Wüstenhaus Schönbrunn

The unprepossessing building owes its name to the sundial (Sonnenuhr) located in the gardens to the south.

It was built with the encouragement of Charles von Hügel – diplomat, explorer and founder of the Vienna Horticultural Society – to replace an earlier greenhouse which could no longer meet its plants' needs.

A number of plants from the Palm House were therefore brought here for safekeeping, where space allowed.

In April 1990 the first butterfly zoo in Austria was established in the Sundial House, but it was transferred to the greenhouse in the Burggarten in 1998.

The exhibition includes succulent plants from the Federal Gardens, and small animals under the care of the Zoo, such as desert jerboas, reptiles and birds.