The Hermes Villa

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The Hermes Villa

Hermes Villa This country house at the heart of Lainz Game Preserve on the outskirts of Vienna was built by Franz Joseph in 1881 for © Office de Tourisme de Vienne

In the heart of the Lainz animal park, on the periphery of Vienna, the country house built by Franz Joseph in 1881 for his wife Elisabeth wavers between being a grand villa or small castle. Its name "Hermes" (the god of trade) would have been chosen by the Empress Elizabeth in homage to her trips to Greece. On the first floor, you can visit the private apartments showing, amongst other things, the dinner service brought from Corfu and exotic furniture. A fresco illustrating the Shakespeare play "A Midsummer Night's Dream", covers the walls of the imperial chamber. The apartments belonging to Giselle (the Empress's daughter) on the ground floor have been transformed into a restaurant. After the Second World War, the buildings were used to care for the invalids, before the Russian occupation. Saved in extremis from destruction in the 70s by the Vienna city council, today the villa is the property of the city. The WienMuseum Karlsplatz organises temporary paintings exhibitions there.