Kardinal König Haus on the road to sustainability

"Sustainability is an important topic at Kardinal König Haus. Our environmental team is constantly working to further promote the social, cultural, economic and ecological aspects of sustainability," emphasises Katrin Flamm, head of the seminar centre and environmental coordinator.

Own bee honey production in the garden, including the "bee meadow", which is left in its natural state and is no longer mowed. Copyright by Kardinal König Haus.

Accommodation on site

Almost 500 events, conferences, courses and workshops are currently held at Kardinal König Haus every year. The in-house educational programme offers an exciting variety, from retreats (spiritual exercises) to training courses in hospice and palliative care and courses for managers. In addition, the beautiful seminar rooms can also be booked for conferences, seminars and retreats. On-site accommodation is of course important for course participants who do not live in Vienna. There are 30 single rooms, eight double rooms and three triple rooms available, each with shower/WC and some with radio. The rooms are modern, but deliberately simply furnished. Televisions in the rooms have been omitted due to the distraction they cause. Thanks to the thermal renovation of the building, the climate can be reduced by 24.07 tonnes of CO2 per year.

Sustainable cuisine

The cuisine at the Kardinal König Haus is renowned for its quality. With its mix of Austrian home cooking and international specialities, it caters for different tastes and needs - with only vegetarian dishes being offered on Mondays, for example, to reduce the impact on the climate. Social justice is also taken into consideration. For example, only fair trade coffee is served.

The issue of food waste is also important to the kitchen team at Kardinal König Haus: To counteract this, there is a co-operation with Robin Foods against food waste. At event buffets, the hotel provides Gustoboxes (biodegradable) if required so that leftover food can be taken away.

In addition to the general offer, the "daskardinal" café organises many freely accessible events, such as a language café for German learners every Wednesday.

Waste separation systems were installed on the floors with guest rooms. Copyright by Kardinal König Haus.

Accessibility is an important issue

In addition, all rooms and guest rooms are barrier-free and five guest rooms are barrier-free, which Kardinal König Haus is particularly proud of. People who are hard of hearing or visually impaired have also been taken into consideration: Accessibility also includes an inductive hearing system, an acoustic announcement of the floors in the lift and the use of Braille in the lift and on the handrails.

Park and art

The beautiful park at Kardinal König Haus is a constant source of enthusiasm for visitors. The Kardinal König Haus has also provided space for art for many years. The historical ambience often provides an exciting contrast to modern art and installations.

Living education for sustainable development

The Kardinal König Haus has been awarded the Austrian Ecolabel for its educational programmes since 2015. This ensures, among other things, that education for sustainable development is integrated into the educational work, that the UN sustainability goals of Agenda 30 are at the forefront, that social aspects are taken into account and that a clear mission statement and clear responsibilities are defined with regard to the ecolabel. The in-house programme focuses on Ignatian spirituality, religious development, social management, hospice and palliative care as well as social issues. The aim is to help the people who come to us to learn successfully. Sustainability and resource-conserving behaviour are increasingly incorporated and taught in the educational programmes.