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Status as at January 2016
Imperial Vienna
A stroll around Vienna is like a journey back in time to the city’s imperial past. Examples of
the capital’s rich cultural heritage and reminders of bygone imperial splendor await you
around every corner.
For 640 years the Habsburgs ruled their empire from Vienna. Many of the city’s landmarks go back
to the Baroque era, and the reign of Empress Maria Theresa. In 1857 Emperor Franz Joseph gave
the order to raze the city walls and construct the Ringstrasse in their place. A stroll along the city’s
showpiece boulevard is a sightseeing experience to remember, since the Ring is lined with grand
buildings and beautiful parks on both sides. The Hofburg, in the heart of the old town, served as
the residence of the Habsburg emperors and empresses, and was the epicenter of this great
power from 1278 to 1918. Today the extensive complex is home to a number of leading museums
and official state rooms.
The Habsburgs’ former summer residence is Vienna’s top tourist attraction. The imperial family had
the run of 1,441 rooms at Schönbrunn Palace, and today the original state rooms are open to the
public. The grounds of the palace are home to architectural gems such as the Palm House and the
zoo. Built in the reign of Empress Maria Theresa in 1752, Schönbrunn is the oldest zoo in the
world. Although it has been thoroughly modernized in recent years, great care has been taken to
preserve the original Baroque buildings. Empress Maria Theresa was so attached to her husband
Franz I that she shares her last resting place with him in a double tomb in the Habsburg burial
crypt, the Kapuzinergruft. St. Stephen’s Cathedral is the religious and geographical heart of the
city, and the giant Pummerin bell in its tower features on television as it rings in the New Year each
year.
The celebrations don’t end there. Throughout the ball season the words “Alles Walzer” signal to the
assembled guests that it is time to join the dance at the Festsaal in the Hofburg or one of the city’s
many other palaces. The Viennese are also true to the good old days of empire in their daily lives,
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enjoying delicious Kaisersemmel bread rolls, and treating themselves to a sugar-covered
Kaiserschmarrn shredded pancake with stewed plums.
Events in 2016 will be marked by the 100th anniversary of the death of Emperor Franz Joseph,
who passed away at Schönbrunn Palace on November 21, 1916. A special exhibition entitled
Franz Joseph 1830-1916 split between four location in Vienna and Lower Austria will take a look at
various aspects of his life and legacy (www.franzjoseph2016.at).
Imperial sights
Hofburg
1010 Vienna, www.hofburg-wien.at/en.html
Between the thirteenth century and the fall of the empire in 1918, the Hofburg served as the
Habsburg dynasty’s primary residence, with new wings added in several major construction
phases over the years. The original Gothic buildings around what is now the Schweizerhof were
steadily extended, with building activity reaching its peak in the Baroque era and the nineteenth
century. A sprawling complex comprising several wings grew up, forming a major architectural
focal point in Vienna’s historic city center. Today the Hofburg is home to the Austrian National
Library (Nationalbibliothek, www.onb.ac.at), the Imperial Treasury (Kaiserliche Schatzkammer
Wien, www.khm.at), the Court Silver Collection (Silberkammer), the Imperial Apartments, the Sisi
Museum (www.hofburg-wien.at), the Ephesus Museum, the Collection of Arms and Armor, the
Collection of Ancient Musical Instruments and the Spanish Riding School (www.srs.at).
Schönbrunn Palace
Schönbrunn Palace, Schönbrunner Schlossstrasse, 1130 Vienna, www.schoenbrunn.at
Schönbrunn Zoo, Schönbrunner Schlosspark, 1130 Vienna, www.zoovienna.at
Schönbrunn Palace and Gardens, located in Hietzing in the west of the Austrian capital, is one of
the most significant complexes of its kind in the world, and was added to UNESCO’s World
Heritage List in 1996. Following the destruction of the original buildings on the site during the 1683
siege of Vienna, Fischer von Erlach’s grandiose designs for Schönbrunn became a mirror of the
Habsburgs’ far-reaching political ambitions. The palace and formal gardens were completed in
1696, and were completely remodeled under Maria Theresa from 1743. The neo-Baroque
adaptations of the nineteenth century took their cue from the era of Maria Theresa’s rule, which
was widely regarded as the heyday of the Habsburg Empire. After 1918 ownership of Schönbrunn
Palace passed to the state, and today it is the city’s most visited cultural monument and an
important recreation area.
