Palais Berg

According to the plans of the Austrian architect Dionys Milch, the former Directorate of the State Railways was built in 1892. Originally, this was the only office building on Schwarzenbergplatz, which is characterised by its many palaces.

Towards the end of the Second World War in 1945, the building was hit by a bomb and burned down together with the neighbouring Palace. In 1950, the fire ruin was removed by the Austrian Federal Railways and, as a result, there were decades of discussions about the new building.

These intensified after the inner city was declared an architectural protection zone in 1973. The then City Councillor and later Mayor Helmut Zilk campaigned for a  partial reconstruction, especially the facade facing Schwarzenbergplatz.