19.09.1879

Purchase of the real estate plot (including the building) from Semmering farmer Polleros around 4000 Florin through a consortium around the sculptor and the academic painter Franz Schoenthaler sen. (1821 – 1904) and the General Director at that time of the K.u.k. privilegierte Austrian Südbahngesellschaft (Imperial and Royal Privileged Southern Railways Company), Friedrich Julius Schueler (1832 – 1894)

29.05.1881

Formal ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of the “Hotel Semmering” (the Südbahnhotel was referred to in the beginning as the “Hotel Semmering” or retrospectively also as the “First Südbahnhotel”). The architect of this First Südbahnhotel at Semmering was architect Franz Wilhelm. The selected building style was the “Swiss style”

15.07.1882

Opening of the Hotel Semmering (60 rooms) with champagne. The basis for the rapid tourism and also societal

development of the Semmering region was thus laid. For tourism in Austria, the construction of this hotel was already of far-reaching importance as well as all grand hotels of the K. u. k. priv. Südbahngesellschaft for the invigoration of the Südbahn route from Vienna to Trieste. Additional grand hotels of the K. u. k. priv. Südbahngesellschaft were and/or are located in: Abbazia, currently known as Opatija (Croatia, 1884) and Toblach (southern Tyrol, 1878)

1889

Construction of the elegant Waldhof annex (50 rooms) in close proximity to the Südbahnhotel. This had become necessary because the Südbahnhotel was constantly completely booked and, on the other hand, in order to be able to appropriately house the aristocratic guests. As the result of a major fire, the Waldhof annex was reconstructed in 1893/1894 based upon the plans of Josef Daum. On 22 March 1902, a second fire broke out. As a result, the Waldhof annex was not able to be used temporarily until December 1902

19.09.1879

The property was purchased from the Semmering farmer Polleros for 4,000 florins by a consortium led by the sculptor and academic painter Franz Schönthaler Sr., as well as the then director general of the Imperial-Royal Austrian Southern Railway Company, Friedrich Julius Schüler (1832-1894).

1901 – 1903

Construction of the Second Südbahnhotel (also referred to as the Palace Hotel) directly adjacent to the restaurant of the First Südbahnhotel under the management of the architects Alfred Wildhack and Robert von Morpurgo

1906 – 1908

New construction of the steam laundry business which operated until 1960. In 1993, the real estate property (approx. 1 km away from the Südbahnhotel) was acquired by the building contractor Otto Geiger and converted into residential housing

1908

Third construction phase of the Südbahnhotel: Construction of the post office and telegraph office as well as a coffee house. Architect: Alfred Wildhack

1912/13

The largest construction phase of the Südbahnhotel was this expansion in which, firstly, a new dining room was constructed which was linked via a passageway to the Waldhof. Secondly, the old restaurant (1882) was torn down and a new 3-storey restaurant was constructed. During this construction phase, two old German beer bars were constructed as well as a modern cinematic theatre. The wide-ranging renovation produced a completely new room organisation and organisational processes. After it was completed, the Südbahnhotel had at that time, including the Waldhof and all annexes, approx. 350 guest rooms. Architect: Alfred Wildhack

1922

The hotel central section was heightened with an attic. The central section – the Director’s flat was also located here – was used exclusively for operational purposes

1926

Opening of the Semmering Golf Course, the 1st and thus oldest golf course in Austria, where once the ski-training area and the ski-jumping hill of the Südbahnhotel were located. Still located there today, the “Meierei” (Dairy Farm) was originally a farm which was acquired in 1885 by the Südbahngesellschaft. It was renovated around 1902 to become a picturesque breakfast pension with dairy farm operations. Peter Rosegger (a famous Austrian author, 1843 – 1918) was also a guest at the Südbahnhotel

1928 – 1931

The Südbahnhotel’s garage was constructed on the site of the old horse stables. Planning: Emil Hoppe and Otto Schoenthal (both Otto Wagner pupils). The garage was located below the Südbahnhotel, was torn down in 1982 and replaced with residential housing

18.08.1932

Opening of the very modern cubic “indoor swimming pool” in the Südbahnhotel with terraces. The pool itself has dimensions of 20 x 8 m. Architects: Emil Hoppe and Otto Schoenthal

1932 – 1934

Expansion and redesign of the hotel entrance area to form a function, modern and spacious entrée area, construction of an American bar in the hotel lobby. The ceiling downstand beams and columns in the four-axis hotel lobby were adorned with wood in the Neo-Empire style. Architects: Emil Hoppe and Otto Schoenthal

1939 – 1940

Military hospital operation

1940 – 1942

Hotel

1942 – 1945

Military hospital operation

1945 – 1947

Russian occupation

12.05.1948

Reopening of the hotel by the DOSAG (Donau Save Adria Eisenbahngesellschaft)

1971

Sales of the hotel to a Carinthian private company

1974

Conversion of the “First Semmering Hotel” from 1882 into condominiums and the separation from the “Second Südbahnhotel”

1976

Cessation of hotel operations

1980

Acquisition of the “Second Südbahnhotel” by the Südbahn Ges.m.b.H.

1993

Acquisition of the “Second Südbahnhotel” by the current owner

since 1994

Conducting essential restoration work in order to preserve the “Second Südbahnhotel” (e.g. completely new roof, partial fundamental upgrading of the building technology, incl. technical preparatory work for the expansion work, on-going maintenance of the real estate plots of the Südbahnhotel, and much more)

2000 – 2010

The Südbahnhotel was, respectively in the summer, the venue of the always sold-out “Reichenauer Festspiele (Reichenau Festivals)” with works from, among others, Thomas Mann – „Der Zauberberg (Magic Mountain)“, Karl Kraus – „Die letzten Tage der Menschheit (The Last Days of Humanity)“ and Arthur Schnitzler – „Das weite Land (The Wide Land)“ and „Traumnovelle (Dream Novellette)“

Summer 2017 – summer 2021

In the summer months 2017 – 2021 the Südbahnhotel was the venue, the fascinating scene and the stage for the Kultur.Sommer.Semmering

January 2022

In January 2022, SBH Immobilienbesitz GmbH, a company owned by Austrian real estate entrepreneur and cultural promoter Mag. Christian Zeller, acquired the Südbahnhotel Semmering. A year-round, international art-, culture- and events program is offered since summer 2022.