Schloss Schönbrunn
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The former summer residence of the Habsburgs, Schloss Schönbrunn (Schönbrunn Palace) was built on land acquired by Maximilian II in 1569. At that time it was a wooded area outside the city. During the Turkish Siege of 1683, however, the woodland was destroyed, leaving the ground free for the construction of this spectacular palace, built between 1695 and 1713 to the designs of the architect Johann Fischer von Erlach. Little of his original plans remain – Empress Maria Theresa ordered most of the interior to be redesigned into Rococo style (see p39), and the façade was altered between 1817–19 when it was painted in the characteristic “Schönbrunn yellow”.
The Austrian monarchy ended in 1918 when the last emperor, Karl I, renounced his claim to the throne in the Blue Chinese Salon
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1. Grand Gallery
The 40-m (130-ft) long, 10-m (30-ft) wide gallery has a stunning Rococo design of tall windows, splendid crystal mirrors, chandeliers and white-and-gold stucco. The Grand Gallery is still used for state receptions and banquets.
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2. Mirror Room
With its magnificent white-and-gold Rococo decoration and crystal mirrors, this room is a fine example of Maria Theresa’s style. Mozart once gave a private performance for the empress here.
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3. Millions’ Room
The name derives from the room’s rose-wood panelling that cost a reputed one million Gulden (former Austrian gold coins). In the panels Indo-Persian miniatures illustrate scenes from the lives of the Mogul rulers of India in the 16th and 17th centuries. Maria Theresa used the room for small audiences.
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4. Napoleon’s Room
When Napoleon occupied Vienna from 1805–09 he stayed in this room. Eighteenth-century Flemish tapestries adorn the walls.
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5. Vieux-Laque Room
The interior of this room unites Rococo elements with Chinese art: black lacquer panels from Beijing show landscapes, birds and flowers embellished in gold. After Maria Theresa’s husband Franz Stephan died in 1765, she hung several portraits of him here as memorial.
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6. Blue Chinese Salon
Blue wallpaper (made of rice paper), Japanese vases and pieces of lacquer furniture create an Oriental theme here.
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7. Empress Elisabeth Salon
In Elisabeth’s Neo-Rococo reception room there are portraits of Emperor Josef I as a child and his sister Marie Antoinette.
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8. Porcelain Room
The walls of Maria Theresa’s former study are covered with carved wooden frames that are painted blue and white to imitate porcelain.
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9. Bergl Rooms
The garden rooms were painted with frescoes by Johann Wenzl Bergl (1768–77) to satisfy Maria Theresa’s taste for exotic landscapes. They give an illusion of wild nature, with plants and parrots in brilliant colours.
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10. Chapel
In 1740 Maria Theresa remodelled the chapel. The marble altar was designed by Georg Raphael Donner, and Paul Troger painted the ceiling fresco The Marriage of the Virgin .
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