Wüstenhaus Schönbrunn
Encyclopedia
The Wüstenhaus Schönbrunn (Schönbrunn Desert House) is a desert
botanical exhibit in Vienna
, Austria
. It is located in the Sonnenuhrhaus ("Sundial House"), which was built in 1904 as the newest of the four botanical houses in Schönbrunn Palace Park
. The desert exhibit opened in 2004 as a counterpart to the "Rainforest House" that opened in 2002 in the nearby Zoo Vienna
.
(Palmenhaus; another botanical exhibit), directly between the Hietzing
Gate and the Zoo. The unprepossessing building owes its name to the sundial
(Sonnenuhr) located in the gardens to the south.
It was built with the encouragement of Charles von Hügel
– diplomat, explorer and founder of the Vienna Horticultural Society – to replace an earlier greenhouse which could no longer meet its plants' needs. At first it housed the plants of the extensive "New Holland Collection" which Hügel had assembled, and which had been acquired by the Imperial Court in 1848, and later expanded with plants from southern Africa
and the Americas
that required similar conditions. The architect of the 1904 building was Alphons Custodis.
A bomb attack
in February 1945, which almost totally destroyed the windows of the nearby Palm House, left the bulk of the Sundial House's glazing intact, probably because the Palm House stood between it and the bombed area, and because the Sundial House had windows which were roughly parallel to the spreading blast waves (unlike the Palm House). A number of plants from the Palm House were therefore brought here for safekeeping, where space allowed. The Sundial House again served as a refuge between 1986 and 1990, while the Palm House was renovated.
In April 1990 the first butterfly zoo
in Austria was established in the Sundial House, but it was transferred to the greenhouse in the Burggarten in 1998.
Rust
on the steel framework caused the building to be closed in 1998 and renovated from 2000 to 2003. The Desert House was finally established here by a joint project between the Zoo and the Austrian Federal Gardens (Bundesgärten), which have managed the building since 1918 as successor to the Imperial and Royal Court Gardens. The exhibition includes succulent plant
s from the Federal Gardens, and small animals under the care of the Zoo, such as desert jerboas, reptiles and birds.
Desert
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
botanical exhibit 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...
, 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...
. It is located in the Sonnenuhrhaus ("Sundial House"), which was built in 1904 as the newest of the four botanical houses in Schönbrunn Palace Park
Schönbrunn Palace
Schönbrunn Palace is a former imperial 1,441-room Rococo summer residence in Vienna, Austria. One of the most important cultural monuments in the country, since the 1960s it has been one of the major tourist attractions in Vienna...
. The desert exhibit opened in 2004 as a counterpart to the "Rainforest House" that opened in 2002 in the nearby Zoo Vienna
Tiergarten Schönbrunn
Tiergarten Schönbrunn or Vienna Zoo is a zoo located on the grounds of the famous Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, Austria...
.
History
The Sundial House stands opposite the Schönbrunn Palm HousePalmenhaus Schönbrunn
The Palmenhaus Schönbrunn is a large greenhouse in Vienna, Austria, featuring plants from around the world. It was opened in 1882. It is the most prominent of the four greenhouses in Schönbrunn Palace Park, and is also among the largest botanical exhibits of its kind in the world, with around...
(Palmenhaus; another botanical exhibit), directly between the Hietzing
Hietzing
Hietzing is the 13th municipal District of Vienna . It is located west of the central districts, west of Meidling...
Gate and the Zoo. The unprepossessing building owes its name to the sundial
Sundial
A sundial is a device that measures time by the position of the Sun. In common designs such as the horizontal sundial, the sun casts a shadow from its style onto a surface marked with lines indicating the hours of the day. The style is the time-telling edge of the gnomon, often a thin rod or a...
(Sonnenuhr) located in the gardens to the south.
It was built with the encouragement of Charles von Hügel
Charles von Hügel
Charles von Hügel was an Austrian army officer, diplomat, botanist and explorer, now primarily remembered for his travels in northern India during the 1830s...
– diplomat, explorer and founder of the Vienna Horticultural Society – to replace an earlier greenhouse which could no longer meet its plants' needs. At first it housed the plants of the extensive "New Holland Collection" which Hügel had assembled, and which had been acquired by the Imperial Court in 1848, and later expanded with plants from southern Africa
Southern Africa
Southern Africa is the southernmost region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. Within the region are numerous territories, including the Republic of South Africa ; nowadays, the simpler term South Africa is generally reserved for the country in English.-UN...
and the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
that required similar conditions. The architect of the 1904 building was Alphons Custodis.
