The official outdoor tour! Why not take a walk with us around the St. Stephen's Cathedral and discover the most important landmark and symbol of Vienna!This tour was created in cooperation with St. Stephen’s Cathedral.

St. Stephen’s Outdoor Experience

Vienna is full of history! Discover it by walking through the small alleys around the Rotenturmstraße. Every corner and cobblestone will tell you about the genesis of the city. If you are tired, we recommend visiting one of the famous Viennese coffeehouses. 

Explore the Heart of Old Vienna

Vienna is new to you, and you are looking to get a nicely well-rounded overview of the old city center? This tour covers historical highlights, reveals fascinating stories, and takes you down a few cobblestone streets that most visitors never see.

Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Vienna

Discover plants from all around the globe: This audio tour of the Palm House Schönbrunn will enable you to discover more than 4,000 plants from every continent.Note: The Palm House Schönbrunn is not to be confused with the Café Palmenhaus. The café is located in the Burggarten.

The Emperor's Greenhouse: Palm House

Attention! This tour includes saucy details and is not appropriate for all under 18 years.From prostitutes, johns, and mistresses to animal skin condoms, syphilis, and wax noses, to Maria Theresia, Metternich, Napoleon, and many more: the dirty secrets and shady sides of Viennese erotic activities over the years come out of the shadows in this tour. This tour was created in cooperation with wienfuehrung.

Love for Sale in Old Vienna

Naschmarkt not only offers culinary highlights but also architectural ones: the Art Deco and Viennese Modern Age buildings by Otto Wagner. This tour starts at the subway station Kettenbrückengasse and passes through Naschmarkt to Karlsplatz where two pavillons by Otto Wagner can be visited. If there's enough time afterwards, you could take the U4 in either the direction of Heiligenstadt or Hütteldorf and get out at one of the beautiful old Stadtbahn (city railway) station buildings that are still in use today.

Otto Wagner and Naschmarkt

Rent a bike, Segway, or scooter and explore the best Vienna has to offer on wheels. With your wheels, you can cover a lot of ground, meaning you’ll finish this tour with a well-rounded overview of the makeup of this old dame of a city and the stories it has to tell. Attention: Leave your phone in your pocket while driving and don't forget to keep your distance. Stay safe!

Vienna On Wheels: From Schönbrunn Palace to Stubentor

Get yourself a ride and head out on this exciting tour on which you’ll catch many sides of Vienna that most visitors never see. You’ll get started at the magnificent Hundertwasserhaus and end it all in the wine hills with a glass of delicious wine or grape juice in hand and a spectacular view over Vienna. Attention: Leave your phone in your pocket while driving and don't forget to keep your distance. Stay safe!

Vienna On Wheels: From Hundertwasserhaus up to the Wine Hills

Waltz through the city and discover the places that inspired great musicians that have walked Vienna’s streets. Meet Beethoven, Mozart, and the Strausses and find out more about the role Vienna has played in the history of music.

A Music Lover’s Guide to Vienna

This audio tour of the Palm House Schönbrunn will enable you to discover more than 4,000 plants from every continent. Note. The Palm House Schönbrunn is not to be confused with the Café Palmenhaus. The café is located in the Burggarten.

 Palm House  | Cultural Places

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Discover plants from all around the globe: This audio tour of the Palm House Schönbrunn will enable you to discover more than 4,000 plants from every continent. Note: The Palm House Schönbrunn is not to be confused with the Café Palmenhaus. The café is located in the Burggarten.

The content of this tour comes from the collaborative efforts of the Austrian Federal Gardens and the Cultural Places team.

Imprint

Quick Facts For those who prefer to read rather than listen at the individual stations, we’ve created a list of quick facts.Plant Family The plant’s scientific classification will be shown in the category plant family.

Welcome

Quick Facts<ul><li>The dragon tree gets its name from the blood red color of its sap. </li><li>It is actually not a tree. The largest dragon trees can be found on the Canary Islands. </li><li>The seeds from carob trees were previously used as a weight for measuring carats.</li></ul>Plant Family <ul><li>Dragon tree: Agavoideae</li><li>Carob tree: Caesalpinioideae</li></ul>

Dragon Tree and Carob Tree

Quick Facts <ul><li>Figs have been cultivated in the Mediterranean region for over 3,000 years.</li><li>Turpentine was previously produced from pistacia terebinthus, the turpintine tree.</li><li>Olive oil was used as a fuel.</li><li>Besides being drinkable, pomegranate juice can also be used as a natural dye.</li></ul>Plant Family <ul><li>Common fig: Moraceae (mulberry family) </li><li>Pistachio: Anacardiaceae (cashew family) </li><li>Olive: Oleaceae </li><li>Pomegranate: Lythraceae   </li></ul>

