Schonbrunn Palace was the main summer residence of the Habsburg Emperors, located in Vienna. Needing space as the imperial collection of plants grew in the nineteenth century, Emperor Franz Joseph commissioned a new greenhouse, completed in 1882. This Palm House is 113m long and 28m tall in the centre, divided into 3 sections – a cold section in the north pavilion, a temperate area in the central section and a tropical house in the southern pavilion.
The massive iron and glass construction has a surprising appearance of lightness, despite its size. The construction also works in harmony with the planting, the tall palms and the supporting columns of the building combining to form a single enclosed forest of iron and growing plants.
I will capture six images during one day on holiday in Vienna that will illustrate this building and its harmony with its plant inhabitants.
