< BARTENDER'S TALES / ROYAL BACKGROUND
Much of its opulence, the majestic Imperial Hotel in Vienna owes to the fact that it was not designed as a hotel, but princely palace!
Built in 1863, this Italian neo-Renaissance building was envisioned as the private town-residence of Prince Philip of Würrttemberg, who sold it just few years after he moved in.
Eventually, the opulent Ringstrasse palace was purchased by an investor - Horace Ritter von Landau, who convert it into a luxury hotel for the upcomming Vienna's Universal Exhibition of 1873!
(shown above: The Royal Staircase)