Schönbrunn Palace is located far from the center of Vienna. This is one of the best palaces of the Habsburg dynasty. There are fountains and a large park nearby. This name literally means “beautiful springs.” Without seeing Schönbrunn, it is impossible to imagine the luxurious life that reigned during the Habsburg dynasty. I highly recommend visiting it. We can safely say that the Schönbrunn complex with its magnificent palace and park in the Baroque style is an outstanding ensemble in Europe.
The history of the palace dates back to 1614, when Kaiser Matthias bought a hunting lodge near Vienna on the Catenburg estate. He found a beautiful spring in the forest and ordered a well to be built there. The name of this well spread to the entire estate.
The hunter's house was converted into a summer residence, but was destroyed by the Turks in 1683. In 1696, construction of a new palace began. The project was developed by Fischer von Erlach, and the magnificent Versailles served as the model. Emperor Charles VI gave it to his daughter Maria Theresa. It was in the hands of this woman that this building became the center of cultural and political life in Austria.
Schönbrunn is included in the list of architectural monuments of world significance according to UNESCO. This is a grandiose architectural complex with many halls, galleries, rooms and offices - in total there are 1141 rooms in the palace. All this has been carefully restored and gives a complete picture of the life of the august people who lived here at different times.
Now let's take a look at some of the halls and rooms of the palace, each of which has its own history.
The guards stood in this room and guarded the entrance to the emperor's chambers.
This is Franz Joseph's living room. The Emperor received members of his government and other high-ranking officials here. To prevent them from getting bored while waiting for their turn, a billiard table was installed for them.
Officials entered this room from the reception room to talk with the emperor. Most of the walnut furniture is gilded.
This is what Franz Joseph's office looked like. Don't you think it's a little simple compared to the previous rooms? Portraits of him and his wife Elizabeth hang on the walls.
Here is Queen Elizabeth's private room. It should be noted that the walls are lined with silk.
In front of you is the queen's dressing room. Elizabeth spent a lot of time here. As you know, the emperor's wife had wonderful hair and it needed special and long-term care.
Now let's look at the husband and wife's bedroom. The walls are covered with blue and white silk. This room was used by the emperor and his wife only in the first years of their marriage. Since Elizabeth loved to travel, the emperor often had to be alone, although he always loved the beautiful Sissi.
Let's take a look into the salon of the emperor's wife. Bright room decorated in neo-Rococo style. Please note that the clock stands next to the mirror with its dial upside down, and to find out the time you had to look in the mirror.
They had dinner in the next room. On the table are crystal goblets and dishes made of Viennese porcelain. In the center is a portrait of twenty-year-old Franz Joseph. This room is named after Marie Antoinette, as a tapestry depicting her and her children once hung here. It is currently the private property of the Habsburg family.
Here in this room you will see a portrait of Maria Theresa. She was the daughter of Emperor CharlesVI and was born in 1717. At nineteen she married Francis Stephen of Lorraine and gave birth to 11 girls and 5 boys. There are portraits of some of his daughters hanging in the room.
In the southwestern part of the palace there is a room where the emperor's wife Maria of Bavaria had breakfast. The room is decorated with Rococo style details.
The hall with mirrors is very impressive. An abundance of mirrors adds volume to the room. The gold and maroon colors give it a look that was so popular back in the day. Chinese vases and bronze clocks are noteworthy. It should be noted that 6-year-old Mozart played here, ministers took the oath of office here, parties were held here.
Now I will introduce to you the so-called “Rosa Room”, in honor of the artist (Joseph Rosa) who painted this and several other rooms. The paintings depict landscapes of Switzerland and Italy.
In the next room, in a large gallery, ceremonial receptions and meetings were held.
Napoleon's room is below. When France occupied Vienna between 1805 and 1809, Napoleon lived here. Later, in 1832, Napoleon's only legitimate son died of tuberculosis in this room.
Now let's move from the palace to the park and see what's interesting there. This is a labyrinth of boxwood bushes:
Neptune's Fountain:
House of Palms - Greenhouse:
Glorieta Schönbrunn is a pavilion-colonnade in the style of classicism on the top of a hill (at an altitude of 20 meters), erected in honor of the victory over Prussia:
Roman ruins are artificially created ruins, the author of which is the artist and architect of the 18th century Johann Hetzendorf. Initially this place was called “The Fall of Carthage”:
There is also a zoo in the park:
Here's what else you can see in Schönbrunn.
Obelisk fountain:
Dovecote of the 18th century:
Carriage Museum:
Children's Museum, where you can dress up your kids according to the era of the emperors:
You can visit Schönbrunn Palace on any day, including holidays:
– January 1 – March 31: 09:30–17:00;
– April 1 – June 30: 09:00–17:00;
– July 1 – August 31: 09:00–17:30;
– September 1 – December 31: 09:00–17:00;
You can visit the garden every day: 06:30-17:30;
Ticket prices:
- Imperial excursion (22 rooms/35 min.) with audio guide - for adults - 22 euros, for children 6-18 years old - 15 euros, for students 19-25 years old - 18 euros, children up to 6 years free.
- Large excursion (40 rooms/50-60 min.) with audio guide - for adults - 26 euros, for children 6-18 years old - 19 euros, for students 19-25 years old - 22 euros , children under 6 years old are free.
For those who have Vienna City Card/Vienna Pass benefits are provided.
For more details, see the official website http://schoenbrunn. at.
Address of Schönbrunn Palace: Schonbrunner Schlosstrasse, 47.
To get to Schönbrunn Palace, you can use: metro - line U4, tram - №10, №58 and by bus - №10A - all - to the stop Schonbrunn. Read about transport tickets in the article Public transport in Vienna.
© 2019-2024 All rights reserved
Book your hotel cheaply!
Travel cheaply!
