Elysium (Vienna)
Elysium was the name of two entertainment venues created in Vienna by the court confectioner Josef Georg Daum (1789–1854), which existed from 1833 to 1864 and were well known at the time.
history
The "old" Elysium existed from 1833 to 1838 in the Seitzerhof in Steindlgasse between Tuchlauben and Seitzergasse and had to be closed because of its demolition. The New Elysium, which opened on March 1, 1840, became famous, a Biedermeier adventure world in the basement of the St. Anna monastery, below St. Annahof at Johannesgasse 4, (Vienna, Inner City ). The restaurant, programmatically named as an “underground walk through the world”, became one of the main attractions of pre-March Vienna. The great continents were presented here like a grotto train, and an underground horse-drawn railway took care of the transport . Music, dance, acrobatic performances and culinary delights were offered, there were also projection presentations ( fog images ) in the manner of the magic lantern . In December 1840, Daum enriched his establishment with the initially missing continent "Australia".
In 1854 Josef Daum died of cholera, his son initially continued the establishment, but had to close it in 1864 after a sharp decline in success (according to another representation, in 1857).
From the 1920s, the premises in Johannesgasse were used as a theater; the Metro cinema is currently located here .
Quote
The local historian Wilhelm Maximilian Kisch , a visitor to the Elysium in his youth, describes the world-famous attraction as follows:
“... A sea of lights of flames and an abundance of magical colors poured over all the rooms, and what the eye could not grasp, the ear listened, drunk with delight, heard the rustling of the palm trees, the splashing of the waterfalls and lovely from all sides resounding music ... The entrance to the Elysium was from Johannesgasse, first of all the front door where the school books are worn out ... you got through an antique portal over several steps to the Cassa, behind which a comfortable, colorfully decorated staircase led into the interior of the establishment and first into the regions 'Africa'. An Egyptian magic chamber now receives us; mysterious signs on the walls and a starry sky as a ceiling painting let us discover the secrets of this wonderland. The decorations are taken from various Egyptian motifs ... From there we enter a corridor, or rather a picture room that leads to 'Europe', in the middle of the cozy homeland ... Here we are welcomed by real tables, and we listen to national zither sounds and have fun Yodelling. Another staircase leads us into the real heart of our beloved homeland, into elegant Europe. Straussian and Lanner waltzes sound, and lustful couples swing in the dance. But we hurry on and take a narrow corridor to the primal cradle of mankind, to 'Asia' ... What only an oriental fantasy can create; Shining pearls and demantic shine, fragrant musk, charming odalisques glorify the sultan's harem, which now shows itself with his wives to the surprised gaze of the audience ... Well cheered, we penetrate the isthmus of a long corridor into a new world, in 'America' a. Even the first step on this continent is a surprise. A primeval forest presents itself to our astonished eyes. Palm trees now rustle around us, monkeys and parrots sway on the branches of the original tribes and let their screeching voices be heard alternately; A double-track railway also ensures rapid communication here, but the steam is represented by a winged horse and the locomotive by a cloud car, yes, even the rose driver is a winged genius here, because we are in the middle of Mount Olympus. Now we willingly climb into the car, and in flight we roar through divine realms, through picturesque grottos, tunnels and foaming cascades ... Tired and exhausted, we finally greet the real Alpine country with joy, where food and drink refresh us and a fragrant cigar strengthens our exhausted spirits ... "
literature
- A .: The Elysium . In: Heinrich Adami : Old and New Vienna. Contribution to promoting local interests for time, life, art and custom . Volume 1. Mausberger, Vienna 1841, pp. 55–63. - Full text online .
- Wilhelm Kisch : The old streets and squares of Vienna and their most interesting houses. A contribution to the cultural history of Vienna with regard to patriotic art, architecture and literature . Vienna 1883, p. 506 ff. Wienbibliothek.at
Web links
- The Elysium in brief ( memento from July 21, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) former website according to Filmarchiv Austria