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Hofburg Palace
(Imperial Palace)
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Hofburg Imperial Palace is a palace in
Vienna, Austria, which has housed some of the most powerful people in
Austrian history, including the Habsburg dynasty, rulers of the
Austro-Hungarian empire, and currently serves as the official residence of
the President of Austria. It was also known as the winter-residence, while
Schönbrunn Palace was the preferred summer-residence. The Hofburg faces the
Heldenplatz ordered under the reign of Emperor Francis Joseph, as part of
what was to become a Kaiserforum that was never completed. Numerous
architects have executed work at the Hofburg as it expanded, notably the
Italian architect-engineer Filiberto Luchese (the Leopoldischinertrakt),
Lodovico Burnacini and Martino and Domenico Carlone, the Baroque architects
Lukas von Hildebrandt and Joseph Emanuel Fischer von Erlach (the
Reichschancelry Wing and the Winter Riding School), Johann Fischer von
Erlach (the library), and the architects of the grandiose Neue Burg built
between 1881 and 1913. |
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The Habsburgs gradually extended the
gothic castle, of which only the chapel remains. Ferdinand I constructed a
Renaissance wing, later turned into the Stallburg. In 1575, work was started
on the Amalienburg. In the 1720s, a library was built to house some 90,000
volumes acquired by the family over time. It is the core of the
Österreichische Nationalbibliothek. In 1735, the chandelier-clad Spanish
Riding School was completed. The Crown Jewels of Austria and the Imperial
Regalia of the Holy Roman Empire, including the Imperial Crown that awaits
the next Emperor are kept in the Imperial Treasury Schatzkammer. Ferdinand
I, Holy Roman Emperor made this castle his home. In the 19th century the
Redoutensaal ("ballroom") became a desirable venue for concerts. The Vienna
Boys' Choir may be heard at Mass in the Chapel on Sundays.
Text Source: Wikipedia
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