Schonbrunn

Today we had off, so it became the perfect to day spend at Schonbrunn. Schonbrunn is most famous for being the royal residency and summer house of the Habsburgs during the reign of Maria Theresia. However, the palace has a history of its own. It was built to rival Versailles in France, and was at one point owned by the monastery Klosterneuburg (which we toured with the canons) but came into Habsburg control in 1569 under Matthias II. It became a hunting house, with Matthias extending the game park, and remained a hunting palace for several years. Its name was originally 'Schone Brunnen' meaning fair spring, but was later first changed by Emperor Ferdinand II's wife to its current name, Schonbrunn. However, during the second Turkish siege of 1683, the palace was plundered and destroyed.

Under Emperor Leopold I, the palace was rebuilt and Fischer von Erlach was commissioned as its architect. However, plans stalled, and the palace was never completed according to original designs. Charles VI inherited the hunting palace, but gave it as a gift to his daughter Maria Theresia since he only ever used the grounds for hunting. Maria Theresia transformed the palace and completed its construction under the designs of Nikolaus Pacassi. After the palace was completed, a second phase of construction began in 1750, with Maria Theresia transforming the baroque palace into the more rococo style of the late baroque period. The gold floral ornamentations and the heavily tapestried rooms of rich deep colors are quintessential examples of the baroque style, with elaborate details in every corner and large dramatic frescos lining the ceilings and marble walls. The interior is largely rococo, each room composed of a different palate - one room being of yellow and blue fabric on the walls; two oriental styled rooms; the blue room with blue ceramics and sketches covering the walls; rooms filled with landscapes by Bergl; and then the grand ball room with heavy red velvets, marble, and high frescoed ceilings.

Maria Theresia's last contribution to the palace's growth was the gardens - she designed the gardens and hired an architect to construct the Neptune fountain and the beautiful Gloriette - the hill upon which Fischer von Erlach's original palace would have stood.

The palace remained a hunting retreat under Habsburg power until 1918 with the dissolution of the Habsburg monarchy, thus becoming the property of the Austrian Republic and used as a museum.

Our own tour which Sidney and I went on allowed us to look into 40 of the 200+ rooms of the main palace, and gave us entrance into all of the gardens. The Privy Gardens and the Orangery, the Palm House (housing the exotic and tropical plants), the bakery (free apfelstrudel classes!!), and the Gloriette (a cafe with a gorgeous view on top) were all covered in our ticket, giving us a great sense of the palace. The range of gardens is only one manifestation of the vast and expansive power which the Habsburgs held over Austria; the palace, too, as well as the estate as a whole, also demonstrate the domination of the Habsburgs and their incredible wealth and absolutism.

It was amazing to see such progressive techniques and styles throughout both the palace and the gardens (requiring hundreds of servants for upkeep) - the steam heaters used to heat the palace, the french gardens manicured so well, and the large fountain all seem to reflect the constantly changing palace and the forever progressive and dominating rule of the Habsburgs.