The Magnificent Villa Andrássy at Hohe Warte in Vienna is up for Sale for €18 Million
The Vienna real estate scene is currently being shaken up by a spectacular sales announcement: the magnificent Villa Andrássy in the exclusive Döbling cottage area, Hohe Warte, is up for sale. The asking price for the historic property, which is considered an architectural masterpiece, is €18.5 million.
The sale offers a solvent buyer the rare opportunity to reside in one of the magnificent buildings designed by Ringstrasse architect Theophil Hansen and to continue an important piece of Viennese architectural history. / Picture: © Wikimedia Commons; Tagtraumleben, CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.de)
The villa, originally known as Villa Kratzer, was built in 1863 by the famous Danish-Austrian architect Theophil Hansen. The country-style building captivates with its freely grouped components, ornamental painting, and a striking tower attached to the side.
From the count's residence to orphanage
Villa Hohe Warte 5, now known as Villa Andrássy, has had an eventful history. The property was owned by the Hungarian nobleman Dionysius Stephan Georg Klement Count Andrássy (1835; †1913). Count Andrássy donated the villa to the city of Vienna in 1903 to establish an orphanage for Christian girls in memory of his late wife, Countess Franziska Andrássy (née Hablawetz, †1871). Theophil Hansen created a prestigious building here, whose style is characterized by high aesthetic standards.
The property for sale has a floor area of 3,253 square meters and a usable area of 1,821 square meters. The four-story house offers a total of 18 rooms and is reportedly in very good condition. Amenities include an indoor pool, an elevator, a roof terrace, and a conservatory.
China in the neighborhood
It is important to distinguish Villa Andrássy (Hohe Warte 5) from the neighboring properties at Hohe Warte 1-3. The villa currently for sale was built by Theophil Hansen. Count Andrássy also donated the neighboring property (Hohe Warte 3) for the construction of a Christian boys' orphanage. This building, known as the “Villa Hohe Warte,” was built in 1907/08 by the municipality of Vienna as the sixth municipal orphanage.
The Hohe Warte 1-3 building complex was sold to the People's Republic of China in 2013 for a reported €21 million. After extensive renovation work, Villa Hohe Warte has served as the seat of the Permanent Mission of China to the United Nations and other international organizations in Vienna (often referred to as the “Chinese Mission”) since 2020.
The Permanent Mission of China is thus located in the historic grounds of the Andrássy Foundation, but in the building on the Hohe Warte 1-3 properties, while the original Villa Andrássy (Hohe Warte 5) is now looking for a new private buyer.
A piece of the Ringstrasse era
Hansen, born in Copenhagen, spent formative years in Athens, where he studied the architecture of Greek antiquity and Hellenism. He transferred this inspiration to his buildings in Vienna and became the outstanding representative of strict historicism, the so-called “Viennese style.”
The Villa Andrássy is just one example of his early Viennese creative period. Among his most important and best-known creations, which define the face of the Ringstrasse and were considered by him to be his life's work, are the Parliament building (1874–1883), the world-famous Musikverein building (1867–1870), the Vienna Stock Exchange on Schottenring (1874–1877), the Academy of Fine Arts (1871–1876), and the Museum of Military History in the Arsenal (1856).
For his services, Hansen was made an honorary citizen of the city of Vienna in 1863 and elevated to the rank of Austrian baron by the emperor in 1884. His legacy makes Villa Andrássy a historical highlight on the current real estate market.