Figs, Pistachios, Olives, and Pomegranates

Quick Facts <ul><li>The Palm House was built between 1880 and 1882. </li><li>Kaiser Franz Joseph I was the project commissioner.</li><li>The court architect Franz Xaver Segenschmid was responsible for the building plans.</li><li>The building is 111m long, 28m wide, and 25m high.</li><li>The cold house (5 °C) is located on the northern side of the Palm House (left of the entrance) and the hot house (18 °C) is on the southern side. The temperate house (12 °C) is located in the central hall. </li><li>The Palm House was destroyed by three bombs during World War II.</li><li>The Palm House was reopened on 14 January 1953.</li><li>Due to its poor condition, the Palm House was closed from 1976–1986.</li><li>Renovations were carried out from 1986–1990 and again from 2011–2014.</li></ul>

History

Quick Facts <ul><li>The name “Ironwood” comes from the sheer thickness of the wood.</li><li>It is one of the few tree species whose wood cannot float.</li><li>In New Zealand, the tree blooms bright red during Christmastime, leading many people to call it a Christmas Tree; in Central Europe, however, the tree blooms in midsummer.</li><li>By the way, the technical room of the Palm House is stationed just below this tree since 1990.   </li></ul>Plant Family <ul><li>Persian Ironwood: Hamamelidaceae (witch-hazel family) </li></ul>

The Ironwood Tree

Quick Facts <ul><li>The coniferous Wollemi pines are characterized by their rareness.</li><li>Australian National Park officer Daniel Noble discovered the tree near Sydney in 1994.</li><li>Until its discovery, Wollemi pines were only known through their fossil records.</li><li>The botanical name Wollemia nobilis is a combination of the Aboriginal word “Wollemi” (“keep your eyes open”) and the surname of the plant’s discoverer, David Noble.</li><li>Austria is the first country outside of Australia to have a young Wollemi pine. </li></ul>Plant Family Wollemia: Araucariaceae

The Wollemia

Quick Facts <ul><li>Philipp Franz von Siebold brought the hemp palms to Europe from China.</li><li>The formation of the hemp takes places on the trunk of the palm</li><li>Tree ferns can only be found in the Southern Hemisphere.</li><li>Unlike many other ferns, tree ferns are able to form a trunk.</li></ul>Plant Family <ul><li>Hemp palms: Trachycarpus </li><li>Tree ferns: various   </li></ul>

Hemp Palms and Tree Ferns

Quick Facts <ul><li>In 1780, the Swedish natural scientist Karl Peter Thunberg transported 4 camellia plants from Southeast Asia to Europe and one of those plants ended up in the greenhouse of Schönbrunn.</li><li>One camellia from this original journey is still alive and is currently kept in the Pillnitz Castle Park in Dresden</li><li>The camellia is named after the Jesuit priest, missionary, and botanist Georgius Josephus Kamel (1661–1706).</li></ul>Plant Familiy <ul><li>Camellia: Theaceae </li></ul>

The Camellia

Quick Facts<ul><li>Persimmons are rich with natural tanning agents.</li><li>The date-plum is a close relative of the persimmon.</li><li>The cultivation of citrus plants began around 2000 BCE.</li><li>Some of the citrus plants in the Palm House were offshoots from the historical plant collections of the Federal Gardens. As tasty as the citruses may look, they are not suitable to eat!  </li></ul>Plant Family <ul><li>Japanese persimmon: Ebenaceae </li><li>Citrus plant: Rutaceae </li></ul>

Japanese Persimmon and Citrus Fruits

Quick Facts <ul><li>Podocarps have needle-like or scale-like leaves.</li><li>Translated, its botanical name “Podocarpus” means “fruit on foot,” the seeds being the fruit.</li><li>Many podocarps provide excellent timber and the wood is used for shipbuilding.</li></ul>Plant Family<ul><li> Podocarp: Podocarpaceae </li></ul>

Podocarps

Quick Facts<ul><li>In botany, there is a difference between pinnate and palmate palm trees.</li><li>Practically all parts of a date palm are usable (date bread, marmelade, sweets; coffee substitute from roasted date seeds; palm kale from young leaves; cattle feed, roofs, basketwork from old leaves; timber from the trunks).</li><li>When the palms reach the domed roof, they must be cut down to prevent damage to the greenhouse.</li><li>Since 1882, the Chinese fan palm Livistona chinesis (named after its discoverer, Livingston) has been kept in the greenhouse. </li></ul>Plant Familiy <ul><li>Palms: Arecaceae  </li></ul>

Palms

Quick Facts<ul><li>Eucalyptus plants and callistemon, or “bottlebrush“ shrubs also belong to the family Myrtaceae.</li><li>There are roughly 600 species of eucalyptus plants native to Australia, Tasmania, and Indonesia, but only 40 species of bottlebrushes can only be found in Australia and Tasmania.</li><li>Also called “pyrophytes,“ callistemon plants propagate primarily through bush fires.</li><li>Kauri trees have very wide needles that almost resemble leaves. </li></ul>Plant Family <ul><li> Myrtle plants: Myrtaceae</li><li>Kauri: Araucariaceae </li></ul>

