The music of the Strauss family first echoed around Casino Zögernitz in 1837. Now The House of Strauss, the location takes you back to (and through) the era of the waltz and the music of a dynasty.
- Interactive exhibition introduces…
- …the Strauss family
- …and their times & music
- …in German & English
- Concerts in the restored concert hall
- Also a restaurant & shop
- Browse concert experiences* in Vienna
- …including at the House of Strauss
- See also:
Casino Zögernitz
(Painting of Casino Zögernitz by Karl Wenzel Zajicek around 1880; Wien Museum Inv.-Nr. 76615/296; excerpt reproduced with permission under the terms of the CC0 licence)
The Casino Zögernitz palais and garden appeared in the leafy suburbs outside what was then Vienna in 1837. For many decades after, it served as a popular entertainment hub for the Viennese…a host for concerts and balls and home to a restaurant and café.
Johann Strauss (father and son) both performed regularly, for example. The former even conducted at the grand opening on June 21st.
In late July 1837, the Österreichisches Morgenblatt noted (my rough translation):
Mr Zögernitz’s new establishment is nice, tasteful and proving rather popular. On the 11th of this month, Johann Strauss held a benefit concert there. The arrangement – brilliant; the audience – numerous and refined; the new waltz, entitled “Pilger am Rhein” – emotion and liveliness in triple time
(Postcard of Casino Zögernitz from around 1900, noting its location as the final stop on the Vienna tramway. The Diglas family were temporary occupiers and still own several coffee houses in Vienna today; Wien Museum Inv.-Nr. 93740/485; excerpt reproduced with permission under the terms of the CC0 licence)
That same month another writer gave the new establishment the very highest praise, expressing only regret at the dust encountered on the journey to get there.
Sadly, an always dynamic history eventually saw the location end up with a chemist on the ground floor, faded dreams and disused rooms where high society once danced to the newest waltzes and polkas.
But a new enterprise has given the wheel of time another turn.
The House of Strauss
(A gateway to Strauss)
In late 2023, after a long period of extensive renovation and rejuvenation, Casino Zögernitz (re)opened as the House of Strauss, promising to recapture the flavour of the Strauss era through a museum, concerts and a restaurant.
The museum
The exhibition part is not a museum experience in the traditional sense, but an interactive introduction to the Strauss dynasty and their music.
It begins with a 15-minute English-language presentation beamed onto the stage in the ballroom & concert hall (lovingly restored to its original state and colours). The part-animated video gives you an overview of the family history along with samples of some of the most famous pieces they composed.
This is where you already begin to grasp the power of the music.
So many instantly recognisable tunes (e.g. the Radetzky March, the Blue Danube), often with a certain joyfulness that seems to bypass the weariness of the mind and head straight for the heart.
(Among the many interactive elements; press photo © Lea Titz)
The exhibition itself largely uses copies of historical photos and documents, along with numerous interactive stations, to touch on various themes.
So you might learn something of the Vienna of the time of Johann Strauss I. Or the opinions of other great composers like Wagner and Berlioz on Johann Strauss II. Or learn about the spouses of Eduard and Josef Strauss.
The impact is much like a waltz itself: a combination of frothy entertainment and museal seriousness.
And you find music everywhere, of course. I stepped forward to read a display text about Franz Liszt and triggered a burst of Johann Strauss I’s Furioso Galopp based on motifs by Liszt.
Such interactions add a solid layer of fun. My favourite, for example, being the ability to have your animated face superimposed into a historical performance of Die Fledermaus.
Concerts, shop & restaurant
(The ballroom & concert hall; press photo © Gregor Hofbauer)
Such were the acoustics of the concert hall in Casino Zögernitz that it found use in its later life as a location for recording classical music.
Given those acoustics, the history and the whole raison d’être of the House of Strauss, it comes as no surprise to find regular concert performances* scheduled.
The in-house orchestra wears the same red and white garb as their predecessors in the original Strauss Capelle Wien founded by Johann Strauss I.
(Should you be unsure about your own clothing choice when watching, then consider my advice.)
As such, the House of Strauss offers another option on the menu of Strauss and Mozart flavoured concerts in Vienna.
And all is rounded off by a shop and the Casino Kulinarium restaurant (with garden).
The restaurant adds modern flavour to the historical ambience with its neon tube ceiling forms and coloured seat fabrics. We had the Strauss-Jause there: a well-presented (and tasty) sweet or savoury selection served on a 3-tier plate.
Tickets & visitor tips
Tickets for the museum, concerts etc. are available from the House of Strauss and online agencies.
(Booking service provided by Tiqets.com*, who I am an affiliate of)
A Vienna Pass also includes one-time free entry to the museum/exhibition.
For more Strauss joy in Vienna:
- The city has various sites associated with the Strauss family, particularly its most famous member
- Johann Strauss II celebrates his 200th birthday in 2025, so keep an eye out for special events across the year and for the new museum with its interactive multimedia exhibition dedicated to his life and works
How to get to Casino Zögernitz
Dusty rides in horse-drawn wagons are no longer required. Casino Zögernitz is just a few minutes from the central Schottentor station by tram.
Tram: take the 37 from Schottentor to the Döblinger Hauptstraße/Gatterburggasse or Pokornygasse stops (the House of Strauss lies between the two)
Address: Döblinger Hauptstraße 76, 1190 Vienna | Website