Palmenhaus. Plant Life.

Tucked away in the corner of Schonenbrun Palace Park, Vienna, lies a treasure trove of all things green. Palmehaus is home to 4,500 species of plant and is one of the largest greenhouses of its kind. Whilst visiting Vienna my girlfriend and I decided to explore the 19th century building.


On entry, you realise just how big the structure really is. With a height of 25 meters, the 45,000 glass tiles that make up the ceiling of Palmenhaus let in light from all sides. Two smaller annexes occupy the space on either side of the mainchamber, each with a different climate. The hot climate room is as you'd expect, humid, foggy and aromatic, with the distinctive smell possessed by tropical greenhouses. To the rear of the room is a large cage, stuffed full with giant African snails. Surprisingly it didn't seem out of place surround by Venus fly traps and other exotic species of plant.

The "cold" room, can only be named such, in comparison to the other two chambers, as we found its temperature to be far from uncomfortable. Despite this rooms less tropical conditions, we found the plants to be just as bright and colourful.

In the main chamber,  gigantic trees reach up high, only letting shards of light in through small gaps between leaves. Two spiral staircases are nestled amongst the greenery, swirling up all the way to the top of the structure. We were sad to see the general public were not allowed up.

We took our time wondering around Palmenhaus, meandering around the greenhouses winding paths and sitting down on the white benches and chairs dotted around the three chambers. The clouds had drawn in and the rain began to hammer against the glass roof, making our experience all the more atmospheric. At €6 entrance fee, Palmanehaus may seem like a luxury. But with it's amazing collection of plants, walking around Palmenhaus is an experience I would recommend to any visitor to Vienna.