Herrengasse
Encyclopedia
The Herrengasse is a street
in Vienna
, located in the first district Innere Stadt
.
The street existed during Roman
times as part of the Limes
highway
system
. The first written mention of the street dates to 1216. The section of the street between the Freyung
and Lobkowitzplatz squares was known during the Middle Ages
as Hochstraße (High Street).
After Vienna began to establish itself as the imperial
capital, the nobility
(known in German as Herren or Lord
s) increasingly migrated to the city to be close to the Hofburg Imperial Palace
, the residence of the Habsburg
ruler
s. After the Estates of Lower Austria
built their assembly
house at the Palais Niederösterreich
in 1513, the street was renamed Herrengasse.
s located in the back away from public view. Some of the Palais had multiple entrances from different streets. The Herrengasse used to consist almost exclusively of noble
palace
s, though some were lost during the course of time. One of the Liechtenstein
palaces, located at Herrengasse 8, housed the famous Bösendorfer
-Konzertsaal, a concert hall established in 1872. Famous artists such as Franz Liszt
, Anton Rubinstein
, Joseph Hellmesberger, Jr.
and Hans von Bülow
performed there. The palace was ripped down and replaced by a modernistic high-rise building in 1913.
After the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918 and the end of the Second World War in 1945, many aristocratic
families had to give up their city homes due to rising costs of upkeep. Many of the buildings were either rented or sold for commercial
usage as office
s and museum
s, or bought by the government
and used by ministries
. The Herrengasse has nevertheless been able to retain most of its original appearance and relative exclusivity. The building's architectural style reaches from the Renaissance
to the baroque
and neo-baroque
periods.
A direct subway
connection to the U3 line has existed since the 1990s.
City palaces (known as Palais) which still exist include:
Right next to the Herrengasse is the Freyung
square, where more aristocratic residences are located. Other noble palaces in the vicinity can be found at Minoritenplatz
square.
Street
A street is a paved public thoroughfare in a built environment. It is a public parcel of land adjoining buildings in an urban context, on which people may freely assemble, interact, and move about. A street can be as simple as a level patch of dirt, but is more often paved with a hard, durable...
in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, located in the first district Innere Stadt
Innere Stadt
The Innere Stadt is the 1st municipal District of Vienna . The Innere Stadt is the old town of Vienna. Until the city boundaries were expanded in 1850, the Innere Stadt was congruent with the city of Vienna...
.
History
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
times as part of the Limes
Limes
A limes was a border defense or delimiting system of Ancient Rome. It marked the boundaries of the Roman Empire.The Latin noun limes had a number of different meanings: a path or balk delimiting fields, a boundary line or marker, any road or path, any channel, such as a stream channel, or any...
highway
Highway
A highway is any public road. In American English, the term is common and almost always designates major roads. In British English, the term designates any road open to the public. Any interconnected set of highways can be variously referred to as a "highway system", a "highway network", or a...
system
System
System is a set of interacting or interdependent components forming an integrated whole....
. The first written mention of the street dates to 1216. The section of the street between the Freyung
Freyung (Vienna)
The Freyung is a triangular public square in Vienna, located in the first district, or Innere Stadt.-History:The square originally lay outside the Roman fortification walls of Vindabona. In the 12th century, Irish monks arrived by invitation of Duke Henry II of Austria to build a monastery...
and Lobkowitzplatz squares was known during the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
as Hochstraße (High Street).
After Vienna began to establish itself as the imperial
Empire
The term empire derives from the Latin imperium . Politically, an empire is a geographically extensive group of states and peoples united and ruled either by a monarch or an oligarchy....
capital, the nobility
Austrian nobility
Historically, the Austrian nobility was a privileged social class in Austria. The nobility was officially abolished in 1919 after the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Former noble families and their descendants are still a part of Austrian society today, but they no longer retain any specific...
(known in German as Herren or Lord
Lord
Lord is a title with various meanings. It can denote a prince or a feudal superior . The title today is mostly used in connection with the peerage of the United Kingdom or its predecessor countries, although some users of the title do not themselves hold peerages, and use it 'by courtesy'...
s) increasingly migrated to the city to be close to the Hofburg Imperial Palace
Hofburg Imperial Palace
Hofburg Palace is a palace located in Vienna, Austria, that has housed some of the most powerful people in Austrian history, including the Habsburg dynasty, rulers of the Austro-Hungarian empire. It currently serves as the official residence of the President of Austria...
