{"id":170,"date":"2015-08-19T14:15:12","date_gmt":"2015-08-19T12:15:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/?p=170"},"modified":"2025-08-03T16:27:45","modified_gmt":"2025-08-03T15:27:45","slug":"wuestenhaus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/schonbrunn\/wuestenhaus\/","title":{"rendered":"The Desert House at Sch\u00f6nbrunn"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/ziesel.jpg\" alt=\"Head of a European ground squirrel\" class=\"wp-image-15760\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/ziesel.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/ziesel-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Vienna&#8217;s not the first place that comes to mind when you think of cacti and cave fish. But you&#8217;ll actually find plenty of both in Sch\u00f6nbrunn&#8217;s <em>W\u00fcstenhaus<\/em> (the desert house).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Large iron and glass hothouse from the early 1900s<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Full of cacti, succulents, desert fauna, and cave dwellers<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Be sure to check out the naked mole rats, nature&#8217;s answer to the Alien films<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Excellent destination on a cold day<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Book a Sch\u00f6nbrunn <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiqets.com\/en\/schonbrunn-palace-tickets-l145516\/?partner=visitingvienna&amp;tq_campaign=LGSchPalVenue\" rel=\"sponsored\">concert, tour &amp; more<\/a>*<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>See also:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Included in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/vienna-pass-review\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"3960\">Vienna Pass<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sightseeing\/palace-of-schonbrunn\/vienna-zoo\/\">Sch\u00f6nbrunn Zoo<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/schonbrunn\/palmhouse\/\">The Palmenhaus<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"inside-the-desert-house\">Inside the desert house<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/deserthouse.jpg\" alt=\"The Desert House in Sch\u00f6nbrunn gardens \u00a9 Daniel Zupanc\" class=\"wp-image-42021\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/deserthouse.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/deserthouse-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(View of the glasshouse. Press photo \u00a9 Daniel Zupanc)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One advantage of being an Emperor is never needing to worry if your houseplants will survive a cold Austrian winter. A purpose-built hothouse is a mere snap of the fingers away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So the 1905 Sonnenuhrhaus in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sightseeing\/palace-of-schonbrunn\/\">Sch\u00f6nbrunn Palace<\/a> park provided winter accommodation for the more sensitive specimens among Emperor Franz Joseph&#8217;s exotic plant collection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This giant green iron and glass construction underwent a complete refit back in 2003 and reopened as the W\u00fcstenhaus desert house: a mix of botanical and zoological gardens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The desert house essentially serves as a showhome for some of the succulents owned by the federal gardens service and also educates and informs the public about desert (wild)life and its peculiar survival strategies.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/tortoisedeserthouse.jpg\" alt=\"Seychelles Giant Tortoise\" class=\"wp-image-74069\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/tortoisedeserthouse.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/tortoisedeserthouse-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(Aldabra Giant Tortoises occupy indoor and outdoor areas at the desert house; press photo \u00a9 Daniel Zupanc)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After passing through the ticket barrier, you go through a set of artificial tunnels with glass enclosures featuring various desert and underground fauna (lizards, scorpions, newts, a rattlesnake, and fish like the blind cave tetra on my last trip there).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The tunnels lead you out into the first, smaller, open glasshouse space, filled with succulents like the crown-of-thorns with its brilliant red flowers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This area now houses Aldabra Giant Tortoises, who moved here from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sightseeing\/palace-of-schonbrunn\/vienna-zoo\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"1674\">neighbouring zoo<\/a> in mid-2024. The eldest left its shell when Franz Joseph was still visiting his houseplants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Next up is the main glasshouse area, a huge edifice stuffed to the brim with tiers of cacti and similar plants. Some make a remarkable impression indeed: the kind of thorned giants you won&#8217;t find down your local garden centre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div align=\"center\"><em>Ad:<\/em><p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(Find tickets and experience options for the palace and zoo)<\/p><\/div><div data-tiqets-widget=\"discovery\" data-cards-layout=\"horizontal\" data-content-type=\"venue\" data-content-ids=\"145516,141990\" data-partner=\"visitingvienna\" data-tq-campaign=\"DA_SchPal\"><\/div><script defer src=\"https:\/\/widgets.tiqets.com\/loader.js\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Look out for various free-roaming birds (and even lizards) as you wander round; the avian twittering adds considerably to the experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>An outside area features the hardier sort of cacti, yuccas, bulb plants and similar, as well as outdoor enclosures for the tortoises and two Austrian natives: the European green lizard and the European ground squirrel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Apart from the venerable tortoises, two particular highlights for me were the naked mole rats and the <em>Welwitschia Mirabilis<\/em> plant.