Schloss Schonbrunn, Imperial Summer Palace in Vienna

Schloss Schönbrunn, Vienna

The Schonbrunn Castle in Vienna is a vast, dramatic 1441 room Baroque Palace – former summer home of the Imperial Habsburgs.  Construction began in 1695 and was completed in 1713 under Emperor Leopold I.  Empress Maria Theresia had her architect decorate the Palace from 1744 to 1749.  Before the estate became a Palace it was a fenced and filled with pheasants, ducks, deer and boar by order of Holy Roman Emperor Maxamillian 2, to serve as a recreational hunting ground for the Court.

The Schonbrunn Orangery was built in the mid 1700s and is the world’s largest orangery building.  It served as a winter home for exotic winter plants and an important society meeting place.   Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Johann Strauss played here and their stage has been restored to its former glory and still features concerts of music by these genius musicians.

The Orangery features concerts today as it did when Strauss and Mozart performed for royalty.