Wilhelminenberg Castle () is a former palace dating from the early 20th century, which is now a four-star hotel, restaurant and conference facility. It is situated on the eastern slopes of the

Gallitzinberg The Gallitzinberg (449 m) is a forested hill in the West of Austria's capital, Vienna. While it is relatively inconspicuous in the broader context of the Northeastern end of the Wienerwald mountain range, it is nevertheless remarkable because of i ...

, in the Wienerwald western parts of the Austrian capital,

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

History

In 1780, Prince Dmitri Mikhailovich Galitzin, the Russian ambassador in Vienna, acquired forested property from

Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army (in countries without the rank of Generalissimo), and as such, few persons a ...

Count

Franz Moritz von Lacy Franz Moritz Graf von Lacy (; ; , tr. ; 21 October 1725 – 24 November 1801) was an Austrian military leader of Baltic German and Irish origins. He was the son of Count Peter von Lacy, and was a famous Austrian field marshal. Lacy serve ...

, situated uphill of what was then the village of

Ottakring Ottakring () is the 16th Districts of Vienna, District in the city of Vienna, Austria (). It is located west of the central districts, north of Penzing (Vienna), Penzing and south of Hernals. Ottakring has some heavily populated urban areas with m ...

. He ordered a small ''

Jagdschloss A ''Jagdschloss'' is a hunting lodge in German-speaking countries. It is a ''schloss'' set in a wildlife park or a hunting area (such as a forest, field or by a lake) that served primarily as accommodation for a ruler or aristocrat and his ent ...

'' to be erected, which soon became famous for its social events. By 1824, when the building was already in disrepair, ownership of the estate had passed on to Prince Julius de Montléart (1787–1865) and his wife Princess Maria Christina of Saxony. In 1838, the castle was expanded by adding two side wings. When Julius' son, Prince Moritz de Montléart, acquired the property after considerable legal battles, he gave it to his wife Wilhelmine (''née'' von Arnold) and named the castle "Wilhelminenberg". Upon their deaths in 1887 and 1895, respectively, both were interred in a small mausoleum which was built in the "neo-gothic" style close to the castle. Because of her generosity towards the poor, Wilhelmine de Montléart became known as the "Angel of Ottakring." In 1895, their nephew

Archduke Rainer Ferdinand of Austria Archduke Rainer Ferdinand Maria Johann Evangelist Franz Ignaz of Austria (11 January 1827 – 27 January 1913) was an Austrian prince and politician who served as Minister-President of Austria from 1861 to 1865. Later in his life, he took up the ...

, son of the half-sister of Moritz de Montleart, inherited the estate. 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 World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

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 An orphanage is a residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared by their biological families. The parents may be deceased, absent, or abusi ...

there. From 1934 to 1938, the castle served as the home base for the world-famous

Vienna Boys' Choir The Vienna Boys' Choir () is a choir of boy sopranos and altos based in Vienna, Austria. It is one of the best known boys' choirs in the world. The boys are selected mainly from Austria, but also from many other countries. The choir is a privat ...

. Following Austria's ''

Anschluss The (, or , ), also known as the (, ), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into Nazi Germany on 12 March 1938. The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a "German Question, Greater Germany") arose after t ...

'' to

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

in March 1938, Wilhelminenberg was confiscated and transferred to the ''Österreichische Legion'', a paramilitary unit of exiled Austrian National Socialists. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, 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 Special education (also known as special-needs education, aided education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, and SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates their individual di ...

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 The Vienna Festival (Wiener Festwochen) is a culture festival that takes place in Vienna for five or six weeks in May and June every year. The Vienna Festival was established in 1951, when Vienna was still occupied by the Participants in World W ...

, but in general, little use was made of the castle until 1988, when it was reopened as a hotel. Since May 2003, Wilhelminenberg ranks as a four-star hotel. It boasts 87 elegant rooms, a restaurant and library, a terrace offering a panoramic view of Vienna, and a 120,000 m² park. Conferences with up to 2,000 participants can be accommodated. Wilhelminenberg has become a popular location for large wedding parties and other celebrations. On such occasions, splendid

fireworks Fireworks are Explosive, low explosive Pyrotechnics, pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large numbe ...

are frequently visible across the western parts of Vienna. In winter, a section of the park can be used for skating. In 2011, several former inmates of the castle reported massive and systematic cases of child abuse during the time the castle was used as an orphanage for girls. The allegations include widespread beatings, systematic rape, and even murder. The Vienna city authorities conducted an investigation that lasted six years, and was essentially concluded in 2016, with cumulated settlement payments to victims amounting to

€ The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists of a stylized letter E (or epsilon), crossed by t ...

52.5 million.

Sources

Klusacek C, Stimmer K: Ottakring. Vom Brunnenmarkt zum Liebhartstal. pp. 121–124. Kurt Mohl Verlag, Vienna 1983.

External links

Official website of Austria Trend Hotel Schloss WilhelminenbergArchived

City of Vienna web page on Schloß Wilhelminenberg (German)

{{coord, 48, 13, 10, N, 16, 17, 7, E, type:landmark_region:AT-9_source:dewiki, display=title Buildings and structures in Ottakring Wilhelminenberg Hotels in Vienna Houses completed in 1908 Hotels established in 2003 1908 establishments in Austria 20th-century architecture in Austria