The Colorful Arena

Vienna's beautiful Burggarten, commissioned in 1818 byof the city, with narrow walkways, picturesque statues
Franz I, was only opened to the public in 1919, but sinceand a perfectly situated little coffee bar where visitors
then has become a loving breakaway spot for bothcan rest their feet from wandering. It is centrally
tourists and locals. It is a genuine green lung in the heartlocated, near the Hofburg and just 200 yards from the
of the city, with narrow walkways, picturesque statuesOpera house, bang in the middle of Vienna.
and a perfectly situated little coffee bar where visitorsThe Palm House in Burggarten is considered one of
can rest their feet from wandering. It is centrallythe most beautiful art nouveau structures of its kind in
located, near the Hofburg and just 200 yards from thethe world. Since 1998, the building, more than 3,000
Opera house, bang in the middle of Vienna.square feet in area, towers over the garden of the
In the center of Vienna's beautiful historical Burggarten,Imperial Palace; it houses hundreds of free-flying
encased in an impressive Jugendstil greenhouse, lies antropical butterflies in a re-creation of their natural
enclosed little tropical utopia of swirling colorfulenvironment.
butterflies and lush rainforest – theA waterfall, a small pond and several bridges create a
Schmetterlinghaus. It is the perfect escape destinationpicturesque backdrop, in front of which unfolds the
of the city as this little dreamy enclave offers abeauty of the butterflies – and offering an
perfect refuge.opportunity for great photos. Illustrated charts provide
The Schmetterlinghaus has an area of little more thaninformation about these wonderful insects and provide
280 square meters of ground, but one can still findan overview of the life-cycle of the butterfly. In the
more than 150 different species, with about 400so-called "pupa box," one can observe how larvae turn
individual butterflies fluttering around at any given time.into butterflies.
The temperature remains at a steady 26 degreesThere are about 150 different species of butterflies
centigrade, and the air humidity around 80 per cent.during a one year cycle. At any time there will be
Watch out for the tremendous Atlas moth, theabout 400 butterflies to look at. The butterflies have
albatross of the butterfly kingdom, whose wingspanfantastic patterns and wonderful colors. As one walks
can reach up to 30cm.The butterflies one finds herethrough the butterfly house one can appreciate how
are bred in captivity, not captured from the wild, and allbutterflies blend into their surroundings.Some butterflies
efforts are made to ensure that they are catered forare dark as they need to absorb the heat to be able
with a stable, comfortable environment without anyto fly. One can experience how butterflies work
natural enemies.together with nature. The butterflies are bred in N.
It has become a fond breakaway spot for bothThailand, Belize, Costa Rica and the Philippines.
tourists and locals. It is a genuine green lung in the heart