Palais Kaunitz

Palais Kaunitz stood in Vienna’s Mariahilf district as a garden palace rebuilt several times before its demolition in 1971. Originally built at the end of the 17th century as a suburban residence, it became the property of diplomat Wenzel Anton von Kaunitz in 1754. Hofbaumeister Johann Adam Münzer redesigned the garden side, adding an octagonal ballroom topped by a roof terrace with winding stairs and sweeping views over the park. The palace served as a centre for receptions, concerts and political gatherings under Kaunitz, who hosted figures such as Mozart and later Pope Pius VI. A two-storey extension in the 1780s enlarged the building to twenty-one window bays, creating a grand piano nobile for Kaunitz’s art collection of more than two hundred works. The octagonal hall’s ceiling was later painted by Antonio Marini with a vast Olympian scene unveiled at a ball in 1821. Visitors to the palace found a formally arranged French garden with statues and a wide forecourt. The main reception rooms included the high-ceilinged ballroom and a sculpture gallery added by Prince Esterházy. After the city acquired the building, it housed a school until its controversial demolition, though the ballroom’s ceiling fresco was saved by a citizens’ committee.