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Hermesvilla is a palace in the
Lainzer Tiergarten The Lainzer Tiergarten is a 24.50 km² (6,054- acre) wildlife preserve in the southwest corner of Vienna, Austria, 80% of it being covered in woodland. It dates back to 1561, when Ferdinand I created it as a fenced-in hunting ground for h ...
in
Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...
, a former hunting area for the
Habsburg The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...
nobility.
Emperor Franz Joseph I Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I (german: Franz Joseph Karl, hu, Ferenc József Károly, 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 2 December 1848 until h ...
gave it to his wife Empress Elisabeth (nicknamed "Sisi"), and he called it the "castle of dreams.“ The name of the villa refers to a statue of
Hermes Hermes (; grc-gre, Ἑρμῆς) is an Olympian deity in ancient Greek religion and mythology. Hermes is considered the herald of the gods. He is also considered the protector of human heralds, travellers, thieves, merchants, and orat ...
made of white marble that is located in the garden of the villa. Today, the Hermesvilla is noted for its art and natural setting, and is used by the Vienna Museum for special exhibitions on cultural history."Wien Museum Overview" English language brochure. Accessed April 2, 2010


History

Emperor Franz Joseph decided to build the Villa Hermés, originally called the "Villa Waldruh," 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."Hermesvilla" ''Wien Museum''.
Web site, accessed 2 April 2010]
In 1885, the decision was made to rename the building "Villa Hermés". The Empress herself commissioned the sculptor
Ernst Herter Ernst Gustav Herter (14 May 1846, Berlin – 19 December 1917, Berlin) was a German sculptor. He specialized in creating statues of mythological figures. Life and work Herter studied at the Academy of Arts in Berlin and later also as appren ...
from Berlin to create the sculpture, titled ''Hermés der Wächter'' ("Hermés the Guardian") and instructed that it was to be placed in the garden of the villa. Documents at the ''Stadterweiterungsfond'' describe numerous stone deliveries of Sterzinger
Marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. Marble is typically not foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the term ''marble'' refers to metamorphose ...
, Laaser Marble and Wöllersdorfer Stone for staircases in the main building. Hard Mannersdorfer Stone, Almaser Stone, Lindabrunner Stone, St. Margarethener Stone, as well as "Kaiserstein" from "Kaisersteinbruch" were used in surrounding buildings. In 1886, the villa, and all surrounding buildings, including riding facilities and
stable A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals and livestock. There are many different types of stables in use today; the ...
s for the horses of Empress Elisabeth, were finished. From 1887 until her
assassination Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have ...
in 1898, the imperial couple regularly spent time there every year in late spring, varying from a few days to a couple of weeks. In developing the grounds, Emperor Franz Joseph ordered that care be taken to flatten all the meadows and remove all molehills, expressing concern that otherwise the Empress "could not
hack Hack may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Games * ''Hack'' (Unix video game), a 1984 roguelike video game * ''.hack'' (video game series), a series of video games by the multimedia franchise ''.hack'' Music * ''Hack'' (album), a 199 ...
her horses" there. At a small pond nearby, a
gazebo A gazebo is a pavilion structure, sometimes octagonal or turret-shaped, often built in a park, garden or spacious public area. Some are used on occasions as bandstands. Etymology The etymology given by Oxford Dictionaries is "Mid 18th c ...
was built for the Empress, though it is no longer there today. 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 World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
Russian occupation of Vienna from 1945 to 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 The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
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 first exhibition opened in 1971 as Austria's contribution to the "World Hunt Exhibition" in
Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population o ...
. Since then the Hermesvilla has become a "jewel" in the heart of the 2500 hectare nature reserve and is a popular destination, particularly for people interested in Habsburg culture, history, and the " Sisi Myth" of the beautiful and unhappy Empress who had met a tragic fate"The Sisi Myth" ''Tour of the Hofburg'' Web site. Accessed 25 March 2010
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Interior

