The Schönbrunn Palm House opened in 1882, is the most prominent of the four plant houses at the Schoenbrunn Palace and Park, together with the Kew Gardens and Palm House of Frankfurt, one of the world's three largest of its kind. It is home to about 4,500 plant species. It is managed by the Federal Gardens, a department of the present life ministry since 1918.

prehistory

Emperor Franz I, husband and co-regent Maria
Theresa had, in 1753 purchased by the municipality Hietzing an area on the west side of the castle park, on which he had laid a Dutch garden. Adrian van Hoven plug and his assistant Richard van der Schot erected there a large greenhouse in the north and four glass houses in the west of the area, which was divided into three areas:

The "flower garden" with exotic plants in the north, south thereafter the vegetable garden (in the espalier fruit was also considered), and in the far south a fruit tree garden.

The basis of the exotic collection, including the original "Maria Theresa palm", [1] a fan palm, was purchased in 1754 in Holland. Because of the passion for collecting the Habsburgs (especially the expeditions Jacquin to the West Indies and of Franz Boos and Georg Scholl to the Cape of Good Hope brought significant growth) was already II under Joseph. The extension of the greenhouse to two wings and the establishment of three additional glass houses required, which later followed by two more objects. 1828 Old Palm House was built in the vicinity. Although not stay nursing success, although the only east-side glass front of this brick building of proper culture light-requiring plants was detrimental, but it was clear at the latest with the Vienna World Exhibition that only a fully glazed iron construction could create optimal conditions. [2] The outlying Old Palm House exception, all glass houses southwest of the castle were demolished in the course of the construction.
monarchy

After only two years of construction opened Emperor Franz Joseph I on 19 June 1882, the court locksmith and iron built by engineer Ignaz Gridl to plans by the court architect and bridge expert Franz-Xaver Schmid blessing of palm house. Responsible for the structural analysis was Sigmund Wagner.
sideview

The building was taken up differently by the press. In addition to effusive-anthemic messages about

         How I love you roofs, o glass shell
         her berget the earth Runds diversity and abundance ...

there was also criticism "Glass Palace" on the 100,000 guilders expensive of the Habsburgs. The Wiener Illustrated Garden Journal noted:

         The whole structure, composed of excellent home-iron and glass seems to have failed to massively only in some parts of something. He recalls with its three domes on a little too nice guessed concourse. [3]

The k.u.k. Hofgarten Inspector Adolf cousin was responsible for the horticultural design, which he completed in March 1883. The biggest problem was the relocation of the highest Schönbrunn Palm, Livistona chinensis one, from the old to the new Palm House. This later well known for sentimental Maria Theresa palm [4] was the center of the new house until it was in 1909 become too large and had to be replaced. Previously, she had been asked some time diagonally by steel cables to give her a reprieve. Their three successors were called Maria Theresa palm. [5]

During World War II, the Palm House was usually opened after it had been used as a 1914-1915 greenhouse for vegetables and therefore could not be visited. Revenues were partially transferred to the "Support Fund for needy gardeners and their widows". Due to lack of male workers female assistants were from 1915 for the gardeners work included, and also a secretary for the law firm service.

1. Republic

With the end of the Austro-Hungarian Empire were from the Habsburg Hofgärten the Federal Gardens. During the winter of 1923 school classes was the visit of the Palm House banned in order "to prevent by opening the doors damage to the plants," or, in other words, to save on heating costs. For the same reason the way was the entrance to the public beginning on the north side, so the cold house.
1939-1945

In a bomb attack on 21 February 1945 fell more than 200 bombs on the area of Schonbrunn Palace. The glazing of the Palm House was almost completely broken. A few valuable plants were saved because they could be accommodated in the nearby Sundial House, other (some large palms and tree ferns) survived the temperatures at times up to -7 ° C. Many, including the central palm, perished.
2. Republik

1948 began the reconstruction of the Palm House. To insert the 45,000 double-glass panes were five carloads (about 55 tons) consumed putty. Because of the generally poor supply situation already could not be treated known corrosion damage.

In October 1952, started with the gardening design, the opening ceremony took place on 14 January 1953, namely (two days) as the exclusive ballroom with extra built-on dance floor. Only then can the masses of earth were piled up for the bulk of the planting. At that time also the later Sisi Palm was found referred to in the center of the house.

After the collapse of the Empire Bridge on August 1, 1976, all bridges and steel structures were checked and found among others at the Palm House in Vienna serious shortcomings. In November this year, the building was closed to the public, and the gardeners were only allowed to wear protective helmets.

