| Villa Schmederer is a historicist building in the Salzburg district of Parsch. It was built in 1887. The surrounding area of the Villa Schmederer is at the heart of the oldest parts of Parsch. The villa comes with an extensive garden, equipped with a chapel, gardener′s house and greenhouse. The building was designed and constructed at least in part by the famous local heroes of Historicist architecture in Salzburg, father and son Ceconi. The architect in charge was Josef Wessicken, another well-known artist of his time.
The Villa Schmederer was built for the owner of a brewery, Ludwig Schmederer from Munich, who also owned the Apothekerhof. Soon after its completion, it became a popular meeting point for Salzburg′s aristocracy. Ludwig Schmederer′s wife Minka was a singer, she inherited the building after her husband′s death in 1935. After she passed away in 1950, her sister Friderica Derra de Moroda inherited the property. The was a dancer and choreographer and opened a ballet school in the building. It was operated until 1967. Even after the ballet school was closed in 1967, Derra de Moroda stayed there until she died in 1978.
After that, the Villa Schmederer served as a concert and art venue at some occasions, including for the Salzburg Festival. In the 1980ies and 1990ies, it was used for the recording of movies and TV films. In 2002, Villa Schmederer was renovated and a swimming pool was built in the basement of the building. The Villa Schmederer is private property and not open to the general public. |