Wüstenhaus Schönbrunn

The Wüstenhaus Schönbrunn (Schönbrunn Desert House) is a desert botanical exhibit in Vienna, Austria. It is located in the Sonnenuhrhaus ("Sundial House"), which was built in 1904 as the newest of the four botanical houses in Schönbrunn Palace Park. The desert exhibit opened in 2004 as a counterpart to the "Rainforest House" that opened in 2002 in the nearby Zoo Vienna.

History

The Sundial House stands opposite the Schönbrunn Palm House (Palmenhaus; another botanical exhibit), directly between the Hietzing Gate and the Zoo. The unprepossessing building owes its name to the sundial (Sonnenuhr) located in the gardens to the south.

It was built with the encouragement of Charles von Hügel – diplomat, explorer and founder of the Vienna Horticultural Society – to replace an earlier greenhouse which could no longer meet its plants' needs. At first it housed the plants of the extensive "New Holland Collection" which Hügel had assembled, and which had been acquired by the Imperial Court in 1848, and later expanded with plants from southern Africa and the Americas that required similar conditions. The architect of the 1904 building was Alphons Custodis.

A bomb attack in February 1945, which almost totally destroyed the windows of the nearby Palm House, left the bulk of the Sundial House's glazing intact, probably because the Palm House stood between it and the bombed area, and because the Sundial House had windows which were roughly parallel to the spreading blast waves (unlike the Palm House). A number of plants from the Palm House were therefore brought here for safekeeping, where space allowed. The Sundial House again served as a refuge between 1986 and 1990, while the Palm House was renovated.

In April 1990 the first butterfly zoo in Austria was established in the Sundial House, but it was transferred to the greenhouse in the Burggarten in 1998.

Rust on the steel framework caused the building to be closed in 1998 and renovated from 2000 to 2003. The Desert House was finally established here by a joint project between the Zoo and the Austrian Federal Gardens (Bundesgärten), which have managed the building since 1918 as successor to the Imperial and Royal Court Gardens. The exhibition includes succulent plants from the Federal Gardens, and small animals under the care of the Zoo, such as desert jerboas, reptiles and birds.

Notable features

  • Two Welwitschias (one male and one female), the rare and endangered desert plant discovered in 1859 by the Austrian Friedrich Welwitsch. They can live up to 2,000 years; the two individuals in the Desert House, however, stem from the Frankfurt University Botanic Gardens and are no more than 40 years old.
  • The distinctive, rose-like cactus Pereskia.

Architecture

300 ft. long, 45 ft. wide and 50 ft. high, the building is fully glazed on the roof and the south face, while the north face is walled up. With a total floor space of 14,000 sq. ft., the interior is divided lengthwise into three sections; there are two annexes to the central section, namely a plant-rich east wing which serves as the entrance hall, and a west wing used as a coldhouse.

Notes

Шаблон:Reflist Шаблон:Translation/Ref

Шаблон:Commons

External links

Further reading

  • ARGE Sonnenuhrhaus Wien: Wüstenhaus Schönbrunn. Schönbrunner Tiergarten, Vienna (2003). ISBN 3-902243-11-2. Шаблон:De icon
  • Gerhard Deimel, Kurt Vogl, Ingrid Gregor: Palast der Blüten – Das Schönbrunner Palmenhaus. Holzhausen, Vienna (2002). ISBN 3-85493-052-6. Шаблон:De icon
  • Marie H. Scheib, Dagmar Schratter, Andreas Leiss, Barbara Zeidler: Pflanzenführer Wüstenhaus Schönbrunn. Schönbrunner Tiergarten, Vienna (2004). ISBN 3-902243-12-0.
Listed in the following categories:
Post a comment
Tips & Hints
Arrange By:
Julia Kryvomaz
3 January 2018
Lobed it! Huge cactus are the best
Fredrik Fischer
27 January 2018
Mole rats.
Jörg S.
11 June 2017
Obwohl sehr klein sein Geld wert- Tiere und Pflanzen sehr nah oder sogar zum Anfassen und nicht so überlaufen ..
Tomii H.
1 March 2015
Schön gemacht!
Philipp K.
16 July 2011
Freier Eintritt mit der NÖ-Card.
Vova Furman
23 June 2022
Обходить стороной это место. Смотреть нечего, а берут 104 евро.
Load more comments
foursquare.com
6.4/10
1,563 people have been here
Map
Maxingstraße 5, 1130 Vienna, Austria Get directions
Mon-Sun 9:00 AM–6:00 PM

Wüstenhaus on Foursquare

Wüstenhaus Schönbrunn on Facebook

Other languages

Hotels nearby

See all hotels See all
DO&CO Hotel Vienna

starting $319

Hotel Am Stephansplatz

starting $230

Hotel Royal

starting $243

Hotel Kaiserin Elisabeth

starting $203

City Pension Stephansplatz

starting $124

Graben Hotel

starting $229

Recommended sights nearby

See all See all
Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Palmenhaus Schönbrunn

The Palmenhaus Schönbrunn is a large greenhouse in Vienna, Austria,

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Tiergarten Schönbrunn

Tiergarten Schönbrunn (Schönbrunn Zoo) is a zoo located on the g

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Wagenburg (museum)

The Wagenburg is a museum of carriages and vehicles used by the

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Schönbrunn Palace

Schönbrunn Palace (Deutsch. Schloss Schönbrunn Шаблон:IPA) in Vienna

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Gloriette

A gloriette (from the 12th century French gloire meaning 'little

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Orangerie (Wien-Schönbrunn)

Die Orangerie im Schlosspark Schönbrunn ist das älteste der vier P

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Technisches Museum Wien

The Technisches Museum Wien (German for Vienna Technical Museum) lies

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Raimund Theater

The Raimund Theater is a theatre in the Mariahilf district of Vienna,

Similar tourist attractions

See all See all
Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Chicago Botanic Garden

The Chicago Botanic Garden is a 385-acre (156 ha) living plant

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Ogród Botaniczny BUW

Ogród Botaniczny BUW is a tourist attraction, one of the Botanical

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens

Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens is a botanical garden set in

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Lichtentaler Allee

The Lichtentaler Allee is a historic park and arboretum set out as a

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
San Francisco Botanical Garden

The San Francisco Botanical Garden (formerly Strybing Arboretum) is a

See all similar places