ParliamentOblique view
From northern
Remarkable building at Ringstrasse, constructed 1873 to 1883 in the style of classic (ancient) Greek temple by architect Theophil Hansen (born July 13, 1813 Kopenhagen, Royal academy of architecture, went to Athenas 1838, studied greek architekture, died February 17, 1891 in Vienna) by order of Ministry of the Interior 1869. It is one the the remarkable buildings on Ringstrasse. Start was in June 1874, laying of the foundation-stone on September 2, 1874. At first there were plans for two houses, the Herrenhaus (House of Lords) and the Abgeordnetenhaus (House of Commons). From December 1884 both houses conferred, the Abgeordnetenhaus under the chairmanship of President Smolka and the Herrenhaus under Graf Trauttmannsdorff, in the Parliament.
Teh building was constucted influenced by the buildings of the ancient Greeks because in Greece there was the first democracy established and many political idioms have their roots in the Greek language. Hansen ordered various material from all the countries of the Austrian/Hungarian Monarchy.
Since the end of the Monarchy in November 1918 at the great hall off
Herrenhaus the Nationalversammlung and later the Nationalrat conferred.
In World War II the building was damaged heavily, above all on February 7, 1945 by a bomb falling on the column-hall. The architects Professor Max Fellerer and Professor Eugen Woerle did not reconstruct originally. E.g. there was used Salzburg-marble instead of Pavonazzo-marble. The old Herrenhaus-hall was adapted to modern demands.
Enlargements later were difficult because of the 'monument-conservation'. Remarkable reconstructions took place in 1972 to 1978 (enlargements under the roof), 1978/79 (rooms for deputies) and 1979 to 1980 (enlargement of the library).
In the foreground the fountain of Pallas Athene, the ancient Greek godess of wisdom (daughter of Zeus), by Karl Kundmann.
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