Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria

Schönbrunn Palace is a former imperial summer residence located in Vienna. The 1,441-room Baroque palace is one of the most important architectural, cultural, and historical monuments in the country. The history of the palace and its vast gardens spans over 300 years, reflecting the changing tastes, interests, and aspirations of successive Habsburg monarchs.

The site of the Palace and Gardens of Schönbrunn is outstanding as one of the most impressive and well preserved Baroque ensembles of its kind in Europe. Additionally, it is a potent material symbol of the power and influence of the House of Habsburg over a long period of European history, from the end of the 17th to the early 20th century.

It is impossible to separate the gardens from the palace, of which they form an organic extension: this is an excellent example of the concept of Gesamtkunstwerk, a masterly fusion of many art forms.

A small hunting lodge and later summer residence of the Habsburg family was rebuilt after total destruction during the last Turkish attack in 1683. During construction work the project was expanded into an Imperial summer residence of the court. As such it represents the ascent and the splendour of the Habsburg Empire. At the peak of Habsburg power at the beginning of the 18th century, when imperial Vienna following the Turkish reflected its regained significance in spectacular examples of newly developing Baroque art, Schönbrunn was one of the most important building projects of the capital and residency.

The ample Baroque gardens with their buildings (Gloriette, Roman ruins etc.) and statuary testify to the palace's imperial dimensions and functions. The original intention, when they were laid out in the 18th century, was to combine the glorification of the House of Habsburg with a homage to nature. The Orangery on the east side of the main palace building is, at 186 m, the longest in the world. The Great Palm House is an impressive iron-framed structure, 114 m long and divided into three Sections, erected in 1880 using technology developed in England.

References:

UNESCO

User Reviews

Ioan-Cristian Lupescu (2 months ago)
You can spend a whole day in this beautiful palace and it's surroundings. I recommend getting the Audio guide for those who are interested in history. You will also find a Palm house and of course the Zoo here. There is information regarding plants and animals, so you can learn lots of things and have fun at the same time.

GrooYa Photography (2 months ago)
Simply amazing and well worth the visit. The garden, the park, the maze, the zoo - so much content, the place is huge and even if you don't enter the palace, you can spend a whole day roaming around, admiring the statues, the art and the park. Excellent site

michael laidlaw (2 months ago)
ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL. The whole family spent the day here, just wandering around the castle gardens. It is worth taking the long walk to the back of the castle grounds to see and eat at the coffee shop. Had cake and coffee and a rest before coming back down the hill. It took almost 3 hours. No charge for entry. Cheers big ears

Keri Thibeau (3 months ago)
Got to the ticket office when it opened at 8:30am first available opening for the palace was at nearly 4pm. I highly recommend booking your ticket(s) in advance otherwise just walk the grounds and see what you can. The 'other' gardens this time of year aren't worth the extra money in my opinion. If flowers were in bloom it'd be worth it, but otherwise see as much as you can for free. If you want to do the zoo do the combo for that and the palace. Zoo is currently under a little construction. If you're on a bit of a budget I recommend leaving the grounds to find food for something more affordable. I highly recommend getting there early if you're interested in walking around to take photos. It gets really busy after 10 am so if want photos without a bunch of people there go early. Also take some euros with you. The bathroom at the ticket office isn't free but there is one in the palace as well as one in the park.

Dejan Mratinković (3 months ago)
Great palace, lots of content in, and around it. Takes at least full day to see it all, and being spread on a great area, there is lots of walking! Due to lots of tourists, there might be few hours between you buying a ticket and entering the palace.

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