The former Palais Modena (today Beatrixgasse 29) was one of the many garden palaces that characterized the Landstraße district; many of them are still preserved today, some have long since ceased to exist. The Palais Modena was demolished in 1916 along with the adjacent houses Nos. 25 and 27 on Beatrixgasse.

The palace was built on an elevation that drops significantly towards Salesianergasse and lower Reisnerstraße, which is probably related to the Wien River, which once flowed closer. The old field name of the area was “Hirschpeunt in front of the Stubentor”. At that time, from around the beginning of the 16th century, but also later, there were numerous vineyards there. Such vineyards in the area of ​​the Modenese Garden and its neighboring grounds were mentioned with the name “Im jeus” in the 14th and up to the 16th century. The name “Rabengstätte”, later “Rabengasse”, is said to come from the swarms of ravens that the former Wasenmeisterei attracted. The later Beatrixgasse between today’s Salesianergasse and Reisnerstraße was called Rabengasse until 1862.

In the years 1697 and 1700, a certain Franz von Stockhammer bought vineyards on the grounds of the later Modena property, on which he built a house with a garden attached. This first Stockhammer property was a long building, hardly a real dwelling house, more likely a lighter garden building, which was probably used only occasionally as a dwelling. Behind it stretched a long garden, whose meadows laid out in geometric patterns according to Italian taste were surrounded by young trees. In the land register, Franz Stockhammer, “Dr. phil. et med. and Kaiserl. Leibmedicus”, is listed as the owner of this pleasure garden in 1698. The property then remained in the hands of the Stockhammer family for a long time.

In the meantime a change had taken place with the garden building, purely externally. On a corresponding plan from that time (the perspective so-called Huber plan created between 1769 and 1774) a stately palace-like building can already be seen. The building was one storey high and had two short wings projecting towards the courtyard, with five windows on the outside and two on the inside, and a high roof. In any case, the floor plan of the building on another plan drawn up around the same time (the Nagel plan of 1770) essentially corresponds to the floor plan of the house later purchased by the Duchess of Modena. It cannot be said exactly when the structural changes to the building were made. This probably happened in the first half of the 18th century. At that time there was a wide courtyard in front of the house, which was closed off from Rabengasse and the neighboring house by low outbuildings, and behind the house there was a long garden.

At the end of the garden were two wooden pleasure houses. The neighboring properties, which later also came into Modenese ownership, were also converted into sizeable Italian-style gardens. At that time it was the property of Count Karl von Abensperg and Traun (today Beatrixgasse 27) that had been in the possession of Count Karl von Abensperg and Traun since 1779, as well as the adjoining property that had been purchased by Count Leopold von Kolowrat-Krakowsky since 1794. A change of ownership occurred in 1790 when Princess Eleonore Liechtenstein, née Princess von Oettingen-Spielberg, bought the house and garden from Count Franz and Ignaz von Stockhammer, the previous owners. She also owned a rented town house on Wallnerstrasse, where she mostly stayed in winter. The garden palace was to become her widow’s residence. From the outside, little changed in the building during this period, apart from a few outbuildings. In 1806 she sold the property. At that time, the entire property consisted of the house with a large garden in Rabengasse, two small houses that were located a little lower, at the beginning of Waaggasse (later Salesianergasse) towards Heumarkt, and a plot of land on the opposite side of Waaggasse, which as a so-called reserve garden, used for gardening purposes, remained undeveloped until the end of the 19th century.

Maria Beatrix Riccarda von Este, Archduchess of Austria, Duchess of Modena, appeared as a new buyer. From now on, she gave the palace its name. The new owner was the only daughter of Duke Ercole III. von Modena, heiress to the Duchy of Massa and Carrara from her mother and married to Archduke Ferdinand, son of Empress Maria Theresa, from 1771. Archduke Ferdinand never got to know the house and garden in Rabengasse again, he died shortly before moving here, and Archduchess Beatrix took over the property as a widow, as did her predecessor.

It is understandable that the property, as it appeared at the time of the takeover, did not correspond to the standard of living and the demands of a resident who still felt like the reigning princess. In addition, the new lady of the house lived here with her children and numerous entourage. So it was very soon to be remodeled. This conversion took place in two phases; first on the right side against Waaggasse, then the corresponding left side. No changes were made to the existing one-story garden wing. Due to the new building, certain structural changes were made in the two short wings projecting towards the courtyard.

Two parallel tracts running perpendicularly from the garden wing to the street were added to these small wings at right angles, which were continued along Rabengasse towards the middle of the complex, creating a large square courtyard. The center of the street side was occupied by an entrance hall above which no floor rose. It ended with a terrace. These new buildings had two floors facing the courtyard and the street, but facing the Waaggasse there was a single floor, which occupied the height of the two inner floors and contained a long library hall in the main axis. The construction made it possible to create a nine-window façade (seven with a semi-circular arch) facing Waaggasse, above a large terrace secured by a strong garden retaining wall. In this terrace base there were so-called “casemates”, i. H. Vaults as they existed in Salesianergasse until recently and were rented out as sales vaults.

