1978). Here, he discovered his famous incompleteness theorem, the most significant discovery of the 20th century." (unveiled on February 23rd, 2007) |
| Nov 11th, 1937 – Nov 9th, 1939 |
Himmelstraße 41, 1190 | "Dieses Haus ehrte durch seinen Aufenthalt 11.11.1937–9.11.1939 vor der Emigration einer der bedeutendsten Mathematiker und Logiker des 20. Jahrhunderts Prof. Dr. Kurt Gödel 1906-1978." 1930 Vollständigkeit des Logikkalküls, 1938 Relative Widerspruchsfreiheit des Auswahlaxioms und der Kontinuumshypothese zur Mengentheorie, 1945 Träger des Einsteinpreises, 1967 Ehrendoktor der Harvard University. "This house was graced by the presence from November 11th, 1937 to November 9th, 1939 before his emigration by one of the most outstanding mathematicians and logicians of the 20th century, Prof. Dr. Kurt Gödel (1906–1978). 1930 Completeness of first order logic, 1938 relative consistency of the axiom of choice and the continuum hypothesis with set theory, 1945 Einstein Award, 1967 honorary doctor at Harvard University. Note: According to other sources, Gödel received the Einstein Award in 1951. See here pages 37–43. |
| Nov 9th, 1939 – Jan 10th, 1940 |
Hegelgasse 5, 1010 | "Der große Mathematiker und Logiker Kurt Gödel 1906–1978 hatte hier seinen letzten Wohnsitz vom 9.11.1939 bis zum 10.1.1940 bevor er Wien für immer verließ". The great mathematician and logician Kurt Gödel (1906–1978) took his last residence November 9th, 1939 to January 10th, 1940 here before he left Vienna for good. (unveiled on April 28th, 2008). *Note: Gödel was registered at this address until February 14th, 1948. See here pages 135-147. |
| (1922 – 1936) | Boltzmanngasse 5, 1090 | In today's room 3E28 in this building, the Vienna Circle held their meetings; Gödel participated occasionally. After several modifications, nothing of the original furnishing of the room remains today. |
| Strudlhofgasse 4, 1090 | One of the lecture rooms (3E63) in this building is named after Gödel in his honor. It used to be called "Kleiner Hörsaal" (small lecture room) and is situated next to what was formerly called "Großer Hörsaal" (big lecture room) and is now Ludwig-Boltzmann-Hörsaal (Ludwig Boltzmann lecture room). |
We thank Dr. Ewald Judt for providing the photographs that are linked after the inscription texts.
Finally we add
- a general article about Kurt Gödel published by the German magazin Spektrum der Wissenschaft in January 1, 2018.
- information about Kurt Gödel given at Gödel Centenary 2006 conference and collect by Rosalie Iemhoff. Iemhoff