The name derives from the Habsburg Archduke Frederick, who started to build a model agricultural estate on the site in 1890. An exhibition on the hotel’s first floor displays reconstructed views of the historical buildings and maps of the region from the days of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy. In 1934 the estate was abandoned, the land was parcelled out and sold. Most of the houses began to fall into disrepair and were demolished after the war.

The approx. twenty hectare site as it is today dates back to the period from 1972 to 1990, when a commune led by Vienna Actionist Otto Muehl bought the land and founded an alternative community and way of life. They renovated old structures and built new, spacious buildings with the necessary infrastructure. They reforested the landscape and redesigned it to include gardens.

In late 1990 the commune was dissolved and the property was integrated into a cooperative. Many of the former members left Friedrichshof and numerous new residents settled there. A rehabilitation facility for mentally ill young people was set up in 1999. EU enlargement in 2004 sparked a period of intensive construction, resulting in architecturally sophisticated private homes and cooperative flats. The commune’s archive is being stored and reviewed in Friedrichshof Art Collection and has been available to researchers since 2011.

Today, Friedrichshof is an urban village combining the benefits of city and country life. With an eventful history and now home to over two hundred residents from many different countries, it is a versatile and open-minded place which has developed broad intellectual and social horizons.

www.friedrichshof.at