Vienna - Schonbrunn Castle

Today we took the Metro to Schonbrunn Palace, another palace that belonged to the Habsburg family. Again, photos inside the palace were not permitted. It was much the same as we saw in the Hofburg Palace, beautiful and quiet elegance. Looking at the pictures, you may think that the front of the palace is imposing, but plain. Believe me, as you get closer it becomes much more imposing!

I need to do some reading sometime to find out why the Austrians, as well as many other Europeans seem to have had such love & admiration for Sisi, and by extension her husband, Franz Joseph. 

There were a few rooms in the palace that had polished wood finishes, others that had tapestry wall coverings & some that were a regular woven finish, maybe a linen type of fabric. A few rooms had silk wall coverings. 

 

The rooms occupied by the Empress Elizabeth (Sisi) are light and airy in color. Mostly white walls with trim covered in gold leaf. Some rooms have silk wall coverings. Most of the windows have handmade lace curtains, as well as heavy velvet, or silk to block the cold winds. Sisi was a very health conscious person. In each of her residences, her suite of rooms included workout equipment. Yes, she apparently did sit-ups, chin-ups and weight lifting. 


By contrast, the rooms of the Emperor Franz Joseph, are dark, somber colors with tapestries or linen wall coverings. The rooms are austere with little furnishings. Wars won seem to be the theme he chose for his decorations. 

Outside of the palace are gardens and a large wooded park. The extensive area right behind the palace is French in design, it has short colorful flowers in an elaborate design. This view of the palace appears to be what we would think of as the front, because the gardens are so beautiful. 



  
 

At the end of the gardens, opposite of the palace is a pond around a large fountain featuring several  mer-creatures. There are also many Grecian style statues lining the wide path from the palace to the fountains.





  
 

 Leading from those wide paths are many other, smaller paths that lead into the woods. Near the gardens, the trees have been sculpted in the French fashion. Further away, they have been left natural in the English style.



Behind the fountain a high hill rises up. A path on each side zigzags to the top, where an imposing structure sets. This is Gloriette. The building is wide & narrow, with the center portion glassed in. 

There is a large pond in front & behind it. The front center of the building offers a deep balcony with stairs leading up each side. At each end are another set of stairs with a hallway leading to the center. Currently the center of the building is a cafe. 

In the last column on each end, there is a staircase that goes to the top of the structure, giving access to the roof over the entire structure. From here, you get a fantastic view over the pond, down the hill over the French gardens past the very large castle and on over to the town. It is said that the former Empress Marie Louise liked to come to Gloriette for breakfast. Can't say that I blame her. 

After we toured the palace, one of the side gardens & the formal French gardens, we decided to take a half hour carriage ride around the grounds. It was a very nice tour. We got to pass by the oldest zoo & the largest greenhouse in the world.




 
We decided that we wanted to see more of these sights, so bought tickets for the small tourist train. 

The greenhouse is built in the Art Nouveau style. The concrete "base" that you see on the structure is probably 4 1/2 feet tall. There are many tropical plants growing inside.

The zoo was nice with some interesting habitats. The most interesting thing we saw was two Indian Armored rhinos. We have never seen this type of rhino before. We were also able to go to the top of Gloriette and to have a snack of sachertorte in the area that was the breakfast spot of an empress. What can I say, we're special!

TJ & EA at Schonbrunn Palace, near Vienna, Austria