Rudolfsvilla, Protected villa in Reichenau an der Rax, Austria

The Rudolfsvilla rises above the Schwarza with a three-sided structure featuring Tudor Gothic elements, narrow polygonal pillars, and a terracotta frieze along its facade. The building combines European historical styles in a distinctive architectural design.

The villa was built in 1856/1857 by architect Anton Hefft for Johann M. Waißnix and Alois Waißnix on the site of the former Haus an der Waag. From 1859 to 1864 Emperor Franz Joseph I rented it for hunting trips into the Rax area, and Empress Elisabeth sometimes stayed there, giving rise to the name "Sisi-Schloss". Crown Prince Rudolf and Archduchess Gisela spent summers here, and Archduke Carl Ludwig lived in the villa from 1867 to 1869. From 1870 it served as a branch of the Kaltwasser-Heilanstalt.

The marble wall fountain in the courtyard of honour has maskarons and shell basins; it first stood as a single fountain at the old Burgtheater in Vienna before being moved here. A pyramid pillar in its centre carries a bust of Emperor Franz Joseph I, inscribed Fossati 1917 and donated by Karl Waißnix; the bust previously stood in front of the village school and was moved here around 1970.

The villa stands at Thalhofstraße 6 in Reichenau an der Rax, above the Schwarza and within a landscaped park laid out for the earlier building on the site. The street-facing side forms a small cour d'honneur enclosed by a wrought-iron fence between pillars, where the marble wall fountain stands. The sources record no opening times or visitor access.

The marble wall fountain in the courtyard was originally a freestanding fountain at Vienna's old Burgtheater before being moved here. Its central pyramid pillar once carried a bust of Emperor Franz Joseph I, labelled Fossati 1917 and donated by Karl Waißnix; the bust stood in front of the village school until it was moved here around 1970.