, the residence of the Habsburg
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...
ruler
Monarch
A monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...
s. After the Estates of Lower Austria
Lower Austria
Lower Austria is the northeasternmost state of the nine states in Austria. The capital of Lower Austria since 1986 is Sankt Pölten, the most recently designated capital town in Austria. The capital of Lower Austria had formerly been Vienna, even though Vienna is not officially part of Lower Austria...
built their assembly
Deliberative assembly
A deliberative assembly is an organization comprising members who use parliamentary procedure to make decisions. In a speech to the electorate at Bristol in 1774, Edmund Burke described the English Parliament as a "deliberative assembly," and the expression became the basic term for a body of...
house at the Palais Niederösterreich
Palais Niederösterreich
Palais Niederösterreich, historically known as the Niederösterreichisches Landeshaus , is a historical building in Vienna....
in 1513, the street was renamed Herrengasse.
Palaces
The typical layout of a noble palace (Palais) was the entrance facing the street, sometimes set a little way back, with lush gardenGarden
A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the display, cultivation, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The garden can incorporate both natural and man-made materials. The most common form today is known as a residential garden, but the term garden has...
s located in the back away from public view. Some of the Palais had multiple entrances from different streets. The Herrengasse used to consist almost exclusively of noble
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
palace
Palace
A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word itself is derived from the Latin name Palātium, for Palatine Hill, one of the seven hills in Rome. In many parts of Europe, the...
s, though some were lost during the course of time. One of the Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein
The Principality of Liechtenstein is a doubly landlocked alpine country in Central Europe, bordered by Switzerland to the west and south and by Austria to the east. Its area is just over , and it has an estimated population of 35,000. Its capital is Vaduz. The biggest town is Schaan...
palaces, located at Herrengasse 8, housed the famous Bösendorfer
Bösendorfer
Bösendorfer is an Austrian piano manufacturer, and a wholly owned subsidiary of Yamaha. The brand is known for producing pianos with a uniquely rich, singing, and sustaining tone...
-Konzertsaal, a concert hall established in 1872. Famous artists such as Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...
, Anton Rubinstein
Anton Rubinstein
Anton Grigorevich Rubinstein was a Russian-Jewish pianist, composer and conductor. As a pianist he was regarded as a rival of Franz Liszt, and he ranks amongst the great keyboard virtuosos...
, Joseph Hellmesberger, Jr.
Joseph Hellmesberger, Jr.
Josef “Pepi” Hellmesberger, Jr. was an Austrian composer, violinist and conductor.Hellmesberger was son of violinist and conductor Joseph Hellmesberger, Sr. , who was his first teacher. Among his family of notable musicians include: grandfather, Georg, Sr. ; uncle, Georg, Jr...
and Hans von Bülow
Hans von Bülow
Hans Guido Freiherr von Bülow was a German conductor, virtuoso pianist, and composer of the Romantic era. He was one of the most famous conductors of the 19th century, and his activity was critical for establishing the successes of several major composers of the time, including Richard...
performed there. The palace was ripped down and replaced by a modernistic high-rise building in 1913.
After the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918 and the end of the Second World War in 1945, many aristocratic
Aristocracy
Aristocracy , is a form of government in which a few elite citizens rule. The term derives from the Greek aristokratia, meaning "rule of the best". In origin in Ancient Greece, it was conceived of as rule by the best qualified citizens, and contrasted with monarchy...
families had to give up their city homes due to rising costs of upkeep. Many of the buildings were either rented or sold for commercial
Commerce
While business refers to the value-creating activities of an organization for profit, commerce means the whole system of an economy that constitutes an environment for business. The system includes legal, economic, political, social, cultural, and technological systems that are in operation in any...
usage as office
Office
An office is generally a room or other area in which people work, but may also denote a position within an organization with specific duties attached to it ; the latter is in fact an earlier usage, office as place originally referring to the location of one's duty. When used as an adjective, the...
s and museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
s, or bought by the government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
and used by ministries
Ministry (government department)
A ministry is a specialised organisation responsible for a sector of government public administration, sometimes led by a minister or a senior public servant, that can have responsibility for one or more departments, agencies, bureaus, commissions or other smaller executive, advisory, managerial or...
