On the history of the Palais

On the history of the Palais

The Palais Pallavicini, where Wiener Rennverein is domiciled, is located in the heart of Vienna, in an ensemble with the Imperial Palace and the Spanish Riding School.

As one of the most interesting palace buildings in Vienna, it frequently is and has been the venue for official receptions by the Austrian government for monarchs and heads of state as well as receptions of the diplomatic and consular corps in Vienna.

The building was constructed between 1782 and 1784 and commissioned by Count Moritz Fries from the creator of the Gloriette, Ferdinand Hohenberg von Hetzendorf.

The rich adornments and the sumptuous play on the imagination that characterise high baroque works in Vienna have given way to massive dimensions, and the strict structure of the building is enlivened in a unique and attractive way by the gate and the parapet wall.

The caryatides successfully combine size and grace and, like the recumbent forms of the parapet wall, presumably depicting trade and freedom, a work by Franz Zauner.

It was not until decades after its construction that this building came into the hands of the Pallavicini family and it is thus one of the aristocratic residences that only acquired their name from a subsequent owner.

This magnificent palace has now been owned by the Margraves of Pallavicini for more than 150 years and the family still lives in the building today.