With a bathtub on the balcony, soft toy on the bed and cage bars in the lift, the 25hours Hotel is a stone’s throw from the 7th district’s museum quarter. Housed in former student accommodation, its owners and manager Fanny Holzer want guests to experience Vienna’s old circus tradition. After all, Vienna was one of the first circus cities, along with Hamburg and Paris. Flying shows, reenacted naval scenes and animals hunts to Kahlenberg mountain once entertained locals as much as the famous Prater amusement park. Designer Armin Fischer spent month scouring Europe’s flea markets for vintage furnishings to give guests a taste of Vienna’s circus history. Illustrator Olaf Hayek painted the walls with typical Viennese acts such as the bearded lady. For Holzer, the fact that 90 percent of the guests in the hotel bar are locals proves that the Viennese appreciate good entertainment.
