Schlosshotel See Villa

Schlosshotel See Villa History

The years around 1870 played an important role in the history of Millstatt and marked the beginning of a remarkable transformation in which, in a very short time, Millstatt became a famous and exclusive summer destination for noble and wealthy families of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. It was also in the year 1870 that the history of the See Villa began when the wealthy publisher and son of a bohemian glass industry tycoon, Rudolf Schürer von Waldheim came to Millstatt to bid on pristine and idyllic grounds on Lake Millstatt which lay between the Hotel Forelle and the Pesentheiner peninsula.

This property was the ideal place to build a summer hotel directly on Lake Millstatt. Schürer sought the experience of the renowned architects Mayreder and Köchlin (builders of the Ronacher in Vienna) to design the See Villa. The See Villa building complex was originally made up of a main building. On the ground floor there was an elegant dining room and a large kitchen with apartments for the staff. A so-called "icehouse" was also built for the storage of meat and vegetables. This closet occupied the entire ground floor while the first floor was reached via an external spiral staircase.

Between these two buildings were a series of calf sheds. In the place where the parking lot is located today, there was a Russian bowling alley and next to this, there were the shelters for carriages which were the most advanced means of transport used by the nobility at the time.

Subsequently a large boathouse was built near the lake. This was used for fishing and swimming. The boathouse is still there today.

The north side of the complex was used as a garden and had a large greenhouse where exotic shrubs and bushes were grown in order to keep the hotel full of fresh flowers.

In addition to the main buildings, the architects Mayreder and Köchlin also designed the Villa Tacoli which at the time was called the "old German house". This was intended as a private home for the owner's family. Villa Tacoli was completed in 1881. The hotel complex was completed a year later. It opened its doors for the first time in 1884. At the end of the 20th century, the Tacoli villa was opened to all guests as part of the See Villa complex.

Despite the size of the hotel and its idyllic lakeside location, Schürer von Waldheim initially found it difficult to promote his hotel and persuade people to travel to such a remote area. In an attempt to promote his new adventure, he commissioned ten oil paintings from the famous painter Danaut and had them exhibited in the See Villa. After seeing the advertisements in the media of the time, many prominent figures visited Millstatt and discovered the natural beauty of the place.

On June 7, 1885, Archduke Karl, together with Prince Ludwig of Austria, the younger brother of the Austrian emperor Franz Joseph I, visited the Villa-See and gave it much praise. This led to a significant increase in the popularity of the hotel and the greater Millstatt area.

Villa Verdin is located east of the See-Villa hotel and was originally called Villa Kamerovsky. It was built by the Rothschild family. The park villa was built by Baron Schwarz while Baron von Musil built the Schloss Heroldegg in white stone, taking inspiration from his palace in France. These villas are known to all as landmarks of the city of Millstatt.
About six years after the hotel complex opened, Rudolf Schürer von Waldheim, founder of the See-Villa, died.

After Schürer's death, his property was divided among his children. The See Villa passed under the ownership of his daughter Jacqueline who in 1884 married Rudolf Freiherr von Isbary, an Austrian industrialist of the nineteenth century.
For a short period immediately before and after the First World War, the hotel was used by Countess Pallavicino, one of Jacqueline's daughters, for private purposes. It was later inherited by one of the descendants of one of her sisters, Baroness Marga Musulin of Gomirije, who will reopen it for visitors.

In 1941 Baroness Marga married Gherardo Marquise Tacoli, an aristocrat of an old Italian family and honorary citizen of the city of Birkfeld. From 1976 to 2014, the hotel management was supervised by one of their children, the Marquis Antonio Tacoli. Under his direction, extensive renovations were carried out and many innovations were introduced into the hotel complex. One of his first plans was to renovate the restaurant. During these renovations, particular care was taken in preserving the original design of the building that was developed.