The former Cobenzl Palace was built by Johann Philipp Count Cobenzl in 1776 and stood about 500 metres above the splendour we know today. It was already highly popular at that time. However, after the Second World War, the building was crumbling and finally had to be demolished in 1966, and so only old engravings and dusty plans – and of course the name – testify to this marvellous palace and park grounds.
A look back.
A look back.
Before
1900
Around
1900
After the count’s death, the area changed hands several times before being sold to the city of Vienna in 1907 and has remained in their ownership ever since. Since then, the Cobenzl has been used as a getaway restaurant that is always passed on to tenants, as it was to Julius Kühn and Ludwig Täuber in 1910, for example. As many as 4,000 people could be hosted and catered for at the same time.
Around
1930
With the construction of Höhenstraße, and the introduction of a public bus service, as well as the Hübner family taking over the leasehold in the 1930s, a brilliant upswing began and the mountain increasingly served as a beloved recreational area for the Viennese population. The palace was finally upgraded according to plans by the architect Anton Potyka, and in about 1934, the first Bauhaus-style extension was built.
As of
1950
At the beginning of the 1950s, the Rondell Café, which soon became a landmark, was built and the legendary bar almost magically attracted the capital’s night owls. The popularity of the Cobenzl was unbroken! With the end of the Hübner family’s leasehold in 1972, however, the jewel fell into a Sleeping Beauty nap. Although it was taken over by a new manager in the 1980s and the palace was rebuilt, the buildings could by no means be maintained in such a way that they did not suffer any damage. Consequently, despite the initial success, there was another period of silence.
Since
2022
Today, however, this place full of history presents itself as a place full of life. Both the time-honoured palace and Meierei were preserved as an ensemble and enriched with the spectacular Panorama House, while the famous Rondell Café was rebuilt on it’s historic foundations. The great spirit of heritage meets the spirit of the times, pleasure without sacrifice meets a boundless view and a long history meets an even longer future. And we are confident that Count Cobenzl would also enjoy the reinterpretation of “his” mountain and the Weitsicht!