A bomb attack
Bombing of Vienna in World War II
The city of Vienna in Austria was bombed fifty-two times during World War II, and 87,000 houses of the city were lost . Only 41 civilian vehicles survived the raids, more than 3,000 bomb craters were counted...
in February 1945, which almost totally destroyed the windows of the nearby Palm House, left the bulk of the Sundial House's glazing intact, probably because the Palm House stood between it and the bombed area, and because the Sundial House had windows which were roughly parallel to the spreading blast waves (unlike the Palm House). A number of plants from the Palm House were therefore brought here for safekeeping, where space allowed. The Sundial House again served as a refuge between 1986 and 1990, while the Palm House was renovated.
In April 1990 the first butterfly zoo
Butterfly zoo
A butterfly zoo, or butterfly house, is a zoo which is specifically intended for the breeding and display of butterflies. Some butterfly houses also feature other insects, spiders, scorpions, etc.- History :...
in Austria was established in the Sundial House, but it was transferred to the greenhouse in the Burggarten in 1998.
Rust
Rust
Rust is a general term for a series of iron oxides. In colloquial usage, the term is applied to red oxides, formed by the reaction of iron and oxygen in the presence of water or air moisture...
on the steel framework caused the building to be closed in 1998 and renovated from 2000 to 2003. The Desert House was finally established here by a joint project between the Zoo and the Austrian Federal Gardens (Bundesgärten), which have managed the building since 1918 as successor to the Imperial and Royal Court Gardens. The exhibition includes succulent plant
Succulent plant
Succulent plants, also known as succulents or fat plants, are water-retaining plants adapted to arid climates or soil conditions. Succulent plants store water in their leaves, stems, and also in roots...
s from the Federal Gardens, and small animals under the care of the Zoo, such as desert jerboas, reptiles and birds.
Notable features
- Two WelwitschiaWelwitschiaWelwitschia is a monotypic genus of gymnosperm plant, composed solely of the very distinct Welwitschia mirabilis. The plant is commonly simply known as Welwitschia in English. It is known locally as !kharos or khurub , tweeblaarkanniedood , nyanka , or onyanga , among others...
s (one male and one female), the rare and endangered desert plant discovered in 1859 by the Austrian Friedrich WelwitschFriedrich WelwitschFriedrich Martin Josef Welwitsch was an Austrian explorer and botanist who in Angola discovered the plant Welwitschia mirabilis...
. They can live up to 2,000 years; the two individuals in the Desert House, however, stem from the Frankfurt University Botanic GardensBotanischer Garten der Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am MainThe Botanischer Garten der Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main , also known as the Botanischer Garten Frankfurt am Main, is a botanical garden and arboretum maintained by the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Frankfurt am Main...
and are no more than 40 years old.
- The distinctive, rose-like cactus PereskiaPereskiaPereskia is a genus of about 25 tropical species and varieties of cacti that do not look much like other types of cacti, having substantial leaves and thin stems. They originate from the region between Brazil and Mexico. The genus is named after Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc, a 16th century...
.
Architecture
300 ft. long, 45 ft. wide and 50 ft. high, the building is fully glazed on the roof and the south face, while the north face is walled up. With a total floor space of 14,000 sq. ft., the interior is divided lengthwise into three sections; there are two annexes to the central section, namely a plant-rich east wing which serves as the entrance hall, and a west wing used as a coldhouse.External links
- Home page on the Zoo website
- The Desert Experience House From the Schönbrunn Palace website.
Further reading
- ARGE Sonnenuhrhaus Wien: Wüstenhaus Schönbrunn. Schönbrunner Tiergarten, Vienna (2003). ISBN 3902243112.
- Gerhard Deimel, Kurt Vogl, Ingrid Gregor: Palast der Blüten – Das Schönbrunner Palmenhaus. Holzhausen, Vienna (2002). ISBN 3-85493-052-6.
- Marie H. Scheib, Dagmar Schratter, Andreas Leiss, Barbara Zeidler: Pflanzenführer Wüstenhaus Schönbrunn. Schönbrunner Tiergarten, Vienna (2004). ISBN 3902243120.