Palais Herberstein, City palace at Michaelerplatz, Vienna, Austria
The Palais Herberstein is a large Gründerzeit apartment building at the corner of Michaelerplatz and Herrengasse in Vienna's 1st district. Architect Karl König designed it in 1896–1897 to replace the 1818 Palais Dietrichstein, using a reduced plot of about 500 square metres. Its monumental Neo-Baroque facade echoes the Hofburg, but the colossal main floor is split into two storeys.
Architect Carl König designed the building to replace the earlier Palais Dietrichstein on this site. The design drew inspiration from architectural elements visible in the nearby Hofburg Imperial Palace.
The literary café Griensteidl stood in the earlier Palais Dietrichstein on this corner until that building was demolished in 1896; the writers' meeting place was not inside the present palace. A café of the same name opened in the ground floor in 1990, sharing only the name with its predecessor.
The building now houses offices and ground-floor retail spaces, including a supermarket. Its central location at Michaelerplatz makes it easily accessible for visitors exploring the surrounding area.
The building originally featured a dome on its roof that was removed during a 1936 renovation by architect Felix Nemečić. This modification created space for additional floors and permanently altered the roofline that visitors see today.
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