Hermesvilla, Vienna, Austria - SpottingHistory.com

Hermesvilla is a palace and a former hunting area for the Habsburg nobility. Emperor Franz Joseph decided to build the Villa Hermés in the summer of 1881. Ostensibly, the Emperor hoped it would encourage his wife, who traveled widely, to remain in Vienna. It was designed by architect Karl Freiherr von Hasenauer, and construction lasted 1882 until 1886. The Empress herself commissioned the sculptor Ernst Herter from Berlin to create the sculpture, titled Hermés der Wächter and instructed that it was to be placed in the garden of the villa.

In 1886, the villa, and all surrounding buildings, including riding facilities and stables for the horses of Empress Elisabeth, were finished. From 1887 until her assassination in 1898, the imperial couple regularly spent time there every year in late spring, varying from a few days to a couple of weeks.

The street leading to the Villa was one of the first streets in Vienna with electric lighting, and the Villa was one of the first buildings in Vienna with a telephone connection.

During the post-WWII Russian occupation of Vienna from 1945-1955, the Villa was looted by the Soviets, became run down and remained in poor condition for a number of years. However, in 1963, the Disney movie 'Miracle of the White Stallions' brought back the interest in the building. This led to a private initiative that motivated the Austrian authorities to renovate the Villa, and the renovation process lasted from 1968 until 1974.

The stables, originally built for the horses of the Empress, are located in the left wing of the courtyard. The original stable equipment, including the wall partitions for the box stalls and tie stalls, still exist today to a large extent.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Massimo Pizzichella (2 years ago)
Nice house and garden

Eleni Eleftheriadou (2 years ago)
Nice place to be,its like a day trip in the forest

Denis Ute (3 years ago)
What a plesant surprise on our trip to Wiena! Food was great and served quickly. Apple strudel was fantastic, although the service could be more attentive.

lorena calderon (3 years ago)
A poor service, the “manager”, an old man with white hair who wears glasses, was very rude since the beginning, he can’t clearly work under stress on a Sunday afternoon when it’s obviously super crowded - you choose your job Mr! - The table wasn’t cleaned for at least 15 min after they took our order and the waitress, wasn’t capable of cleaning, because “it wasn’t her duty to clean it, she just takes orders” -the get another job!!! It’s a shame, that in such a nice place you won’t get the quality expected. Wouldn’t recommend to consume here at the restaurant, just come for a nice walk. Please avoid to spend your time and money in a place like this!!!!!

Matthias Huber (3 years ago)
The service has improved a LOT in the last year and is pretty decent, but the food is a bit of a hit-or-miss experience. We've had both amazing meals and questionable ones at this place. The surroundings obviously more than make up for all that, but I do find it less than ideal that they don't open up their indoor rooms in summer, as it would be a really welcome retreat from the sun on hot days, especially for the many parents with young babies who come here.

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