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Imperial Carriage Museum Vienna
at Schönbrunn
In the former imperial winter riding school, located in Schönbrunn gardens, visitors can wonder at
the ceremonial and everyday conveyances used by the imperial court and the aristocracy. The
centerpiece of the museum is the golden Imperial Coach, which was used for coronations and
other historic events. Many other examples of litters, travelling coaches, open-topped carriages,
dress coaches, horse-drawn vehicles for everyday and sporting purposes as well as hearses are
almost equally impressive. The enchanting children’s carriages were used by the young Habsburgs
to learn how to drive. A permanent exhibit, the Sisi Trail, follows the life of Empress Elisabeth and
includes examples of her clothes as well as the carriage in which she made her first appearance as
an Empress on her wedding day, and the coach she used for her final journey to Geneva, before
she was murdered.
Imperial Burial Vault (Capuchins' Crypt)
Neuer Markt/Tegetthoffstrasse, 1010 Vienna, www.kaisergruft.at
The Imperial Burial Vault, part of the Church of the Capuchin Friars on Neuer Markt in the old town,
is the main burial site of the Habsburgs and deeply symbolic of the history of the dynasty. It is the
final resting place of almost all of the Habsburg emperors since the start of the seventeenth
century (with the exceptions of Rudolf II, Ferdinand II and Karl I) as well as members of the
Habsburg family up to the present day: in 1989 Zita, the last Empress of Austria, was laid to rest
here, in 2008 one of her sons, Carl Ludwig, and in 2011 the former heir to the throne Otto
Habsburg-Lothringen and his wife Regina. Altogether, the remains of some 150 members of the
former ruling house are interred here. The crypt was originally built on the basis of a Habsburg
foundation, and was extended numerous times over a period of several centuries. The
sarcophaguses and tombs are decorated with religious motifs and symbols of the transience of
worldly power. Open to the public, the Habsburg burial vault is under the stewardship of the
Catholic order of the Capuchin Friars.
Church of the Augustinian Friars (Augustinerkirche) and the Habsburg Heart Vault (Herzgruft)
Josefsplatz, 1010 Vienna, www.augustinerkirche.at
The court parish church of St. Augustin was the scene of numerous imperial weddings. It
witnessed the marriages of Empress Maria Theresa and Francis Stephen of Lorraine, Emperor
Franz Joseph and Elisabeth, Crown Prince Rudolf and Princess Stephanie. It was also the scene
of the proxy wedding (a common practice concluded before the bride traveled to her husband for
the actual wedding ceremony) of Napoleon and Habsburg Archduchess Marie Louise. The
Augustinian Church is also home to the Herzgruft, where 54 Habsburg hearts are interred in silver
urns (guided tours on Sundays after mass at around 12.15 p.m. and by prior arrangement).
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Imperial Treasury Vienna
Hofburg, Schweizerhof, 1010 Vienna, www.kaiserliche-schatzkammer.at/en
The splendor of the objects on display here is breathtaking: in the secular treasury, both the
Austrian Emperor’s Crown and the Emperor’s Crown of the Holy Roman Empire are on display, as
well as the royal regalia, the treasure of the Order of the Golden Fleece, coronation robes, jewelry
and other precious items collected by the House of Habsburg. These include the “Inalienable
Heirlooms of the House of Austria” – a giant narwhal tusk once believed to be a unicorn’s horn and
an agate bowl that was thought to be the Holy Grail – alongside the gilded cradle of the King of
Rome, who was the only legitimate son of Napoleon and Habsburg Archduchess Marie Louise.
The ecclesiastical treasury offers an insight into the history of religion, Habsburgian religious
devotion and faith among the Austrian people. Pieces on display include reliquary caskets,
communion regalia, liturgical objects, and curios such as the scourge used by Empress Anna
(1585-1618) to do penance for her sins.
St. Stephen’s Cathedral (Stephansdom)
Stephansplatz, 1010 Vienna, www.stephanskirche.at
St. Stephen’s Cathedral is both Austria’s most important Gothic building and the best-known
symbol of Vienna. Dedicated to St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr, the church was declared the
seat of the Bishop of Vienna in 1469 and that of the Archbishop of Vienna in 1722. The cathedral
largely owes its current appearance to elements built between the twelfth and the early sixteenth
centuries. The Habsburgs had a significant hand in its design, and Duke Rudolf IV played a
particularly crucial role when he commissioned the large-scale expansion of what was then St.
Stephen’s Church. Until the sixteenth century, the Herzogsgruft crypt in the cathedral was the most
important Habsburg burial chamber. The Cenotaph of Rudolf IV and the tomb of Emperor Friedrich
III are of particular artistic interest.
Karlskirche
Karlsplatz, 1040 Vienna, www.karlskirche.at
The Karlskirche (Church of St. Charles) in Vienna’s fourth district is one of Europe’s leading
examples of Baroque architecture. Its symbolism and the use of antique architectural elements tell
of the Habsburgs’ aspirations to a universal empire. Work began on the building in 1714 according
to plans by Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach. After his death, his son Joseph Emanuel took
over the project and the church was completed in 1739.
