Hotel Imperial 1880 – Zeffiro Ciuffoletti: Das Reich der Habsburger 1848-1918 – Photographien aus der österreichisch-ungarischen Monarchie
The Hotel Imperial, also known as Imperial, Wien or simply The Imperial, is a five-star luxury hotel in Vienna, Austria. It is located at Kärntner Ring on the Ringstraße.
The building was designed by architect Arnold Zenetti and built under the direction of Heinrich Adam in 1863. Initially, it was planned as a city palace (Stadtpalais) of Duke Philipp of Württemberg (1838-1917) and his spouse Duchess Marie Therese (1845-1927), née Archduchess of Austria, and its original name was Palais Württemberg. However, the Duke and the Duchess did not like their new home very much and, after having moved there in 1866, sold it only five years later. For the Universal Exhibition it was converted into a hotel in 1873. In 1928, two stories were added. But the original architecture is still very much in evidence and is an integral part of the luxurious atmosphere.
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Hotel Imperial 1880 - Zeffiro Ciuffoletti: Das Reich der Habsburger 1848-1918 - Photographien aus der österreichisch-ungarischen Monarchie
Today, The Imperial is, perhaps, Vienna’s most exclusive five-star hotel. Guests of state typically stay at the hotel, such as the Emperor and Empress of Japan on their visit in 2002.
A speciality of the house is the Imperial Tart or Imperial Torte as its called, which is a chocolate truffle, supposedly based on a secret recipe that is said to have been created by an apprentice cook who fashioned it when Emperor Franz Joseph opened the Hotel in 1873. The confection comes in either a plain pinewood box or a cardboard box (for shipments), each containing a single cake or group of small cakes.
