Franzensburg Castle

Laxenburg, Austria

Franzensburg palace was built in 1801-1836 in the style of and medieval castle. It is named after Francis II, the last Holy Roman Emperor. In 1806 the ferry started to be used to cross the pond from the mainland to the palace island. In winter it was replaced by a wooden bridge. The castle is surrounded with a 250-hectare castle park built in the late 18th century English style. Today the castle and park is a popular excursion destination. Guided tours are available in summer season.

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Address

Park 85, Laxenburg, Austria
See all sites in Laxenburg

Details

Founded: 1801-1836
Category: Castles and fortifications in Austria

More Information

www.schloss-laxenburg.at

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


Blauer Hof (1,1 km)
Altes Schloss (1,1 km)


St. Stephen's Cathedral (15,9 km)
Hofburg Palace (15,8 km)
Museumsquartier (15,4 km)
Kunsthistorisches Museum (15,4 km)
Augustinian Church (15,6 km)
Albertina (15,5 km)
St. Peter's Church (16 km)
Schönbrunn Palace (14 km)
Minoritenkirche (16 km)

User Reviews

Phương Nguyễn (2 years ago)
A very beautiful castle
Viera Slivkova (2 years ago)
Beautiful place. Very nice also for picnic.
People Cob (3 years ago)
Nice food inside, the soup was way too salty though. Wasn't a big problem, but it was very hot outside and I'd rather have something more hydrating.
Hynek Petrla (3 years ago)
Nice small castle. It’s beautiful from outside, best view behind moat. Admission fee for park is around 2.6€ and transfer over water is for 0.6€. Park is huge and little bit boring, otherwise there also some other nice monuments and places. Recommend it if you’re nearby gardens. In park I spend less then 2 hours.
va wael (3 years ago)
The interior of the castle is very impressive. The castle has always been conepted as some kind of museum and different parts of the interior were taken from other royal or church buildings around the area of the Austrian Empire. The old painted glass windows are astonishing as well, as they are in use for almost 200 years and didn't need bigger renovations yet.
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Palazzo Colonna

The Palazzo Colonna is a palatial block of buildings built in part over ruins of an old Roman Serapeum, and has belonged to the prestigious Colonna family for over twenty generations.

The first part of the palace dates from the 13th century, and tradition holds that the building hosted Dante in his visit to Rome. The first documentary mention notes that the property hosted Cardinal Giovanni and Giacomo Colonna in the 13th century. It was also home to Cardinal Oddone Colonna before he ascended to the papacy as Martin V (1417–1431).

With his passing, the palace was sacked during feuds, and the main property passed into the hands of the Della Rovere family. It returned to the Colonna family when Marcantonio I Colonna married Lucrezia Gara Franciotti Della Rovere, the niece of pope Julius II. The Colonna"s alliance to the Habsburg power, likely protected the palace from looting during the Sack of Rome (1527).

Starting with Filippo Colonna (1578–1639) many changes have refurbished and create a unitary complex around a central garden. Architects including Girolamo Rainaldi and Paolo Marucelli labored on specific projects. Only in the 17th and 18th centuries were the main facades completed. Much of this design was completed by Antonio del Grande (including the grand gallery), and Girolamo Fontana (decoration of gallery). In the 18th century, the long low facade designed by Nicola Michetti with later additions by Paolo Posi with taller corner blocks (facing Piazza Apostoli) was constructed recalls earlier structures resembling a fortification.

The main gallery (completed 1703) and the masterful Colonna art collection was acquired after 1650 by both the cardinal Girolamo I Colonna and his nephew the Connestabile Lorenzo Onofrio Colonna and includes works by Lorenzo Monaco, Domenico Ghirlandaio, Palma the Elder, Salviati, Bronzino, Tintoretto, Pietro da Cortona, Annibale Carracci (painting of The Beaneater), Guercino, Francesco Albani, Muziano and Guido Reni. Ceiling frescoes by Filippo Gherardi, Giovanni Coli, Sebastiano Ricci, and Giuseppe Bartolomeo Chiari celebrate the role of Marcantonio II Colonna in the battle of Lepanto (1571). The gallery is open to the public on Saturday mornings.

The older wing of the complex known as the Princess Isabelle"s apartments, but once housing Martin V"s library and palace, contains frescoes by Pinturicchio, Antonio Tempesta, Crescenzio Onofri, Giacinto Gimignani, and Carlo Cesi. It contains a collection of landscapes and genre scenes by painters like Gaspard Dughet, Caspar Van Wittel (Vanvitelli), and Jan Brueghel the Elder.

Along with the possessions of the Doria-Pamphilij and Pallavacini-Rospigliosi families, this is one of the largest private art collections in Rome.

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