Ringstrasse
In 1857 the city walls were razed to the ground, and the space they left behind became one of the
largest building sites in Europe. Over the coming years the showpiece boulevard encircling
Vienna’s city center saw the emergence of a glittering array of Historicist public buildings, private
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mansions, parks and memorials. Highlights include Otto Wagner’s Postsparkasse, the Museum of
Applied Art (MAK), the Stadtpark, the Vienna State Opera, the Hofburg, the Kunsthistorisches
Museum Vienna and the Naturhistorisches Museum Vienna, the parliament building, the
Burgtheater, the university and the former stock exchange. Emperor Franz Josef officially opened
the Ringstrasse on 1 May 1865.
Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna (Art History Museum) and Naturhistorisches Museum Vienna
(Natural History Museum)
Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna, Maria-Theresien-Platz, 1010 Vienna, www.khm.at
Naturhistorisches Museum Vienna, Maria-Theresien-Platz, 1010 Vienna, www.nhm-wien.ac.at
During the construction of the Ringstrasse two museums – the Kunsthistorisches Museum and the
Naturhistorisches Museum – were built to showcase the collections of the ruling dynasty. Finished
in 1891and 1889 in the Historicist style, the twin museums were originally designed as part of the
ultimately uncompleted Kaiserforum. The buildings introduced the rich collection of imperial art and
natural history exhibits that had previously been held in the Hofburg to a broader public. In March
2013, the Kunstkammer at the Kunsthistorisches Museum reopened to the public in a new format
after a decade long refurbishment project. This collection of curiosities is based on the treasures
accumulated for the imperial cabinets of wonder by the ruling Habsburgs during the late Middle
Ages and the Renaissance and Baroque eras. Highlights of the 2,200 item collection include the
Saliera salt cellar by Benvenuto Cellini, the Krumlov Madonna, intricate ivory pieces, scientific
instruments, timepieces, automatons and a host of beautiful and intriguing exhibits.
Augarten
Augarten Porcelain Manufactory, Obere Augartenstrasse 1, 1020 Vienna, www.augarten.at
The Augarten park in the former Danube wetlands in Vienna’s second district dates back to a
seventeenth century complex which, over subsequent decades, was continually adapted by the
ruling imperial family. The eighteenth century garden pavilion, an important classical music venue
in its day, today houses the factory of the Augarten Porcelain Manufactory, a museum on the
history of porcelain making, and a restaurant. Now the boarding house and home of the Vienna
boys’ choir, the Augarten Palace dates back to a stately home which was acquired by Emperor
Joseph II in 1780. The Josephstöckl, Joseph II’s private summer residence, is named after this
popular Emperor who loved the Augarten and opened the grounds to the public in 1775. In late
2012 the Vienna Boys’ Choir’s new concert hall MuTh opened in the Augarten. The Baroque
buildings combine with state-of-the-art modern architecture to create excellent acoustics, giving the
Boys Choir – as well as other youth groups – the perfect venue for concerts and stage
performances.
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Prater
The Prater in Vienna’s second district started life as an imperial hunting ground in the Donauaen
wetlands. The name Prater stems from pratum – the Latin word for meadow or hay-field (prado in
Spanish, and prato in Italian). The meadows and the tree-lined boulevards give the park, referred
to locally as the Green Prater, its distinctive character. The Prater Hauptallee was laid out as a
horse-chestnut lined promenade in the sixteenth century. The system of pathways was expanded
under Emperor Joseph II, who also added the Praterstern (Prater star) intersection and the
Lusthaus pavilion, as a focal point. After Emperor Joseph II opened the park to the public in 1766
the Prater soon became one of the city’s best-loved recreation areas.
Hofmobiliendepot • Imperial Furniture Collection
Andreasgasse 7, 1070 Vienna, www.hofmobiliendepot.at
Any pieces of furniture that could not be accommodated in any of the Habsburg palaces and
residences – or had fallen out of favor – were transferred to the Hofmobiliendepot which is located
roughly half way between Schönbrunn Palace and the Hofburg. Today the depot is home to the
Imperial Furniture collection, a modern, light-filled museum where visitors from all over the world
can see selected items from the enormous imperial inventory. The Sis(s)i trail gives fans of the
legendary Empress Elisabeth a fascinating insight into the monarch’s personality. A permanent
exhibition entitled Sissi in Film features original furnishings from the popular Sissi trilogy starring
Romy Schneider, while clips from the movies and background information on the making of the
films breathe fresh life into the story. A changing line up of special exhibitions on the Habsburg
dynasty and design complete the experience.
Tips for Researching Vienna Features:
www.habsburger.net (German and English) is an excellent source of information on the history and
the lives and times of the Habsburgs. A team of historians from the University of Vienna have
converted huge volumes of archive data into user friendly material on this easy to navigate
multimedia website.
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