Kaiserstöckl

Kaiserstöckl is a three-story Baroque building adjacent to Schönbrunn Palace in Hietzing, featuring eleven window axes and prominent projecting sections on its sides. The central portion displays an ornate facade with a balustrade supported by four substantial consoles.

In 1754, Empress Maria Theresa commissioned the building as a residence for her personal physician Gerard van Swieten, after demolishing an existing mill structure on the site. The structure became a residence of importance to figures of European high nobility over subsequent generations.

The building takes its name from its original function as an imperial storage facility, and its solid Baroque form has shaped the character of Hietzing's streetscape to this day. Visitors notice how the ground floor spaces are now used by local businesses, weaving this historic structure into the neighborhood's daily life.

The building sits directly beside Schönbrunn and is visible from the adjacent pathway, making it easy for palace visitors to spot while walking around the grounds. The ground floor spaces remain accessible since they house local shops and postal services today.

Queen Carola of Wasa-Holstein-Gottorp of Saxony was born within these walls in 1833, connecting this place to a special chapter of European royal history. This royal birthplace remains little known today and is often overlooked by visitors to the nearby palace.