Viennese city palaces of the 18th and 19th centuries

Until today, the cityscape of Vienna is still marked by numerous palaces or so-called palais. The concentration of these representative buildings in the Inner City is a consequence of the historical development of the former royal seat, which attracted noble families from all parts of the Habsburg monarchy.

Particularly during the High Baroque period, the rich tried to outdo each other with the building of city residences to meet their demands for representation. Numerous such private palais were built around the imperial court. The closer they were situated, the more distinguished the family appeared to be.
In the second half of the 19th century, the building and architecture of palais in Vienna blossomed again with the demolition of the city walls and the construction of the Ringstraße. The haute bourgeoisie, which experienced an economic boom, now became the most important developer of the magnificent boulevard with the construction of a huge number of palais on the newly prospected properties.

Next to places for private use only, the so-called “Zinspalais” (residences that combined family estates with rooms to rent) were created as an instrument of representation for the up-and-coming upper class of bankers, traders and industrialists and created a new form of palace that had to meet completely different demands.

In the course of this work, the historical, stylistic and social development of the Viennese citypalais architecture in its second blooming period is analysed and explained along a number of exemplary buildings. An object catalogue is intended to provide information about the city palais of the 18th and 19th century still present today.