Who Owns Vienna's Most Famous Buildings?

Adlerhof, 1070

With a construction area of 3,360 square meters, the Adlerhof in Burggasse is one of the heavyweights in the rental property market. The building complex with its courtyards, which extends to Siebensterngasse and houses the eponymous Adlerhof Café, last changed hands in December 2023: For around 48 million euros, the Adlerhof went from S IMMO AG to Thalhof Immobilien.

Kärntner-Ring-Hof, 1010

One of the top deals of 2024 was the sale of the Kärntner-Ring-Hof in Vienna to JP Immobilien. The purchase price was over 150 million euros. At the takeover last autumn, the buyers announced that a comprehensive modernization was planned, which is expected to be completed in 2026. However, construction and renovation have been ongoing in the premises of the Ringstraßengalerien for some time: The work was supposed to be completed in 2024, but according to ORF, there were delays due to the change of ownership, among other reasons.

The JP Immobilien group, led by managing directors Daniel Jelitzka and Reza Akhavan, is behind some well-known Viennese facades: Projects such as the 25hours Hotel at the Museumsquartier or the Hotel Josefine are part of their portfolio.

Constitutional Court, 1010

With the sale of the Constitutional Court at Freyung, a gem of Signa Prime changed hands. The buyer is no stranger: Behind JR Investment GmbH is the Austrian industrialist Josef Rainer. In 1979, he founded the technology company Bernecker & Rainer with Erwin Bernecker, based in Eggelsberg. In 2017, it was sold to the Swiss ABB Group for an estimated sale price of 1.8 billion euros. As of 2024, the company employed over 2,600 people.

For Rainer, however, this is not the first sensational real estate deal. The Apple Store on Kärntner Straße is also among his tenants. His private villa on Lake Wolfgang in Carinthia is one of the most expensive private properties in Austria.

Palais Ferstel, 1010

To whom does Café Central in Palais Ferstel actually pay rent? To the private foundation of the late Billa founder Karl Wlaschek. However, the foundation not only owns the well-known Palais, but there is also a whole list of magnificent buildings in the foundation's ownership, including Palais Esterhazy and Kinsky. In 2024, the foundation acquired another splendid building on Schottenring. Cost: Around 89 million euros.

Palais Wellenstein / Ministry of Education, 1090

And the story of palaces continues. The historic Palais Wellenstein on Wasagasse at the corner of Maria-Theresien-Straße currently houses the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research. In early 2024, the previous owner, Bank Austria, sold the building for just under 25 million euros to Friesca Holding. Behind this is the Austrian billionaire and investor Rudolf Fries, who was, among other things, a supervisory board member of Immofinanz until 2020.

Meinl House, 1010

A Signa Prime, already on the verge of collapse, sold the building known as "Meinl House" on Graben, which houses the luxury supermarket Meinl am Graben, just before its final breakdown in December 2023. The property was purchased by the Vienna Medical Association, more precisely, their welfare fund, which justifies such purchases as security for pension benefits. 

Compared to the neighboring Grabenhof, which the Medical Association acquired in 2021 for around 320 million, it's almost a bargain.

St. Stephen's Cathedral, 1010

No, the Steffl does not belong to the church, nor to the city or even the republic. The Vienna St. Stephen's Cathedral belongs to itself. Yes, you read that correctly. According to the land register, the owner of St. Stephen's Cathedral is the Gothic church building itself. How is that possible? St. Stephen's Cathedral is an independent legal entity, primarily sustained by its own tourism revenues. Although for larger projects, the city and church do indeed lend a hand. 

(Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.