SCHOENBRUNN –

THE HABSBURG'S DREAM CASTLE

Schönbrunn Palace is one of the most important cultural monuments in Austria, one of the major tourist attractions in Vienna and is on the list of UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Sites. You should not fail to visit this architectural jewel during your stay in Vienna. We accompany you through the 40 rooms of the castle and will show you the magnificent park.

Sightseeing by bus or mini-bus plus walk – 3 hours
Rate € 240,- not incl. bus/admission

The castle. A historically significant place. This is where Empress Maria Theresa and her consort Franz Stephan of Lorraine lived together with their 16 children. Napoleon also stayed here for some months. Mozart gave his first concert as a 6 year old boy in front of Maria Theresa in the Mirror Room. Schönbrunn was also a location of the Viennese Congress. The first architect to work on this castle was Johann Fischer von Erlach. Then the building was completed during the government of Maria Theresa by her favourite architect, Nikolaus Pacassi.

The romantic tour of the completely furnished castle will take you on a journey through the centuries and starts at the top of the Blue Staircase. Next we see the apartments of Emperor Franz Joseph and his wife, Elisabeth, which are furnished in 19th century style, the richly-appointed apartments once occupied by Maria Theresa and the Franz Karl Apartments , which were occupied by Emperor Franz Joseph’s parents (Archduchess Sophie and Archduke Franz Karl). Every hall and every room of the castle tells a story which is typical for the lifestyle, the atmosphere and the philosophy of the imperial epoch.

The park. The former gardens of the imperial family are about 1.2 km2 (the dimensions of Monaco) and were opened to the public in 1779. The palace and its grounds form a homogenous unit and complement each other, in correspondence with the Baroque notion of a princely palace. According to this theory, architecture and nature should codepend. The attractions of the park are: the Orangery, the Palm House, the Labyrinth, the Gloriette and the Zoo (one of the oldest in Europe).