Hotel Sacher
Encyclopedia
The Hotel Sacher is a five-star hotel in the Innenstadt
district of Vienna
, Austria
, next to the Staatsoper
. It is famous for the specialty of the house, the Sachertorte
, a chocolate cake with apricot filling. There is also an art gallery in the hotel with works from the 19th century. The hotel is built where Antonio Vivaldi
once lived.
and diplomats would meet. After World War I
Anna Sacher upheld the upper-class reputation of the hotel and denied service to guests of non-aristocratic descent, at the same time granting generous credit to impoverished aristocrats. Her management ran the business into financial problems and eventually to bankruptcy
and change of ownership in the 1930s.
Since 1934, the hotel has been owned by the Gürtler
family under the company name "Eduard Sacher GmbH
& Co OHG". This company also owns a second Sacher Hotel in Salzburg
, formerly the Österreichische Hof.
After the end of WWII, occupied Austria, like Germany, was divided into four zones by the victorious powers. Vienna, like Berlin, was also subdivided into four zones. During the occupation the British used the Sacher Hotel as their headquarters and it appears in Carol Reed
's film The Third Man.
The hotel added an additional story of rooms on its roof in 2005, which caused a stir with historical preservationists.
The hotel also found fame in the German
-speaking world via the popular television series Hallo ... Hotel Sacher, Portier starring Fritz Eckhardt
.
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...
district of 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...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, next to the Staatsoper
Vienna State Opera
The Vienna State Opera is an opera house – and opera company – with a history dating back to the mid-19th century. It is located in the centre of Vienna, Austria. It was originally called the Vienna Court Opera . In 1920, with the replacement of the Habsburg Monarchy by the First Austrian...
. It is famous for the specialty of the house, the Sachertorte
Sachertorte
Sachertorte is a chocolate cake. It was invented by chance by Austrian Jewish Franz Sacher in 1832 for Klemens Wenzel von Metternich in Vienna, Austria. It is one of the most famous Viennese culinary specialties. The Original Sachertorte is only made in Vienna and Salzburg, and it is shipped from...
, a chocolate cake with apricot filling. There is also an art gallery in the hotel with works from the 19th century. The hotel is built where Antonio Vivaldi
Antonio Vivaldi
Antonio Lucio Vivaldi , nicknamed because of his red hair, was an Italian Baroque composer, priest, and virtuoso violinist, born in Venice. Vivaldi is recognized as one of the greatest Baroque composers, and his influence during his lifetime was widespread over Europe...
once lived.
History
The hotel was founded in 1876 by Eduard Sacher (1843–1892) as a maison meublée. After his death his widow Anna Sacher (1859–1930) became manager. Under her rule, the hotel became one of the finest hotels in the world, where the aristocracyAristocracy
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...
and diplomats would meet. After World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
Anna Sacher upheld the upper-class reputation of the hotel and denied service to guests of non-aristocratic descent, at the same time granting generous credit to impoverished aristocrats. Her management ran the business into financial problems and eventually to bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
and change of ownership in the 1930s.
Since 1934, the hotel has been owned by the Gürtler
Elisabeth Gürtler
Elisabeth Gürtler-Mauthner is an Austrian businesswoman. She is managing director of the Hotel Sacher, Vienna's most famous hotel....
family under the company name "Eduard Sacher GmbH
Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung
Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung is a type of legal entityvery common in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and other Central European countries...
& Co OHG". This company also owns a second Sacher Hotel in Salzburg
Salzburg
-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
, formerly the Österreichische Hof.
After the end of WWII, occupied Austria, like Germany, was divided into four zones by the victorious powers. Vienna, like Berlin, was also subdivided into four zones. During the occupation the British used the Sacher Hotel as their headquarters and it appears in Carol Reed
Carol Reed
Sir Carol Reed was an English film director best known for Odd Man Out , The Fallen Idol , The Third Man and Oliver!...
's film The Third Man.
The hotel added an additional story of rooms on its roof in 2005, which caused a stir with historical preservationists.
The hotel also found fame in the German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
-speaking world via the popular television series Hallo ... Hotel Sacher, Portier starring Fritz Eckhardt
Fritz Eckhardt
Fritz Eckhardt was an Austrian actor, director, and writer. He is remembered for playing the lead role as chief inspector Marek in the Österreichischer Rundfunk version of the detective series Tatort. He also played cabaret and wrote numerous theatre plays and film scripts.-References:...
.