Palais Lanckoroński

Palais Lanckoroński was an imposing Neo-Baroque building in Vienna's Fasanviertel, built between 1894 and 1895 by the architects Ferdinand Fellner the Younger and Hermann Helmer. It was commissioned by Count Karl Lanckoroński, an influential patron and art collector from an old Polish noble family who served as Lord Chamberlain at the Habsburg court. Because his earlier residence in the first district had become too cramped, he had this freestanding, three-story building with a large garden built on Jacquingasse. The architecture and interiors were deliberately designed in the Baroque style of around 1700 to underscore the character of a public museum, although private quarters were reserved for the count and his family. The palace served not only as a residence but also as a central gathering place for Vienna's cultural elite. Renowned artists such as Hans Makart, Arnold Böcklin, and Auguste Rodin, as well as writers such as Hugo von Hofmannsthal and Rainer Maria Rilke, were regular visitors.

The count's collection included valuable paintings, tapestries, furniture, and sculptures, some of which came from the former gallery of the Polish king Stanislaus August. In rooms such as the Dutch Hall, the Italian Hall, and the chapel, visitors could admire masterpieces by Rembrandt, Titian, Dosso Dossi, and Italian early Renaissance painters. Ancient bronzes, Greek vases, and Japanese art objects were also on display. With Austria's annexation by Nazi Germany in 1938, the collection was confiscated. While a large part of the artworks was lost to a fire in Vorarlberg after the war, other pieces made their way into international museums such as the National Gallery in London. After suffering heavy bomb damage in World War II and being looted, the badly damaged palace was demolished in the postwar period, as rebuilding seemed financially unfeasible. Today, a modern office building stands on the site of the former palace, which has been used as a hotel since 2011.