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Salon Strauss

Wertvolle Wandgemälde und ein dekorativer Kamin bestimmen das Interieur dieses Salons. Direkt mit dem Festsaal verbunden, wird hier jeder Besuch zum einzigartigen Erlebnis– ob Konzert, Lesung oder Dinner.

Salon Strauss

Reception Hall

History of the Salons

From the grand staircase, adorned with the monograms of Eduard and Moritz Todesco, guests enter the antechamber, now known as the “Black Room.” This room played a key role as it served as a central hub between the social, residential, and service areas of the home. It provided access to the main reception and living areas while keeping the servants’ quarters separate.

From this antechamber, guests were led into the reception salon. The door to the salon is still visible on the left side but can no longer be used. The original furnishing plan by Theophil Hansen, preserved in the Academy of Fine Arts’ collection, shows a round sofa in the center, four seating areas, and a piano by the windows.

The black marble fireplace opposite the windows is an original feature.

The Ceiling (click for details)

The ceiling, designed in detail by Hansen, is divided into seven sections. Every other section features a sculpted allegory representing the arts: painting, poetry, music, and sculpture. These female figures float in gold-framed, narrow rectangular panels and appear to extend into the room. The artwork reflects the role of Sophie Todesco, who hosted an important salon for Vienna’s cultural life during the Historicist period. Each allegory holds her respective symbol: painting with a brush, poetry with a lyre and scroll, music with another lyre, and sculpture with a statue.

A few years later, Hansen revisited this ceiling design and expanded it on a monumental scale in the great hall of the Vienna Musikverein building.

Floor plan
Theophil Hansen
Eduard Todesco

Catering & Events

Palais Todesco

Vienna State Opera

Vienna Musikverein

Congress & Exhibition

Vouchers

Gerstner Webshop

Gerstner History

Personifikation der Poesie
Personifikation der Plastik
Personifikation der Musik
Personifikation der Malerei
Salon Strauss Decke
Theophil Hansen

Architect

THEOPHIL HANSEN

Theophil Hansen (1813-1891) was one of the most important architects in Austria during the 19th century. Born on July 13, 1813, in Copenhagen, he studied at the city’s Academy of Fine Arts, where he was introduced to Danish Classicism, primarily by his brother and teacher, Hans Christian Hansen.

In 1838, Theophil followed his brother to Greece. On his way, he passed through Berlin, where he was greatly influenced by the works of Karl Friedrich Schinkel. In Northern Italy, especially in Venice, he studied the architecture of Andrea Palladio. In Greece, he delved into ancient Greek architecture, though Byzantine architecture also had a profound impact on him, influencing his early style in Vienna.

In 1846, Christian Ludwig Förster invited Hansen to Vienna. Their collaboration was strengthened by Hansen’s marriage to Förster’s daughter, but it ended after her death. Hansen became one of the key architects behind the development of Vienna’s Ringstrasse. His most notable works from the 1860s include the Evangelical School at Karlsplatz, the Vienna Musikverein building, and the Palais Erzherzog Wilhelm on Parkring (now the OPEC building). Hansen referred to his style as “Greek Renaissance” and placed great emphasis on the interior design of his buildings.

Eduard von Todesco

Entrepreneur and Private Banker

EDUARD TODESCO

Eduard Todesco (1814-1887), who came from a Hungarian-Jewish family, was one of the most influential businessmen and private bankers in the Habsburg Monarchy during the second half of the 19th century. After the Revolution of 1848, he gained recognition from the state through his generous purchases of government bonds and his charitable donations. As a result, he was knighted in 1861 and elevated to the rank of baron in 1869.

Todesco was part of the so-called “second society,” the financial aristocracy, which had a complex relationship with the high nobility. From the 18th century, and especially in the 19th century, this group became the elite of the rising, liberal, and imperial-loyal bourgeoisie. Together with his younger brother Moritz (1816-1873), Eduard inherited a vast fortune after the death of their father Hermann and managed the family bank “Hermann Todesco’s Sons.” Eduard and his wife Sophie had three daughters, Franziska (Fanny), Anna (Netti), and Gabriele (Yella), as well as a son, Hermann, who tragically died at the age of 27 following a carriage accident.