Belvedere palace in Vienna was completed in 1725 as a summer residence for the Austrian national hero, Eugen, Prince of Savoy.
The complex contains two separate palaces, one of which was used for formal receptions and events, while the other was used by Prince Eugen as his actual summer residence.
There are also the wonderful palace gardens, the handwork of Bavarian master Dominique Girard.
After the death of Prince Eugen, the buildings were transferred to the ownership of the Habsburgs, the ruling family of Austria at the time.
Among the subsequent inhabitants of Belvedere was Crown-Prince Franz Ferdinand, whose death in Sarajevo was one of the events that led to the start of World War I.
PHOTO: A view to the upper Belvedere palace, today an art museum for 19th and 20th century art. One of the ways to get to the palace is to use the Vienna metro, with the closest stop being for the U1-line at “Taubstummengasse”.
PHOTO: The palaces and the surroundings have many magnificent artworks. One of the main themes on the upper palace gardens being female griffin statues, guarding the corners of the area.
PHOTO: A closeup of Beldevere waterfountain, one of the highlights at the garden, which separates the upper and lower Belvedere palaces.
PHOTO: View to the lower Belvedere palace, the first palace of the two that was constructed. The building is a design by Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt, one of Austria’s most celebrated Baroque masters.
PHOTO: Prince Eugen used the lower palace as his summer palace. Because of the this fact, the garden at this end contains statues with lighter themes, suitable for such a summer residence. The statues were designed by a Venetian artist, Giovanni Stanetti.
PHOTO: A view from the lower Belvedere palace to the upper palace.
Today, the Belvedere palace complex is used by the Austrian National Gallery, to house and exhibit art collections.
Of the two palace buildings, the lower Belvedere palace contains nowadays the Austrian Baroque Museum.
Austrian Baroque Museum exhibits a collection of statues and paintings, primarily from the 17th and 18th centuries…
…but the building also contains Austrian artwork from 12th century up to the 16th century.
Belvede Palace – Vienna
Prinz-Eugen-Straße 27, 1030 Vienna, Austria
…including classical art, Biedermeier, Art Nouveau, and Ringstrasse period collections, with individual masterworks from artists such as
- Klimt,
- Schiele, and
- Kokoschka.