Palais Albert Rothschild
The Palais Albert Rothschild was a palatial residence in
Description
The building was unusual for Vienna: designed in the French
The entrance hall to the palace was dominated by an enormous
A special feature was a large
An unusual element of the building was the private observatory, located in the middle projection (Mittelrisalit) at the highest point of the palace. It was reached by a small wooden staircase beginning from the second floor, and it was fitted with numerous telescopes for viewing the stars (the Baron was interested in astronomy).[2]
Gallery
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Entrance front -
Plan of the ground floor
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History
After the commandeering the building as its Vienna headquarters.
Baron Albert von Rothschild was forced to sign a document giving his consent to the art collection's confiscation, plus the appropriation of all Rothschild assets in Austria by the German government, in exchange for his brother's release from Dachau concentration camp and safe passage for them both out of Austria.
Elsewhere in Vienna, other collections were confiscated and taken to a collection point for examination. In all, 163 collections were confiscated. From this plunder, 269 paintings of high value were picked out, of which 122 were later selected for consideration by Hitler for inclusion in his planned museum in Linz.[4]
A postal and
In the following years, he tried to obtain compensation from the Austrian government for his family's losses and the ruined Rothschild bank. At that time, the government took the stance that Austria had been a victim of the war and therefore not responsible. Many bureaucratic hurdles and much red tape made it almost impossible for any surviving Austrian Jew to get their property back or receive any proper compensation. The Baron only received a small amount of compensation and finally gave up in the face of stiff government opposition.
He eventually gave the palace, its gardens and the estate to the Austrian government, on condition that a
Demolition
In 1954, the palace was torn down. Any items of value that were still left, such as chandeliers,
The large orchestrion was partly destroyed, though parts of it can be seen in the Collection of Ancient Musical Instruments of the Kunsthistorisches Museum. The smaller orchestrion was also lost. The building itself was made out of such sturdy materials and sound construction that dynamite had to be used to bring it down.
References
- ISBN 3-8258-7754-X.
- ^ ISBN 3-8258-7754-X.
- ISBN 3-7735-2522-2, Dokument 1816-PS: S. 532/533 (in German).
- ISBN 1-56649-165-7
48°11′41″N 16°22′35″E / 48.19478°N 16.3765°E
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