Schloss Wilhelminenberg - The Current Palace

The Current Palace

In 1903 Archduke Leopold Salvator had the dilapidated building demolished and in the years to 1908 a palace in the Second Empire style was built according to plans of the architects Eduard Frauenfeld and Ignaz Sowinski. The construction costs, including the park and the ancillary buildings, amounted to 1.4 million Kronen.

In 1918, when World War I drew to its close, the castle became a military hospital and was subsequently used as a rehabilitation center for veterans. In 1927 the City of Vienna purchased the entire estate from the Zurich banker Wilhelm Ammann and established an orphanage there. From 1934 to 1938 the castle served as the home base for the world-famous Vienna Boys' Choir.

Following Austria's Anschluss to Nazi Germany in March 1938, castle Wilhelminenberg was confiscated and transferred to the Österreichische Legion, a paramilitary unit of exiled Austrian National Socialists. During World War II it was once again made an army hospital. When the war had ended the City of Vienna used parts of the building to accommodate former concentration camp inmates, and again as an orphanage. A special education facility for girls with behavioral problems was operated from the 1950s until 1977. After that, representation rooms were opened on special occasions such as the annual Vienna Festival but in general little use was made of the castle until 1988, when it was reopened as a hotel.

Since May 2003 castle Wilhelminenberg ranks as a four-star hotel. It boasts 87 elegant rooms, a restaurant and a library, a terrace offering a beautiful panoramic view of Vienna, and a 120,000 m² park. Conferences with up to 2,000 participants can be accommodated.

Castle Wilhelminenberg has become a popular location for large wedding parties and other celebrations, and on such occasions splendid fireworks are frequently visible across the Western parts of Vienna. In winter, a section of the park can be used for skating.