The Palm House in Schönbrunn Palace Park

Despite the grey sky and cool temperatures, we paid a visit to Schönbrunn Palace Park during a short stay in Vienna. In the Courtyard of Honour at Schönbrunn Palace, an Easter market was attracting many visitors. On this Easter Sunday, there were also plenty of people out and about in the park itself, heading up to the Gloriette, the Orangery or the zoo. I only knew the palace park from a previous trip, when I experienced the park almost empty during an early morning run. The Palm House is located in the northern part. It is an impressive ensemble of cast iron and steel, glass, climate zones and exotic plants inside. The building’s industrial feel contrasts with the organic and floral shapes of the plants. This was a contrast that was also taking place in art at the time of construction in 1898, moving from classicist historicism to Art Nouveau.

In the 19th century, technical progress enabled a completely new type of architecture through the development from cast iron to wrought iron. On the one hand, load-bearing steel parts allowed for larger spans and more graceful, finer structures. This was used in particular for bridges, factories or station halls. Between the supports and connecting elements that dissipate the forces, glass windows now ensure bright and light-flooded interiors. The load-bearing construction significantly determined the architecture. This construction method reached a peak with the “Crystal Palace” at the 1851 World Exhibition in London. The Palm House in Schönbrunn Palace Park was built in 1898; it has a length of 111 metres and a width of 29 metres, and the domes are up to 25 metres high. This makes it one of the largest of its kind.