Mural A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' is a Spanis ...
s by
Hans Makart Hans Makart (28 May 1840 – 3 October 1884) was a 19th-century Austrian academic history painter, designer, and decorator. Makart was a prolific painter whose ideas significantly influenced the development of visual art in Austria-Hungary, Ger ...
,
Gustav Klimt Gustav Klimt (July 14, 1862 – February 6, 1918) was an Austrian symbolist painter and one of the most prominent members of the Vienna Secession movement. Klimt is noted for his paintings, murals, sketches, and other objets d'art. Klimt's pr ...
and Victor Tilgner are an integral part of the interior design. On the first floor are the private rooms of the Empress. The body conscious, possibly anorexic "Empress Sisi" worked out every day in the "Turnzimmer" (
gym A gymnasium, also known as a gym, is an indoor location for athletics. The word is derived from the ancient Greek term " gymnasium". They are commonly found in athletic and fitness centres, and as activity and learning spaces in educational i ...
nasium). The room was originally equipped with a
balance beam The balance beam is a rectangular artistic gymnastics apparatus and an event performed using the apparatus. Both the apparatus and the event are sometimes simply referred to as "beam". The English abbreviation for the event in gymnastics scoring i ...
,
Chin-up bar A pull-up is an upper-body strength exercise. The pull-up is a closed-chain movement where the body is suspended by the hands, gripping a bar or other implement at a distance typically wider than shoulder-width, and pulled up. As this happens, t ...
for pull-ups and rings. It also contains
mural A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' is a Spanis ...
s in the
Pompeian style The Pompeian Styles are four periods which are distinguished in ancient Roman mural painting. They were originally delineated and described by the German archaeologist August Mau (1840–1909) from the excavation of wall paintings at Pompeii, wh ...
by August Eisenmenger,
Hugo Charlemont Hugo Charlemont (18 March 1850 – 18 April 1939) was an Austrian painter. Born in Jemnice, Moriva he was the son of Matthais Adolf Charlemont. He studied art at the Academy of Fine Arts. He died in Vienna. Life Charlemont was born in Jemnice, Mo ...
and Adolf Falkensteiner, showing various sports. Behind the Empress'
dressing room A changing-room, locker-room, (usually in a sports, theater, or staff context) or changeroom (regional use) is a room or area designated for changing one's clothes. Changing-rooms are provided in a semi-public situation to enable people to ch ...
is the bedroom of the Empress. In contrast to other rooms, here numerous historic objects have been preserved, including a gigantic
baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including ...
"state bed", dating to the time of
Maria Theresa Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina (german: Maria Theresia; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was ruler of the Habsburg dominions from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position '' suo jure'' (in her own right) ...
that once stood in the imperial room of the postal station in
Strengberg Strengberg is a town in the district of Amstetten in Lower Austria in Austria. Geography Strengberg lies in the Mostviertel in Lower Austria between Linz Linz ( , ; cs, Linec) is the capital of Upper Austria and third-largest city in Aust ...
near Amstetten in
Lower Austria Lower Austria (german: Niederösterreich; Austro-Bavarian: ''Niedaöstareich'', ''Niedaestareich'') is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the northeastern corner of the country. Since 1986, the capital of Lower Austria has been Sankt P ...
. The murals in the bedroom are based on motifs from Shakespeare's "
A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict a ...
" and were done by Hans Makart. From the bedroom, a spiral staircase leads to the ground floor and in the garden. In the
salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon ( ...
hangs the restored painting "The Spring“ by Franz Matsch,
Gustav Klimt Gustav Klimt (July 14, 1862 – February 6, 1918) was an Austrian symbolist painter and one of the most prominent members of the Vienna Secession movement. Klimt is noted for his paintings, murals, sketches, and other objets d'art. Klimt's pr ...
and Georg Klimt. In front of the palace stands the sculpture "Elisabeth" by Ulrike Truger. In this statue, commissioned in 1998, installed in the Lainzer Tiergarten in 2001, and moved to the Hermesvilla in 2006, the artist used the a central theme of "duty - escape - freedom“ (''zwang – flucht – freiheit''), reflecting the Empress' inner feelings. It is made of Carrara marble, stands about high, and weighs 6.5 tonnes. Truger wanted the work to counter a romanticized "Sisi" stereotype. The statue presents the Empress differently from each side, standing for different aspects within the personality of the Empress, who chafed under the restrictions of court life: One side, "duty/obligation" (''zwang'') expresses the duty and obligations of her expected role. The next, "escape" (''flucht '') expresses her desire to flee; and finally the theme "freedom" (''freiheit'') is expressed with an image that includes wings. Thus, Truger's interpretation of the Empress explores the interplay between structure and freedom.


Stables

The
stable A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals and livestock. There are many different types of stables in use today; the ...
s, originally built for the
horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million yea ...
s 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 stall Tie stalls, also known as stanchion or stall barn, are a type of stall where animals are tethered at the neck to their stall. It is mostly used in the dairy industry, although horses might also be stalled in tie stalls (often referred to as stands ...
s, still exist today to a large extent. Between the horse stalls is a ''Rondeau,'' a perfectly circular round pen of diameter in which the horses of the Empress were longed during bad weather. From the 1950s until 2005 these stables were used as a summer stable for the
Lipizzan The Lipizzan or Lipizzaner ( hr, Lipicanac, cz, Lipicán, hu, Lipicai, it, Lipizzano, sr, Lipicaner, sl, Lipicanec), is a European horse breed, breed of riding horse developed in the Habsburg Empire in the sixteenth century. It is of Baroqu ...
stallions of the
Spanish Riding School The Spanish Riding School (german: Spanische Hofreitschule) is an Austrian institution dedicated to the preservation of classical dressage and the training of Lipizzaner horses, based in Vienna, Austria, whose performances in the Hofburg are a ...
. For seven weeks the
stallion A stallion is a male horse that has not been gelded ( castrated). Stallions follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cresty" nec ...
s were given holidays at this location, where their riders gave them a change in routine from their usual work, taking them out hacking in the nearby forests of the " Tiergarten".


Gallery

File:Hermes Villa Hof.JPG, Hermesvilla Hof File:Hermesvilla Wandelgänge.jpg, Hermesvilla File:Salve Hermesvilla Lainz.jpg, Hermesvilla File:Genovevapavillion mit Tilgnerbrunnen.JPG, Tilgnerbrunnen fountain File:Hermes 11.jpg, Hermesvilla statue File:Hermesvilla hinterer Brunnen.jpg, Hintererbrunnen fountain File:Brunnen Hermesvilla (1).JPG, Hermesbrunnen fountain


References


External links

* Thomas Trenkler. (2005) ''Sisi in Vienna. On the traces of the Empress Elisabeth.'' Vienna: Ueberreuter publishing. . {{Authority control Palaces in Vienna Spanish Riding School Museums in Vienna Historic house museums in Austria Vienna Museum Buildings and structures in Hietzing