- Type
- Palace / château
- Built
- 1696 · 17th century
- Style
- Baroque
- Commissioned by
- Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor
- Architect
- Nicolò Pacassi, Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach
- Heritage
- part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site (an old town or a valley, for example)
- Coordinates
- 48.1848°, 16.3123°
History
Emperor Maximilian II bought the Katterburg estate in 1569, and the name Schönbrunn, meaning beautiful spring, came into use in the 17th century. After the Ottoman siege of Vienna in 1683 left the old lodge damaged, Leopold I commissioned Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach to build a new hunting palace, begun in 1696. The residence owes its present form to Maria Theresa, who rebuilt it from the 1740s with the architect Nikolaus Pacassi. Napoleon stayed here twice, Emperor Franz Joseph was both born and died here, and in 1918 Charles I signed his renunciation of any role in government in the palace. The palace and gardens have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996.
What to see
Tours lead through the imperial apartments, including the Great Gallery with its painted ceilings, the Hall of Mirrors and the Rococo Millions Room, panelled in rosewood and set with Indian miniatures. Behind the palace lie formal gardens with the Neptune Fountain, an artificial Roman ruin and a maze, and the hill crowned by the Gloriette gives the classic view of the palace against the city. The grounds also hold a zoo founded in 1752, a palm house and a carriage museum.
Wikipedia article Official website Wikidata Q131330
Popularity: articles about this site in 64 Wikimedia projects (Wikipedia language editions and others).