Rotunde
The Rotunde in Vienna was a building erected for the Weltausstellung 1873 Wien.
The building was a partially covered circular steel construction, 84 m in height and 108 m in diameter. For almost one century it was the largest cupola construction in the world, larger than the Pantheon in Rome ; built in 118–125.
It was designed by Austrian architect Karl Freiherr von Hasenauer and built by the German company Johann Caspar Harkort of Duisburg. The Scottish engineer for the roof was John Scott Russell who used 4,000 tons of steel with no ties.
The central building of the World Fair was accepted enthusiastically by the public. It was used for shows and fairs later on. Alexander Girardi performed a concert in this hall. In 1898 a "Collektivausstellung österreichischer Automobilbauer" was shown during the "Kaiser Franz Joseph Jubiläumsausstellung". The first four cars ever built in Austria-Hungary were shown there, amongst them the car built by Siegfried Marcus in 1888/89.
The Rotunde burned down in 1937. Its former location is now occupied by a portal of the Vienna International Fair.
