Basic information
The Art Nouveau Primavesi villa is a truly iconic building. Otto came from a banking family with Italian ancestry, Eugenie was a beautiful Viennese actress. They chose a plot left vacant after demolition of charity houses between the university, a Baroque church and a city park. In 1905–1906, a new asymmetrical building without ornamentation was placed sensitively in this environment by Viennese architects Franz von Krauss and Josef Tölk. Although the villa and its surroundings are hundreds of years apart, they harmonise with each other.
The villa’s layout is crucial: in a two-storey residential hall, a staircase rises to a gallery. Living and working areas are clearly separated, following the British residential style.
The architects designed most of the equipment, supplied by Viennese Wiener Werkstätte arts and crafts workshop. Thanks to the friendship with sculptor Anton Hanak and painter Gustav Klimt, the house and garden were filled with many first-class works of art. The villa thus turned into a gallery and an ideal residence for an art lover.
The building was equipped with advanced technology – a power plant, central heating, central vacuum cleaner and ventilation system.
Business failures after WW1 and perhaps a restrained approach to the new Republic led the Primavesi couple to sell the house in 1923 and move to Austria. Afterwards the villa passed through private and public ownership, with healthcare services having been provided here for decades. Today, the villa is regaining its lost glory.
Opening hours:
Gallery: Tue – Fri 8:30am to 12:30pm and 1:00pm to 5:00 pm, Sat 8:30am to 12:30pm