Vienna - Palais Ferstel

The palace with its beautiful facade and magnificent staircase was built between 1713 and 1726 to a design by Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt. It was commissioned by Count Daun, the father of the legendary commander in the seven year war against Friedrich II of Prussia.

The Palais Ferstel, which Heinrich Ferstel, architect of the Votivkirche and the University, built in 1856-60 for the National Bank, has a distinct Italianate air. Until 1877 the Stock Exchange was housed here. For years the building was neglected but has been restored exactly as it was in the elaborate "Ringstrasse" style as an exclusive venue for conferences and banquets. A glass-roofed shopping arcade containing the fountain of the Danube sprites by Anton Fernkorn, leads to the Herrengasse.