In 1929 the Geymüllerschlössel was mortgaged to the Austrian National Bank. After the Nazi annexation of Austria in March 1938 the heirs of Isidor Mautner (who had died in 1930) lost all civil rights because of being Jewish and were forced to flee the country. The mortgage on the edifice was transferred to the German Reichsbank which seized the building in compensation for the outstanding debt in 1944.
The Geymüllerschlössel remained in the possession of the Geymüller family until 1842. After that it changed owners several times until it was purchased in 1888 by the textile manufacturer Isidor Mautner. In the following decades it was a much-frequented venue for social gatherings of the local theatrical and musical scene.
The Geymüllerschlössel was constructed after 1808 as a “summer villa” for the merchant and banker Johann Jakob Geymüller (1760–1834). The edifice shows a blend of Gothic, Indian and Arabic styles as was common in pleasure buildings of the period. The architect is unknown to date. Today the villa is decorated with original furniture from the first half of the 19th century and a site of the Museum of Applied Arts/Contemporary Art (MAK).
Here's another photo taken last Friday when, after a week of very autumnal weather, the sun was finally back and a lot of people enjoyed an afternoon on the banks of the Danube Canal. The weather was this nice during the entire weekend...
During the first two weeks of September the weather was still summerlike, but then the temperature dropped considerably overnight and it felt pretty much like in November. Yesterday afternoon it was rather warm and sunny again and the outdoor areas of the cafés and restaurants were much frequented.
I had to give up my evening bicycle tours during the week because of my job and the early sunset, but last Sunday I took advantage of the beautiful weather and did a short tour. The sky looked great...
The six groups of buildings of the University of Economics are rather different in style. When I saw this building for the very first time I didn't like it all, but meanwhile I got used to the design by Sir Peter Cook and CRABstudio, London. It's definitely eye-catching...
In August I took part in an instawalk at the campus of the University of Economics. I've already been there several times, but it was fun exploring it this time with a group of other amateur photographers and witness the reactions of those who saw the buildings for the very first time. The campus consists of six groups of buildings, each of which designed by another architect of international repute and very different in style. The Department building D4 was designed by Estudio Carme Pinós S. L., based in Barcelona (Spain).
Some bank employees taking a cigarette break in the courtyard of the Loos Haus.
“One swallow does not make a summer, neither does one fine day;
similarly one day or brief time of happiness does not make a person entirely happy.” - Aristotle
Looking out of the window of a meeting room at the Loos Haus, you see the Michaelerplatz and the Imperial Palace. How can anyone focus on business things with such a view?
Here's a last view of the representation premises at the Loos Haus.
Only the best was good enough for the decoration of the representation premises at the Loos Haus.
We are now in the representation premises on the first floor of the Loos Haus. Originally the edifice housed the exclusive men's clothier Goldman & Salatsch, a very successful company during the Austro-Hungarian Empire and until the 1930s. It was liquidated bevor the beginning of World War II.
The Loos Haus currently houses offices of a bank and is not open to the public, but some instagramers recently had the opportunity to visit the inside. Guess who was amongst those lucky people... Let's start our tour with the staircase.
I have already shown you the Loos Haus here, but as I recently had the opportunity to visit it inside thanks to an instawalk, I wanted to start the "tour" with another exterior view. The Loos Haus was designed by Austrian architect Adolf Loos and built in 1909 for Leopold Goldmann who owned an exclusive men's clothier. The plain facade caused a great scandal, the general public even demanded the demolition of the building.
"There shall be eternal summer in the grateful heart." - Celia Thaxter
A lonesome stand up paddler on the New Danube on Thursday evening...
I love olive trees, they make me think of my vacations in Southern Europe. Recently I discovered some in front of a Spanish café and deli in the 7th district. I also love the name of this café: "Toma tu tiempo" (= Take your time).
Here's the finished mural. Do you like it?
A street artist creating a mural during the "Calle Libre - Festival for Urban Aesthetics". Unfortunately I couldn't find out the girl's name. Maybe she was an "intruder" and simply seized the opportunity? She positioned her artwork between two murals that I have already shown you (here and here).
In the 17th district a square has been embellished by an installation of 240 umbrellas. It's nice to watch the colourful umbrellas move slightly with every gentle breeze.
"August has passed, and yet summer continues by force to grow days. They sprout secretly between the chapters of the year, covertly included between its pages." - Jonathan Safran Foer
In August I finally was at "Vollpension", an intergenerational café, run by and for the old and the young. Originally the café was only intended as a temporary project in 2012 to create jobs for retirees, but then it was so successful that the operators looked for a permanent location. I found the atmosphere very relaxed, the furniture is a mixture of colours and styles and the customers matched with the furniture (young and old, hip and "normal", several mothers with babies). The cakes are baked directly in the café, and they are delicious!
The sunset over the New Danube nearly two weeks ago.
Emperor Charles VI ordered the construction of the Baroque State Hall for his Court Library. It was built from 1723 till 1726 according to the plans of the famous court architect Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach, and carried out by his son Joseph Emanuel. The ceiling frescoes were completed in 1730 by the court painter Daniel Gran. The space of the book cupboards is enough for about 200.000 volumes.
Click here to view thumbnails of all participants in the theme day.
