Hofpavillon Hietzing

Look at that white pavilion with the golden decorations straddling the tracks. That's the Hofpavillon Hietzing, built in 1898 as a private subway entrance for Emperor Franz Joseph I, right next to his summer palace at Schönbrunn.

Architect Otto Wagner designed every detail. Inside, silk wallpaper lines the walls, mahogany panels gleam, and there's even a study with a writing desk for the notoriously workaholic emperor. The octagonal waiting room features a massive painting by Carl Moll showing Vienna from 3,000 meters up, as if seen from a hot air balloon.

Wagner hoped this lavish gift would secure more imperial commissions. He needed a breakthrough with the court.

But emperors don't take the subway.

Franz Joseph used his private station exactly twice. On June 16, 1899, he came to inspect the new Wientallinie. On April 12, 1902, he returned to view the Danube Canal line. After that, he went back to the regular station at Penzing.

Wagner never got another imperial commission despite this architectural jewel. The Viennese Secession magazine Ver Sacrum called it a triumph of modern architecture. The emperor kept his carriage.