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Schoenbrunn Palace
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The Schönbrunn Palace (Schloss
Schönbrunn) in Vienna is one of the most important cultural monuments in
Austria and since the 1860s has also been one of the major tourist
attractions in Vienna. In the year 1569 the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II
purchased the Katterburg which was located on a large area between Meidling
and Hietzing where today Schönbrunn's parks and different buildings are
situated. He showed interest in the newly founded zoo, the Tiergarten
Schönbrunn, and tried to establish not only a systematic maintenance of wild
animals, but also a plantation of rare and exotic plants. He is justifiably
called the creator of Schönbrunn's garden arrangement.
The new name, Schönbrunn ("beautiful well"), has its roots in a water well
from which water was consumed by the royal court
in Vienna. During the next century many members of the royal family of
Austria spent their summer vacations and hunting excursions in the
Katterburg. |
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In the days of the Turkish sieges the
Katterburg was nearly destroyed and it appeared to be impossible to restore
the castle. Emperor Leopold I gave architect Johann Bernhard Fischer von
Erlach the order to design a new palace. His first draft was a very utopian
one, dealing with different antique and contemporary ideals. His second
draft showed a smaller and more realistic building. Construction began 1696
and after three years the first festivities were held in the newly built
middle part of the palace. Unfortunately, not many parts of the first palace
survived the next century because every emperor added or altered a bit on
the inner and outer parts of the building. By order of Empress Maria Theresa
of Austria, the architect Nikolaus Pacassi reshaped Schönbrunn Palace in a
way of the style of the Rococo era. At the end of the so-called Theresianian
epoch Schönbrunn Palace was a vigorous centre of Austria's empire and the
royal family. |
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In the 19th century one name is
closely connected with Schönbrunn's, Emperor Franz Josef I of Austria. He
spent most of his life here and died on November 21, 1916 in his sleeping
room. Through the course of his reign, Schönbrunn Palace was seen as a
Gesamtkunstwerk (total work of art) and remodelled in accordance with its
history. The palace complex includes sets of faux
Roman ruins and an orangerie, staple luxuries of European palaces of its
type.
After the downfall of the monarchy in 1918 the newly founded Austrian
Republic became the owner of Schönbrunn Palace and preserved the beautiful
rooms and chambers as a museum for the visitors. In the 20th century the
palace was used several times for important events such as the historical
meeting between John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev in the year 1961. The
UNESCO placed Schönbrunn Palace on the World Cultural Heritage List in 1996.
A public maze is located in the wide gardens of Schönbrunn Palace. The
entrance fee allows entrance to the maze, as well as to a set of other
outdoor puzzles, including a math game and a series of fountains.
Text Source: Wikipedia
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