Belvedere, Vienna Facts for Kids

Upper Belvedere, a beautiful palace in Vienna.

The Belvedere is a famous group of historic buildings in Vienna, Austria. It includes two amazing Baroque palaces, called the Upper and Lower Belvedere. There's also an Orangery (a fancy greenhouse) and stables for horses. These buildings are surrounded by a beautiful Baroque park in the city's third district. Today, the Belvedere is home to a museum. The park has lovely tiered fountains, waterfalls, and cool sculptures. It was built as a summer home for Prince Eugene of Savoy, a famous general.

The Belvedere was built when Vienna was growing fast. At that time, Vienna was the capital of the Habsburg dynasty, a powerful ruling family. This rich period came after Prince Eugene of Savoy won many wars against the Ottoman Empire.

Discovering the Lower Belvedere
Exploring the Belvedere Gardens
Inside the Upper Belvedere
Belvedere After Prince Eugene
Belvedere and Franz Ferdinand
Belvedere in Modern Times
Gallery
See also

Discovering the Lower Belvedere

The Lower Belvedere, part of the palace complex.

On November 30, 1697, Prince Eugene bought a large piece of land south of Vienna. He wanted to build a grand garden and summer palace there. For this project, the prince chose Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt as his main architect. Hildebrandt was a talented builder who had already worked for Prince Eugene. He had studied building in Rome and became a court architect in Vienna.

At first, the land for the Belvedere was empty. It was perfect for creating a beautiful garden and palace. Prince Eugene bought more land over the years to make his garden even bigger.

Building the Lower Belvedere started around 1712. Work went quickly, and artists began painting inside. A famous garden designer named Dominique Girard changed the garden plans in 1717. He had worked at the famous Palace of Versailles in France. He helped finish the garden by the next summer.

Exploring the Belvedere Gardens

A painting of the gardens from the Upper Belvedere, made in 1758 by Bernardo Bellotto.

The Belvedere Gardens were designed in the formal French style. This means they have neat hedges, gravel paths, and water features. Dominique Girard, who learned his skills at Versailles, designed them. The gardens have many sculptures that tell stories from myths. These stories often connect to Prince Eugene's rise to power.

You can still see a large water basin in the upper part of the garden. There are also stairs and waterfalls with statues of nymphs and goddesses. The patterned flower beds are now mostly grass, but they are being restored.

Inside the Upper Belvedere

The Upper Belvedere at night, looking stunning.

Building the Upper Belvedere began in 1717. Prince Eugene wrote letters describing how fast the palace was being built. By October 1719, it was ready enough for him to welcome important visitors. Artists started decorating the inside in 1718. For example, the Italian painter Francesco Solimena created the altarpiece for the chapel and a ceiling fresco in the Golden Room.

The Upper Belvedere was finished in 1723. However, one room, the Sala Terrena, had problems and was at risk of falling down. So, in 1732, Hildebrandt had to add a special vaulted ceiling supported by four strong pillars. This gave the room its unique look today. The Upper Belvedere is so famous that it even appears on the 20-cent Austrian euro coin.

Belvedere After Prince Eugene

Prince Joseph of Saxe-Hildburghausen.

Prince Eugene died in 1736 without a clear will. His niece, Victoria, became his heir. She moved into the Belvedere but wanted to sell it quickly. In 1752, Maria Theresa, the daughter of Emperor Charles VI, bought the estate.

The royal family did not live in the Belvedere. At first, the buildings were not used much. Maria Theresa later created a gallery of her family's ancestors in the Lower Belvedere. In 1770, a huge masked ball was held there for a royal wedding. About 16,000 guests were invited!

An old picture of Belvedere Castle from around 1753.

In 1776, Maria Theresa and her son, Emperor Joseph II, decided to move the imperial art collection to the Upper Belvedere. They wanted to make the art available for everyone to see. The gallery opened five years later, making it one of the world's first public museums! This art collection stayed in the Upper Belvedere until 1891. Then, it moved to the new Kunsthistorisches Museum (Museum of Fine Arts) in Vienna.

While the Upper Belvedere became an art gallery, the Lower Belvedere was used by royal family members escaping the French Revolution. Later, in 1811, another imperial collection from Ambras Castle was moved to the Lower Belvedere. This part of the Belvedere also became a museum and attracted many visitors.

Belvedere and Franz Ferdinand

After the imperial art collections moved, the Belvedere palaces stopped being public museums for a while. In 1896, Emperor Franz Joseph I decided that the Upper Belvedere should be the home for the heir to the throne, his nephew Franz Ferdinand. The palace was updated for him to live there.

A few years later, in 1903, the Moderne Galerie (Modern Gallery) opened in the Lower Belvedere. This was Austria's first state museum just for modern art. It aimed to show Austrian art alongside international modern art. Famous works by artists like Vincent van Gogh and Claude Monet were bought for this gallery. In 1911, it was renamed the k.u.k. Staatsgalerie (Imperial and Royal Gallery) and started showing art from earlier times too. The assassination of Franz Ferdinand and the start of World War I changed everything for the Belvedere.

Belvedere in Modern Times

A beautiful ceiling painting in the Marble Hall of the Upper Belvedere by Carlo Carlone.

After World War I ended in 1918, the Belvedere palace complex became national property. This meant it belonged to the country. The Österreichische Galerie (Austrian Gallery) and a Moderne Galerie were planned. In the 1920s, the Baroque Museum was added to the Lower Belvedere. The Modern Gallery opened in the Orangery in 1929.

Belvedere painted by Adolf Hitler

The palaces were badly damaged during World War II by bombs. Parts of the Marble Hall in the Upper Belvedere and the Hall of Grotesques in the Lower Belvedere were destroyed. Restoration work took place from 1945 to 1953. The Austrian Gallery reopened in 1953, followed by the Baroque Museum and the Museum of Medieval Austrian Art.

In 1996, a report said that some postwar repairs had changed the original look of the Sala Terrena and grand staircase. The Belvedere Garden was also in disrepair. So, new plans were made to fix these issues. The gardens were brought back to their original Baroque style. The Sala Terrena and grand staircase were also greatly improved.

Today, the Lower Belvedere and the Orangery are used for special exhibitions. The Orangery was turned into a modern exhibition hall in 2007, while keeping its original Baroque style. The Lower Belvedere also reopened with a new design. The magnificent Baroque rooms, like the Marble Gallery and Golden Room, are still open for everyone to enjoy.