Palais Erdödy-Fürstenberg

The Palais Erdődy-Fürstenberg stands in Vienna’s first district, on Himmelpfortgasse. A 17th-century predecessor was owned by the Count of Aspremont, whose guest was the Hungarian freedom fighter Ferenc II. Rákóczi. In 1714 the palace passed to Count Georg Erdődy, who had it rebuilt in the high-baroque style by an unknown master builder. The façade rises from a two-storey stone base with square windows to three upper floors. A central three-bay projection carries balconies on herms and a window crowned by the Erdődy coat of arms. The stonework is richly carved with scrolls, masks and pediments above the windows. Today the palace serves as home and gallery for Francesca Habsburg-Lothringen. The Austrian fashion designer La Hong Nhut opened a flagship store and studio here in 2014. Inside, the high baro­que interiors contrast with modern art displays. The building remains one of the few private palaces in central Vienna still used as a residence.