Lainzer Tiergarten

The term "Tiergarten" means "zoo" in German; however, the Lainzer Tiergarten has its name from the deer enclosure that was once to be found in this area. The forest in this part of the Vienna Woods served as hunting grounds for the Habsburg Emperors for centuries and thus, preserved its rural charm until today.In the 19th century, Emperor Franz Joseph I built a palatial villa in the Lainzer Tiergarten, the Hermesvilla. He built the villa for his wife Empress Elisabeth, better known as Sisi - in order to provide her with a leisure palace where she could do her horseback riding far from the behavioural codices that regulated life on the court. Essentially, it was an attempt to lure the Empress to Vienna in the hope that she would cut down on her excessive travels.The architect in charge was Karl of Hasenauer, who had also designed the Burgtheater Theatre. The construction was done between 1882 and 1886. There were several technical innovations implemented into the building: The road that ascended to the Hermesvilla was the first one in Vienna that was illuminated with electric street lights and in 1896, the Hermesvilla was equipped with a telephone connection. The building was named according to a marble statue of the Greek god of Hermes in the garden in front of the villa.