Myrtle Plants and Kauri Trees

Quick Facts<ul><li>Some ficuses are commonly known as rubber trees.</li><li>Their tree sap aids in the production of rubber. Today, natural rubber can be extracted from the rubber tree.</li><li>Ficus benjamina is a very popular houseplant.</li></ul>Plant Family <ul><li>Ficus: Moraceae </li></ul>

Ficus Plants

Quick Facts<ul><li>In Ethiopia, coffee was already known as a stimulating beverage in the 9th century.</li><li>The first Viennese café opened in 1683.</li><li>The term “cocoa” comes from the Aztec word “cacahuatl.”</li><li>The cacao tree was a holy plant to the Aztecs.</li><li>Papaya seeds contain the enzyme papain, which is used in beer production.</li><li>Caramolas are also known as starfruits.</li></ul>Plant Family<ul><li>Coffee plant: Rubiaceae </li><li>Cacao tree: Malvaceae </li><li>Papaya tree: Caricaceae </li><li>Carambola: Oxalidaceae   </li></ul>

Tropical Crop Plants

Quick Facts<ul><li>Although epiphytes (literally “upon plants”) are plants that attach themselves to other plants or materials, they are not parasites.</li><li>Orchids and bromeliads grow in an epiphytic fashion.</li><li>Orchids have been collected and cultivated in Schönbrunn for over 200 years.</li><li>One of the most popular bromeliads is the pineapple.</li><li>Pineapples and tillandsias primarily grow as epiphytes.</li></ul>Plant Family <ul><li>Orchids: Orchidaceae </li><li>Bromeliads: Bromeliaceae    </li></ul>

Epiphytes: Orchids and Bromeliads

Quick Facts<ul><li>Water lilies are aquatic plants with either elongated or bulbous stem axes.</li><li>The rod-shaped leaves of the traveler’s tree can collect rainwater, enabling thirsty wanderers to have a drink if needed.</li><li>As its trunk resembles that of a screw, the pandan is also known as a screw palm. </li><li>Ants live in the cavities of the snakewood tree and protect it from parasites and other pests.</li></ul>Plant Family <ul><li>Water lily: Nymphaeaceae </li><li>Traveller’s tree: Strelitziaceae </li><li>Screw palm: Pandanaceae </li><li>Snakewood tree: Urticaceae   </li></ul>

Aquatic Plants, Traveller’s Tree, Snakewood Tree, and Pandan

Quick Facts<ul><li>Although they were vastly more abundant 200 million years ago, the family Cycadaceae is the last representative of the ancient plant order Cycadales.</li><li>Cycads are not related to palms.</li><li>Cycads, as well as those in the family Ginkgoaceae, are among the oldest known plants.</li><li>Today, cycad species are endangered and have been put under strict conservation.</li></ul>Pflanzenfamilie<ul><li>Cycad: Cycadaceae   </li></ul>

Cycads

Quick Facts<ul><li>Under heavy environmental protection, the sea coconut tree is native to the island Praslin in the Seychelles.</li><li>The trunks of the sea coconut can grow up to 60 meters high and their fruits are among the largest and heaviest.</li><li>The botanical name of the dessert banana is the Musa x paradisiaca.</li><li>Bananas originally form as flowers that become denser over time.</li><li>Banana flowers are pointed towards the ground but later turn up towards the light; this results in the curvature of the banana.</li><li>Bamboo is one of the fastest-growing plants in the world and can grow up to 90 centimeters per day.</li></ul>Plant Family<ul><li> Sea coconut: Arecaceae </li><li>Banana: Musaceae </li><li>Bamboo: Poaceae   </li></ul>

Sea Coconut, Bananas, and Bamboo

Quick Facts<ul><li>Tillandsia usneoides is also known as Spanish moss.</li><li>It is a plant without any roots.</li><li>The moss is able to break branches and telephone poles with its weight; it has the ability to store an enormous amount of water.</li></ul>Plant Family <ul><li>Tillandsia usneoides: Bromeliaceae </li></ul>

Tillandsia Usneoides and Seasonal Plants

Quick Facts<ul><li>The flower is named after Queen Victoria.</li><li>&nbsp;It was discovered by the Austrian researcher Thaddäus Haenke in Bolivia around 1800.</li><li>With its leaves reaching 2 meters in diameter, the Victoria is truly a natural wonder.</li><li>Developing from July to October, the flowers only open up for 2 consecutive nights.</li></ul>Plant Family <ul><li>Victoria: Nymphaeaceae   </li></ul>

Victoria

Thank you for visiting the Palm House at Schönbrunn. The Austrian Federal Gardens hope that you have enjoyed your visit and wish you a wonderful day! 
  The content of this tour comes from the collaborative efforts of the Austrian Federal Gardens and the Cultural Places team.

Goodbye

Palm House

Palmenhaus Schönbrunn

Hanfpalme

© Palmenhaus

Quick Facts For those who prefer to read rather than listen at the individual stations, we’ve created a list of quick facts. Plant Family The plant’s scientific classification will be shown in the category plant family.

The Emperor's Greenhouse: Palm House

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