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The Mayerling tragedy

In 1888/89, the Grand Hotel played a central role in the

Mayerling Incident, one o the most shocking episodes o

the late Habsburg Empire. Countess Marie Larisch, a niece

o Empress Elisabeth, was a regular guest at the Grand

Hotel whenever she was in Vienna. The countess was a close

associate o Crown Prince Rudol o Habsburg and introducedhim to the young and beautiul Baroness Mary Vetsera. It was

the beginning o a atal aair that later partly took place at the

Grand Hotel.

The crown princes personal coachman picked up young Mary

more than twenty times rom the rear entrance o the Grand

Hotel to take her to secret meetings with her beloved Rudol.

In November 1888, the emperor asked his married son to

end his aair with the sixteen-year-old baroness, who at that

time was already pregnant. Marys mother ound out about

the pregnancy and decided to send her daughter to England.

Mary then ed to the Grand Hotel so seek reuge with Countess

Larisch. In the morning o January 27, 1889, Crown Prince

Rudol went to the Grand Hotel or a confdential conversationwith Countess Larisch. Later that day, the heir came back or

the second time. He accidentally entered the hotels pub and

was recognized by the coachmen. The ollowing day, Rudol

had Mary transerred to his hunting lodge in Mayerling, where

he met her in the evening. On January 29, 1889, the tragedy

that was to change the course o the monarchy took place:

Crown Prince Rudol shot Mary Vetsera and then himsel.

Countess Maria Larisch remained a regular at the Grand Hotel

even ater the drama. She used to stay in Suites 21, 23, and

28 on the frst oor, with a view on Maximilianstrasse (now

called Mahlerstrasse).

A celebration for the King of WaltzThe King o Waltz Johann Strauss was the most important

superstar o his time. Among other venues, his music was

regularly perormed at the Grand Hotel, mostly conducted by

his brother Eduard. In 1894, a estive dinner was held at the

Grand Hotel in celebration o the 50th anniversary o Johann

Strausss debut as a composer. More than 200 distinguished

guests attended, including the maestro himsel, his wie, and

the amous composer Johannes Brahms. That same night,

Grand Duke Constantine o Russia was staying at the hotel.

A great admirer o the maestro, he asked or permission to sit

in a room next door and listen to the speeches and the music.

In 1911, the Grand Hotel expanded its premises by acquiring

the adjacent buildings at Krntnerring 11 and 13. The hotelgained 100 rooms, installed elevators, and opened additional

salons and a courtyard. By that time, all guest rooms were

equipped with telephones.

A book on the history o the Grand Hotel by Andreas Augustin

reers to a amily gala dinner celebrated there by the house

o Habsburg-Lothringen, with Backhendl (ried chicken),

Taelspitz (boiled bee), and Apelstrudel. But the careree

times soon came to an end. The killing o the heir to the

throne in Sarajevo triggered the declaration o World War I and

ushered in the end o the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy.

Damen-Solan Louis XV

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Guests in the interwar period

In the years ollowing the First World War, Vienna soon becamea cosmopolitan city again. Josephine Baker perormed at the

Variet Ronacher and was a guest at the Grand Hotel. Duringthe summer months a very popular terrace was set up in ronto the hotel. The tradition lives on with todays Schanigarten (a

Viennese term meaning outdoor terrace or outdoor garden).

The hotels popularity continued in the 1930s. Actors like EmilJannings and Heinz Rhmann stayed here. The music salonswere much appreciated by visiting artists perorming at the

opera. All o the salons were urnished with either grand orupright pianos and during the day resonated with the soundso that nights perormances at the opera.WWII and the postwar period

Not much is known about the Grand Hotel during the years

o the Second World War. In 1939, a guide published by

the German Automobile Club classifed the Grand Hotel, theBristol, and the Sacher as the only fve-star hotels in Vienna.Ater the war, the Grand Hotel was occupied by Soviet troopsuntil it reopened in 1957. Initially, the Austrian government

considered closing the Imperial and giving its urniture to theGrand Hotel, which had been virtually stripped o its contents.Fortunately, this did not happen, and both o Viennastraditional hotels were preserved.

One o the guests at the Grand Hotel ater the Second WorldWar was Prince Saud. While undergoing medical checks inVienna, the Saudi heir to the throne was dissatisfed with theood served at the clinic. Every day, he would have two Rolls

Royces deliver meals to him rom the Grand Hotel.In 1958, flm director Anatole Litvak brought many amousguests to the Grand Hotel while shooting The Journey inVienna. Among them were actors Yul Brynner, Deborah Kerr,

Jason Robards Jr., Robert Morley, E.G. Marshall, and AnneJackson. Back then, the Grand Hotel was also the base or AirFrance crews.

Also in 1958, Austria succeeded in bringing the InternationalAtomic Energy Agency IAEA to Vienna, once again giving thenow neutral country a presence on the diplomatic parquet.But Austria had to pay a high price in exchange: the GrandHotel became the IAEA headquarters that same year. The IAEA

stayed until 1979, when it moved to a purpose-built skyscraperin Viennas UNO City.

The ANA Grand Hotel

Ater a fre it took years until the premises o the ormer Grand

Hotel were renovated. In 1989, the Japanese airline andhotel chain All Nippon Airways (ANA) invested in the building

and had it completely renovated and reduced to its originalsize. Only the ront aade remained. This is why (with theexception o the roo section) the hotel now looks much like it

did in 1870. The interior may well have lost its patina, but thealteration made it easier to adapt the rooms to contemporarystandards.

On June 15, 1994, the ANA Grand Hotel ofcially reopened

ater a our-year renovation, once again welcoming stars,politicians, and business leaders among its guests. The ThreeTenors Placido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti, and Jos Carrerasused the Grand Hotel or a presentation with conductor James

Levine. UNO Secretary Generals Boutros-Boutros Ghali andKof Annan were guests at the Grand Hotel, and violinist LordMenuhin regularly stayed in the Presidential Suite. Since theANA Grand Hotel was in Japanese possession, Nobel Prizewinner Kenzaburo Oe also sojourned at the Grand Hotel, as did

the Japanese royal couple.

JJW Hotels & Resorts

On August 1, 2002, the Grand Hotel Wien was acquired by

JJW Hotels & Resorts, an international hotel chain ounded bySaudi entrepreneur Mohamed Bin Issa Al Jaber. JJW Hotelsstill operates this historic property today under the nameGrand Hotel Wien. The luxury hotel has been a member o

the prestigious Leading Hotels o the World association since

December 1, 2002.

Source/Copyright: Louis Gerber www.cosmopolis.chBibliography:

- Brigitte Hamann, Kronprinz Rudol, Piper TB.- Andreas Augustin, The Grand Hotel Vienna Treasury, 2000.

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