A historic hotel in Vienna was re-designed and re-opened some time back as the Hotel Motto. What’s the connection with Strauss? The luxury hotel is known as the birthplace of Josef Strauss, son of the famous composer Johann Strauss Senior (and therefore brother of Johann Junior). He called the hotel home in 1827. Josef was a noted composer in his own right, but suffered poor health and eventually died after falling from a stage in Warsaw.
The same building has housed hotels for over three centuries. The first property, The Golden Cross, opened in 1665 and much later became known as the prestigious Hotel Kummer in 1872. The stylish building quickly became a social hub for artists, painters, sculptors, writers, actors and musicians. They gathered for coffee, wine and the inevitable Austrian delicacies in the hotel’s public spaces. In 1904 the building was again refurbished, this time by Ludwig Schwarz.
The décor of the upper floors was especially elaborate and some of the interiors have been preserved, despite the damage cause by the allied occupation of post-World War II Vienna. The hotel was taken over by the French from 1945 until 1955. The architecture is infused with Renaissance and Baroque references layered with elements of the Gothic and byzantine styles. The towers and domes as well as the configuration of the façade were originally constructed by the top artisans of the Vienna Artisan Craft movement. They have been preserved and play a pivotal role in the layout of the property. The signature roof has been re-designed while keeping the distinctive original form.
At the time it was still Hotel Kummer, Hotel Motto was also the setting of John Irving’s celebrated novel The Hotel New Hampshire. The subsequent movie was not shot there, however.
Great post!!! I’m going to visit Vienna in June with my wife.
Right now I’ve showed her your article and we loved this hotel! Maybe we will stay in it. Thank you very much!!!
Inglês Foco recently posted..O mito de aprender inglês com professor nativo
In the first part, we told how in the early 1950s Josef Strauss had his birth place re-opened. Today that has become history.
Yesterday, at noon in a ceremony accompanied by dignitaries from many countries I attended Josef Strauss’ re-opening, the birthplace of the founder, in Prague. Now, after the two decades Josef Strauss spent in hiding, the place where he was born is open again to the public and, in fact, to more than 7,500 guests. It is now open all year round. They have not made any profit yet. In this case the public wants the right to visit a museum with his stuff, not his childhood home which his family no longer can. If you are interested, please watch the video below, a personal message if I may, with my colleague Tomasz Jachowicz, a director on board.
My question: Who came up with this idea, Mr. Zdravicki or Mr. Piotrek, and why, because there is, however, an issue regarding it and a new law has been passed? The place where the couple hid when being forced by the communist regime to emigrate, and where they ended…