Not only is Vienna’s Hotel Sacher world-famous, it has also always been one of the most innovative companies, in terms of both architecture and interior design. It was, for example, one of the first buildings in the world to have fully electrified lighting, after Ludwig Lobmeyr was introduced to Thomas A. Edison in 1883 when he was in Vienna for the World Exhibition, a collaboration that also resulted in electric lighting for Vienna City Hall and the Hofburg. The chandeliers in Anna Sacher’s restaurant still have the distinctive downward-pointing flames common to early electric lighting. Such technology was an important part of business in the late nineteenth century, which was an especially lucrative era for Lobmeyr. The company supplied similar chandeliers to the Rote Bar, the Marble Hall, and the Blaue Bar of Hotel Sacher. Lobmeyr has regularly serviced and maintained these finely crafted pieces for over a hundred years now. More than just chandeliers were made for the venerable hotel behind the Vienna State Opera. In the 1950s, Lobmeyr also supplied vases with flower bouquets branded with the exclusive Sacher “S”. The same decor—named Batthyány—also adorned the matching Herend China.

Photo credit: (c) Hotel Sacher