Palmenhaus and butterfly house

A Jugendstil masterpiece

The Burggarten already comes with a greenhouse when it is laid under Emperor Francis I. The architect commissioned to plan the private imperial garden, Ludwig Gabriel von Remy, creates a Classicist greenhouse based on the orangery at Schönbrunn Palace.

In 1901 the orangery is torn down and replaced by the Vienna Jugendstil structure by Friedrich Ohmann built between 1902 and 1906 and known primarily as the “Neue Wintergarten” or “New Conservatory”.

Known officially as the “Palmenhaus” today, the building originally has a high middle section, 2 side wings and 2 corner towers. The development on the right-hand side including the access gate onto Burggarten occurs several years later. The combination of functional glass and iron with Classicist and Secessionist style elements with the use of diverse types of stone is one of the finest examples of Viennese architecture from this period.

Since its general refurbishment in 1998, the Palmenhaus is home not only to a café but to a butterfly house too. The butterfly house can be found in the left wing of the Palmenhaus and is home to over 100 different species of exotic butterfly, all flying freely.