Appartements Riemergasse
Riemergasse 8, A-1010 Wien
Tel: +43 1 512-72-20
Fax: +43 1 512-77-77-56
eMail: office(at)riemergasse.at
Schönbrunn Zoo
How to get there: 6 minutes on foot from Hotel Appartements Riemergasse to the Stadtpark, then ride the U 4 underground line to Hietzing (approximately 15 minutes)
Schönbrunn Zoo has its origins not with Emperor Franz Joseph as many think, but rather with Empress Maria Theresia and her husband Franz Stephan of Lorraine.
The Schönbrunn Zoo, better known back in the olden days as the "Menagerie", was separated from the nearby palace by a wall. In 1752, after a one-year construction period, it was finally stocked with animals. The octagonal pavilion in the heart of the park was not added until 1759. It has now served as a restaurant for the enjoyment of visitors since 1949.
In the beginning, the zoo was reserved exclusively for the imperial family. But interest in the zoo grew so rapidly that it was eventually opened to well-attired citizenry on Sundays. In 1770, the first elephant was brought to Vienna, while the first predators went on display just 11 years later. In 1880, the first polar bears, big cats, hyenas and kangaroos also moved in.
The beginning of the 19th century saw yet another gigantic influx of visitors, since the viceroy of Egypt had brought a giraffe to Vienna as a special gift. The Viennese were so excited by the zoo's new resident, that they even wrote musical pieces and actually named a perfume after the giraffe. Bakers, too, didn't miss out on the opportunity to improve their business on the back of the giraffe. Until the First World War, guests would still find Giraffe pastries on the menus of Vienna's patisseries. The Giraffe House, which was constructed at that time, can still be visited by today's visitors to Schönbrunn Zoo.
The zoo remained in possession of the imperial family until the end of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. After the founding of the Schönbrunner Tiergarten GmbH in 1991, the world's oldest zoo transformed itself into one of the world's most beautiful and most modern zoos. Schönbrunn Zoo works nationally and internationally at the forefront of species- and nature-conservation efforts.