. The Herrengasse has nevertheless been able to retain most of its original appearance and relative exclusivity. The building's architectural style reaches from the Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
to the baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
and neo-baroque
Neo-baroque
The Baroque Revival or Neo-baroque was an architectural style of the late 19th century. The term is used to describe architecture which displays important aspects of Baroque style, but is not of the Baroque period proper—i.e., the 17th and 18th centuries.Some examples of Neo-baroque architecture:*...
periods.
A direct subway
Vienna U-Bahn
The Vienna U-Bahn is a rapid transit system consisting of five lines. It is the backbone of one of the best performing public transport systems worldwide according to UITP in June 2009. More than 1.3 million passengers use the Vienna U-Bahn every day...
connection to the U3 line has existed since the 1990s.
City palaces (known as Palais) which still exist include:
- Palais Herberstein (built in 1897, at Herrengasse 1-3)
- Palais WilczekPalais WilczekPalais Wilczek is a palace in Vienna, Austria. It was owned by the noble Wilczek family....
(former Palais Lembruch, 1737, Herrengasse 5) - Palais ModenaPalais ModenaPalais Modena is a palace in Vienna, Austria. It was built and owned by the Habsburgs of the Modenese branch of the family.Today it houses offices of the Federal Ministry for the Interior.-External links:...
(today Federal Ministry of the InteriorFederal Ministry for the Interior (Austria)The Federal Ministry for the Interior is a ministry of the Austrian federal government.It has offices in the Palais Modena. The current head of the ministry is minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner....
, 1811, Herrengasse 7) - Palais Mollard-ClaryPalais Mollard-ClaryPalais Mollard-Clary is a Baroque palace in Vienna, Austria. It is located in the first district Innere Stadt, at Herrengasse 9.It was built from 1686 to 1689 for Count Mollard . In 1760, it was bought by Count Franz Wenzel von Clary-Aldringen. Emperor Joseph II held his famous "round tables" here...
(1689, Herrengasse 9) - Palais NiederösterreichPalais NiederösterreichPalais Niederösterreich, historically known as the Niederösterreichisches Landeshaus , is a historical building in Vienna....
(formerly Niederösterreichisches Landeshaus [Estates House of Lower Austria], 1839–1848, Herrengasse 13) - Palais Ferstel (formerly Österreichisch-ungarische Bank [Austro-Hungarian Bank], 1856–1860, Herrengasse 14, entrance also at FreyungFreyungFreyung may refer to:* Freyung, Bavaria* Freyung-Grafenau, a district in Bavaria* Passau–Freyung railway, a branch line in Bavaria* Freyung , a public square in Vienna...
2) - Palais Batthyány (integrates parts of the former Palais Orsini-Rosenberg, 1716, Herrengasse 19)
- Palais Trauttmannsdorff (1834–1838, Herrengasse 21)
- Palais PorciaPalais Porcia (Vienna)Palais Porcia is a former urban residence in the western quarter of the Innere Stadt of Vienna, Austria. It stands at 23, Herrengasse between Palais Kinsky and Palais Trautmansdorff and across Palais Harrach. The palace was built in 1546 for the descendants of Count Gabriel von Salamanca-Ortenburg...
(1546, Herrengasse 23)
Right next to the Herrengasse is the Freyung
Freyung
Freyung may refer to:* Freyung, Bavaria* Freyung-Grafenau, a district in Bavaria* Passau–Freyung railway, a branch line in Bavaria* Freyung , a public square in Vienna...
square, where more aristocratic residences are located. Other noble palaces in the vicinity can be found at Minoritenplatz
Minoritenplatz
The Minoritenplatz is one of the oldest public squares in Vienna. It is located in the first district Innere Stadt, and is dominated by the Minoritenkirche church, after which the square is named. The church itself was constructed by the Greyfriars , after the Austrian Duke Leopold VI of Austria...
square.