Palmenhaus Schönbrunn

You see that iron and glass structure in front of you? When it opened on June 17, 1882, it held the title of world's largest greenhouse. Emperor Franz Joseph commissioned it in 1880, and architect Franz Segenschmid delivered something extraordinary: 111 meters long, built with 720 tons of iron and 45,000 separate panes of glass.

Inside, three connected pavilions create different climate zones. Cold air in the north pavilion. Tropical heat in the south. Mediterranean temperatures in the towering central section that rises 28 meters high.

Then came February 1945. Allied bombs hit Schönbrunn Palace. The glass shattered. Most of the plants froze to death that bitter winter day. Reconstruction took years. The Palmenhaus reopened in 1953, but the repairs used poor quality materials.

By 1976, the iron frame was rusting badly. When the Reichsbrücke collapsed across town that August, engineers tested every old iron structure in the city. The Palmenhaus failed inspection. The doors closed in November.

For nearly a decade, politicians debated what to do. Renovations finally started in 1986. Workers replaced sections of the frame and installed all new glass while keeping the original design intact. Cost: 212 million schillings.

Inside now: a 350 year old olive tree from Spain, palms stretching 23 meters high, and over 4,500 plant species from warm climates worldwide.