The overall impression of the building was more practical than artistic-aesthetic. With the exception of the library, the rooms in the new building were intended only for the entourage and servants. The living quarters of the archducal family were in the garden wing, from where one had a magnificent view of the spacious garden. In these rooms, which were mainly used as social and reception rooms, beautiful Empire decorations on the ceilings and above all the ceiling painting in the large central hall depicting the four seasons could be admired, despite numerous changes over time. A special jewel was the already mentioned library. It was a long, narrow room, which was an impressive interior of the Empire period, with its painted decoration imitating stucco ornaments (along the protruding pillars and the window arches) and grisaille lunettes (above the doors flanked by short columns on the narrow sides). The new owners also had a chapel built. It was located in a backyard behind the left side wing. It was a simple private chapel, a barrel vault with Ionic pilasters and stucco ornaments.

The altarpiece depicts the scene “Flight to Egypt”. To this chapel and the sacristy, a small garden hall with a gable attached to the garden. The walls of the hall were divided by pillars, adorned with a classicist stucco relief depicting the procession of Bacchus. A significant event for the House of Modena was that Emperor Franz, widowed for the second time, chose Maria Ludovica, the youngest daughter of the Archduchess, as his wife and married her on January 6, 1806. Her mother, Maria Beatrix, repeatedly came to her garden palace in the summer, especially since she was also visiting her sons who remained in Vienna. In order to be closer to his mother, in 1822 Archduke Maximilian bought the two houses with gardens adjoining his mother’s palace, which had still been owned by Count Kolowrat in 1794. These two objects will be discussed in more detail later. As the new owner, the Archduke soon had some structural changes made to the two buildings adjacent to the Modena Palace.

Archduchess Maria Beatrix died in Vienna on October 4, 1829. Since there was no will, the palace passed to the second son of the deceased, Archduke Ferdinand, as a result of an agreement between the surviving children. He decided to expand the Landstrasser Palais, which had become his main residence. He had a second floor added to the one-storey garden wing. Another change in ownership of the Landstraße finally occurred in 1863, when Archduke Maximilian died and the neighboring grounds (Beatrixgasse 25–27) were now also united in the hands of Franz von Österreich-Este.

At this point, the history of the ancillary grounds adjacent to the Palais Modena should be briefly discussed. The property at today’s Beatrixgasse 25, also known in the past as “Palais d’Este”, also housed the famous collection of Archduke Franz Ferdinand for a while. This extensive collection contained objects from Greek and Roman antiquity, sculptures, musical instruments, paintings, miniature manuscripts and the like. From 1904, the public also had the opportunity to view the collections. After the end of the monarchy, this valuable possession was transferred to the collections of state museums.

The adjoining building, the property at Beatrixgasse 27, also bore the name of the owner over the course of history; these are not always official designations. E.g. B.: “Palais Reitter”, “Palais Kolowrat”, also “Chorinskysches Haus” and “Palais Este”. A certain Thomas Thurner appears as the first owner of a vineyard, on which a dwelling was built later. He acquired the property together with his wife in 1668. In 1715 the property passed to the cathedral provost Josef Heinrich Braittenbucher, from whom Carl and Theresia von Reitter (also Reutter) eventually acquired it. After Reitter, ownership passed to a number of middle-class residents; mostly they were merchants. It was not until 1791 that Count Leopold von Kolowrat acquired the property. After a brief interruption, it passed to Countess Chorinsky, née Fürstenberg. The Chorinsky family, who owned the house with garden until 1822, finally passed the land to Maximilian von Österreich-Este. After his death, this summer residence in Landstrasse also came to Francis V of Modena, which increased the Estonian property to the objects at Beatrixgasse 25–29.

As far as the main house — the actual Palais Modena — is concerned, in 1863 the last structural changes were made to this building. One of the reasons for this project was that the building, which was now in a completely urban environment, was to be given the character of an urban palace. The façade in Beatrixgasse (in the meantime Rabengasse had been renamed Beatrixgasse in memory of Archduchess Maria Beatrix) was not yet closed at the time. Between the two side parts, each of which had its own roof, was the entrance hall, which reached only to ground floor level and above which was the terrace mentioned. Instead of the terrace, a two-story central building, seven windows wide, closed the street facade. A balcony decorated with the Modenese coat of arms was built at the height of the first floor. In 1867 the Beatrixstiege, newly built by the City of Vienna, was opened, connecting Beatrixgasse with Salesianergasse.

Due to the progressive subdivision in the second half of the 19th century, the extension of Reisnerstraße from Heumarkt to Rennweg and the resulting new side streets, the garden was secluded like a world in the midst of tall houses. The last ruler of Modena, Duke Franz V, died in 1875. From 1877 Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Este, the nephew of Emperor Franz Joseph and later heir to the throne, was the new owner of the Modena estates on the country road. However, the property continued to be used as a widow’s residence for Duchess Adelgunde, who outlived her husband by almost forty years. With the death of the Duchess Adelgunde — she died in 1914 — the history of the Modenese property in the third district actually ends. Just two years later, in 1916, demolition of the Modena Palace began.

Today, on the site of the former Modenese property, there is a modern reinforced concrete skeleton building erected in 1954. The client of the new building was the Chamber of Commerce for Vienna, the leading architect was Dipl.-Arch. Carl Apple. The new building was inaugurated on June 23, 1954. It is eight stories high, has 194 offices and several halls and was occupied by 49 trade guilds after it opened