After nearly ten years of professional and political debate on the optimal remedial measures of the listed building work started on 12 May 1986. One reason for the complicated preparation was that could be worked only during the warm season, because the building was indispensable as a winter home for many of the Schönbrunn plants.

The work in which the returning to the structural engineer from 1880 company Waagner Biro played a leading role, therefore had to be carried out in sections and in stages. They began on the northern wing. The palm, which was placed under the northern dome could be moved with the support of the Armed Forces from the cold house in the central hall, where even more palm trees were so entrenched that they had to stay on site during the entire construction. The eight-ton Canary date palm was moved for the time of the renovations to the sundial house.
architecture

The Palm House was built from approximately 600 tons of wrought iron and 120 tons of cast iron has a length of 111 meters, a width of 29 meters is 25 meters high. It is covered with 45,000 panes of glass.

At the rectangular central building is located just north and south of each a square cultivation, which are managed as "cold house" and "tropical house". Originally, these three departments were separated by movable glass walls, but later by permanently fitted.

The curved mainly external design wrought iron rests on cast iron columns inside the building.

technology

Heating Technically, the Schönbrunn Palm House was first connected to the heating of the Tiergarten Schönbrunn, but which could also lead to problems, because higher temperatures, as they were often required for the enclosure, the Palm House overheated to the detriment of the plants. A separate boiler house, the exhaust but the prevailing westerly wind was in Vienna at exactly the Palm House, was built in 1904 simultaneously with the Sundial home. To clean the very dirty glass and also for shading (ie for working at height) of the Austrian navy cadets were detailed.

In the wake of major restoration from 1986 to 1990 the gardener wishes were taken into account as far as possible.

     Shaded is now at your fingertips (previously manually by application of mats).
     Under the central part a basement area for the building services was created, where there is also a Gießwasseraufbereitungsanlage is. In two cisterns (per 120,000 liters) of rain water is collected from the glass roof and used for casting. Otherwise, water is used.
     To control the humidity a Nebelsprühanlage was built.
     Particularly sensitive plants such as the coconut tree received an additional vegetation heating (similar to a floor heating), so that their free-planted in the ground roots are spared from winter cold floors.

Sensational plants

     The oldest of years greenhouse in the house is an olive tree with an estimated age of 350 years, which was presented by Spain at the Vienna International Garden Show in 1974 and then made the federal gardens to the present.
     A rarity that is very rare in cultivation outside of Australia, which is only in 1994 discovered "living fossil" Wollemia nobilis. The Austrian plant that had received the Botanical Garden of the University of Vienna in 2004 to its 250-year anniversary, was the first ever overseas voter. Since 2005 she is the Palm House as a permanent loan.
     Furthermore, the hotel has a coco de mer, which was drawn from one of those nuts, which made the Republic of Seychelles to reopen in 1990 as a gift. The germination of the seed took about nine months until the first flower of the palm is to be expected 50 to 100 years.
     In August 2001, flourished in the Palm House for the first time after more than 40 years back, a lily of the "Austrian Humboldt" Squidward discovered species Haenke Victoria regia. She had been raised from seed, which had provided the Botanical Garden in Munich. More than 1,600 visitors came at night to watch the opening of the flower, which takes place only for two nights. However, the known discoloration from purple during wilting (ie in the second night) did not show up. [6] So far, it has never succeeded in the Palm House to bring a perennial se V. regia over the winter, because their light need not reasonable effort can be satisfied. Thus, the type must be subcultured every year and is again exposed only in early summer in the lily pond.

     In the center of the house, the largest palm tree is traditionally prepared - or, more accurately for the time being, the largest palm was usually placed.
     Their growth is in fact a problem when it threatens to reach the glass roof. In 1909, the first time the "Maria Theresa palm" [7] on this measure. It was still a long time drawn diagonally by steel cables, but had to be cut down eventually. Reflections to increase the already landmarked building with personal approval of the Emperor, were out of the question for reasons of cost. By February 18, 2008 one of its successors is the same fate allotted, namely the possibly 170 years old Sisi Palm. [8] Although this was originally planted in a wooden barrel, but they had it broken and rooted so deeply in the soil, that they could be transported even during the general restoration no longer. 2007 reached its top the lantern of the Glass House. [9]
     To follow another Livistonia chinensis was determined. The approximately 50-year-old potted plant from the existence of the Federal Gardens was named in honor swimmer Mirna Jukic of "Mirna palm" and planted permanently on 22 April 2008.
     Particularly noteworthy are the azalea collection with a number of more than a hundred years old specimens and the collection of tree ferns.

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