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Coverabbildung von "Empress Elisabeths Hermesvilla"

Michaela Lindinger Wien Museum (Edited by) - Elisabeth of Austria's Hermesvilla

Refuge of a restless spirit

The Empress' mystical hideaway – a house as a reflection of her personality

Idyllically nestled into the former imperial hunting grounds, now the Lainzer Tiergarten, lies the ‘Palace of Dreams’, as Empress Elisabeth once called her villa. Emperor Franz Joseph had it built as a present to her, in the hope that it would encourage his wife to travel less and spend more time in Vienna. The romantic villa was realised during a comparatively short construction period by the architect Karl von Hasenauer, famous for his numerous buildings along the Ringstrasse. In style, the building was inspired by the country houses of Austria's upper classes. A statue of Hermes, Greek god of travellers and the deceased, holds a prominent position in the garden and gave the villa its name. What relationship did the restless Empress have to her hideaway in the imperial hunting grounds? Which style elements, a subject close to Elisabeth's heart, did she immortalise in the Hermesvilla? In her salient portrayal, Michaela Lindinger, curator at Wien Museum and Elisabeth researcher, offers a key to understanding this important Viennese ‘cult site’.

Book details

120 pages
format:158 x 210
ISBN: 9783701735167
Release date: 30.03.2020

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Authors
Michaela Lindinger

studied journalism and communication science, political sciences, Egyptology and primeval and ancient history at the University of Vienna. She is a curator at Wien Museum and is responsible for numerous exhibitions and publications on biographical and societal subjects. Most recently published: “Hedy Lamarr. Filmgöttin, Antifaschistin, Erfinderin” (2019). 

Wien Museum (Edited by)

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Coverabbildung von 'Kaiserin Elisabeths Hermesvilla'

Michaela Lindinger Wien Museum (Edited by) - Empress Elisabeth's Hermesvilla

Refuge of a restless soul

Idyllically nestled into the former imperial hunting grounds, now the Lainzer Tiergarten, lies the ‘Palace of Dreams’, as Empress Elisabeth once called her villa. Emperor Franz Joseph had it built as a present to her, in the hope that it would encourage his wife to travel less and spend more time in Vienna. The romantic villa was realised during a comparatively short construction period by the architect Karl von Hasenauer, famous for his numerous buildings along the Ringstrasse. In style, the building was inspired by the country houses of Austria's upper classes. A statue of Hermes, Greek god of travellers and the deceased, holds a prominent position in the garden and gave the villa its name. What relationship did the restless Empress have to her hideaway in the imperial hunting grounds? Which style elements, a subject close to Elisabeth's heart, did she immortalise in the Hermesvilla? In her salient portrayal, Michaela Lindinger, curator at Wien Museum and Elisabeth researcher, offers a key to understanding this important Viennese ‘cult site’.