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/molerat.jpg\" alt=\"Naked mole rat \u00a9 Daniel Zupanc\" class=\"wp-image-15762\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/molerat.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/molerat-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(A naked mole rat at the desert house. Press photo \u00a9 Daniel Zupanc. Editor&#8217;s note: I say we take off and nuke the entire site from orbit. It&#8217;s the only way to be sure.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The mole rats scurry through 70m (!) of see-through tunnels. This extraordinary species has colonies that operate much like ants, with sterile workers and a queen. &#8220;Queen of the mole rats&#8221; would look good on a CV.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"the-bizarre-looking-naked-mole-rats-scurrying-through-70m-of-see-through-tunnels-naked-is-part-of-their-name-rather-than-a-mole-rat-lifestyle-choice-this-extraordinary-species-has-colonies-that-operate-much-like-ants-with-sterile-workers-and-a-queen-queen-of-the-mole-rats-would-look-good-on-a-cv\">(Incidentally, &#8220;naked&#8221; is part of their name rather than a mole rat colony lifestyle choice.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In late 2024, the rats produced their first offspring in almost eight years. Since most rodents live around four years, this might seem impossible. However, this species can happily live for up to 30 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <em>Welwitschia Mirabilis<\/em> plant, native to the Namib desert, enjoys unusual longevity: specimens are believed as old as 1500 years and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Each plant&#8217;s two corkscrew leaves grow up to 6m, and the roots reach down up to 30m. The name comes from its &#8220;discoverer&#8221;: the Austrian botanist Friedrich Welwitsch.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/elephantshrewdsert.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/elephantshrewdsert.jpg\" alt=\"Three elephant shrews\" class=\"wp-image-70853\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/elephantshrewdsert.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/elephantshrewdsert-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(Twins born to the round-eared elephant shrew, which also live in the Desert House. The event was well-received, since the shrews are notoriously picky when it comes to choosing a partner; press photo \u00a9 Daniel Zupanc)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"tickets-visitor-tips\">Tickets &amp; visitor tips<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>At the time of writing, a standard adult ticket cost \u20ac9 with the desert house opening daily. One-time entry is free if you have, for example, a Vienna Pass (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/vienna-pass-review\/\">see my review<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>When you enter the building, the location of the ticket office isn&#8217;t obvious &#8211; just keep going the only way you can and you&#8217;ll find it easily<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A quick trip around the glasshouses takes no more than 30 minutes. Whether that&#8217;s worth the entrance fee for an adult depends on your interests. Personally, I reckon the mole rats are worth at least double the ticket costs<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Nearly all display information was in German only when I last went round, though the outdoor area featured bilingual German\/English information displays. Not that you really need descriptive labels to  enjoy the plants and animals<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This is one of the places you can usefully kill time should you have to wait for a later time slot on the main <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/schonbrunn\/tour\/\">Sch\u00f6nbrunn palace tour<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>If you like your plants and animals, then drop into two nearby attractions:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sightseeing\/palace-of-schonbrunn\/vienna-zoo\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"1674\">Sch\u00f6nbrunn zoo<\/a> (just a little further up the path). They actually run the desert house in partnership with the federal gardens service<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The giant <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/schonbrunn\/palmhouse\/\">palm house<\/a> sits opposite the desert house<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"how-to-get-to-the-desert-house\">How to get to the desert house<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Just follow the instructions for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/schonbrunn\/gettingthere\/\">getting to Sch\u00f6nbrunn<\/a> (go to the heading marked &#8220;Hietzing station&#8221; to find the desert house).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Address: Schlosspark Sch\u00f6nbrunn, 1130 Vienna | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zoovienna.at\/anlagen\/wuestenhaus\/\">Website<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div align=\"center\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/d\/u\/0\/embed?mid=1oN2SutdbrqOx-JViFyKk3v-X_Kw\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Vienna&#8217;s not the first place that comes to mind when you think of cacti and cave fish. But you&#8217;ll actually find plenty of both in Sch\u00f6nbrunn&#8217;s W\u00fcstenhaus (the desert house). Inside the desert house (View of the glasshouse. Press photo \u00a9 Daniel Zupanc) One advantage of being an Emperor is never needing to worry if [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15760,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-170","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-schonbrunn","8":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=170"}],"version-history":[{"count":23,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":84933,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170\/revisions\/84933"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15760"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=170"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=170"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=170"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}