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Blauer Salon

This salon is ideal for lunch or dinner in a private atmosphere, both in the evening and during the day. Silk wallpaper, a magnificent wooden ceiling and a piano exude a stylish ambience.

Blauer Salon

Todescos Study

The history of the Salons

To the north of the grand hall is the study of the master of the house. This room illustrates how baroque ceiling painting was reinterpreted in the 19th century. While earlier designs featured a single figure dominating the ceiling, Hansen used multiple individual images to convey a message. The coffered ceiling, arranged in a star pattern, includes three female and one male figure in the corners as personifications. For example, one figure holds a gear symbolizing the railway, a winged wheel represents industry, and a rudder stands for shipping. Another figure wears a winged hat, carries a staff (Caduceus), and holds a money bag, clearly representing Mercury, the god of commerce.

Between these allegories, the four seasons are depicted. Spring is symbolized by an angel holding a garland of flowers, summer by an angel with a sickle and a bundle of grain. Autumn is represented by an angel with grapes, while winter is shown with an angel holding a bow and arrow. These paintings were created by Karl Lotz, a student of Carl Rahl.

In one corner of the room, a fireplace adds decoration, featuring a crowned monogram with the letter “T,” referring to the Todesco family. The monogram also includes an “S,” originally referencing Sophie Todesco, as the fireplace was first located in the boudoir.

Floor plan
Eduard Todesco
Theophil Hansen

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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.

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.