AS CENTRAL AS POSIBLE
FEUDAL PALACE DURING THE 18TH CENTURY
In the course of the 18th century our house became
a stately palace. Spacious chambers and
marvellous state rooms, a chapel and magnificent
ironworks for the railings in the inner courtyard –
which are preserved until today – were installed
during that time. Other remnants are the arcade in
the Erzherzog Johann Café. Back then the arcades
served as a shelter for the horses.
THE ERZHERZOG JOHANN HOTEL DURING THE 19TH
CENTURY
Until the mid 19th century the house changed
hands several times. In 1852 Ferdinand
Sonnhammer rented the building and finally
purchased it in 1877. It was him that converted the
feudal palace into an elegant hotel, still nameless at
the time. He eventually petitioned the ‘Styrian
Prince’ Archduke John – brother of King Francis II –
to assume the patronage for the hotel.
Do you want to find out more about Archduke
John’s story?
Our gallery offers the perfect way to do so with several
stations exploring the life and work of the ‘Styrian Prince’
in depth.
BECOMING A TOP ADDRESS IN THE 20TH CENTURY
In the 20th century the Erzherzog Johann Hotel became
well-known among aristocrats and artists. Interesting
personalities chose our hotel as accommodation or as a
place to meet. Due to the ever-growing numbers of
visitors additional space was needed to accommodate
the illustrious guests.
Soon the buildings at Badgasse 4 and Sackstrasse 3
were integrated and already presented the same façade
as today. Fritz Müller, a great uncle of today’s owners,
purchased the hotel from Ferdinand Sonnhammer’s
widow. The hotel has been family owned for the last 100
years.
THE MODERN ERA
Through substantial investments in the last few years we
have been able to ensure that our 4 star hotel leaves
nothing to be desired when it comes to comfort and
modern standards without loosing its historical flair.