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SCHÖNBRUNN
PALACE
Imperial Majesty in Vienna Suburbs
The palace and zoo at Schonbrunn, a fifteen minute train ride from the
center of Vienna is the city’s and perhaps Austria’s most
popular tourist attraction. Schönbrunn Palace with its magnificne
grand façade of distinctive yellow and connected buildings and
huge formal gardens and park and the nearby zoo, taking up the space
of a small city on its own became a UNESCO World Hertiage site in 1996.
Schönbrunn Palace, its name meaning “beatiful spring” has
been the primary summer palace of the Habsburg dynasty since Holy Roman
Emperor Maximlian II first aquired the property as a game preserve along
the Wien River.
Emperor Leopold I built the original palace on the grounds beginning
in 1696 with a design intended to outshine France’s Versailles,
but Schonbrunn is probably most associated with the Empress Maria Theresa
who took the improvement of the palace as a personal project, reconstructing
much of it in late Baroque and Rococco style with the original furnishing
and decorations in the palace mostly from Maria Teresa's time. Napoleon
Bonaparte occupied the palace from 1805 to 1809. After Napoleon's defeat
(see Waterloo
Museums) and abdication from France (see Napoleon's
Chateau Fontainebleau) his Austrian second wife Empress
Marie Louise brought their son to live at Schonbrunn. Emperor Franz Josef
I was born at the
palace, lived there for much of his life and died the Emperor's Sleeping
Room on the palace tour. The garden park first opened to the public in
1779. The Baroque era formal design of the gardens, emphasising symetry
and balance, with diagonal avenues of intersecting walks and vistas,
leading to the dominace of the palace as the cental focal point intended
as a symbol of imperial power, together with the building additions made
toward the end of Maria Theresa's rule with her husband Emperor Franz
I Stephan (see Habsburg
Kaisergruft Tombs) make up the majority of the
shape of the palace as seen today, passing into public hands in 1918
following the end of the monachy after World War I.
Schönbrunn Palace Tours
The
Schönbrunn Palace is open daily, including public holidays from
8:30 in the morning to 5 or 6 pm depending on the time of year. The ticket
office just inside the main gate across the massive cobble stone plaza
opens at 8:15. Visitors to Schonbrunn can choose between a 22-room Imperial
Tour and the 40-room Grand Tour. The self–guide audio tours cost
9.50€ for the Imperial and 12.50€ for the Grand Tour. The Great
Gallery in the main palace at is undergoing a renovation until 2012,
but will remain on the tour. Getting to Schonbrunn is an easy trip on
the U4 line from central Vienna to either the Schonbrunn or Hietzing
stops, then a 5 minute walk to the main gate or Tram 10 or 58 to Schonbrunn
station. If you come in late November to December, a Christmas Market
is held just in front of the palace (see Austria
Christmas Markets)
New for 2010 at Schonbrunn Palace
A combination deal for Schönbrunn Palace and Schönbrunn Zoo
runs until March 26, 2010. The Combined Ticket, which grants entry to
both attractions, costs 19 Euro for adults and 9 Euro for children saving
about 25% on the regular price and includes the Grand Tour (with audio
guide) and admission to the zoo. It is valid for a month.
The Palm
House in the Schönbrunn Palace Park (Schoenbrunner Schlosspark)
offers a special highlight for plant lovers in fall 2010. The rarely
seen legendary Maria-Theresa Myrtle, a 300 year old plant given to the
empress as a wedding gift by the Ottoman Sultan in 1736 will be on display
show for a few weeks beginning at the end of September.
Hearing Impaired Tours of Schonbrunn
New at Schonbrunn Palace are tours specifically for the hearing imparied
with an iPod touch video including a sign language interpreter and musuem
Sign Language Guide. The tours offered to the deaf are the same as the
standard tours. © Bargain
Travel Europe
Find best hotel and travel deals in Vienna on TripAdvisor
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Schonbrunn
Palace
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SEE ALSO:
FAMOUS VIENNA CAFÉS & CONFECTION
TRICK FOUNTAIN OF HELLBRUNN PALACE
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