Schönbrunn Palace facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Schönbrunn Palace |
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Schloss Schönbrunn
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Schönbrunn Palace in 2022
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| General information | |
| Location | Hietzing, Vienna, Austria |
| Coordinates | 48°11′04″N 16°18′43″E / 48.184516°N 16.311865°E |
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
| Official name | Palace and Gardens of Schönbrunn |
| Criteria | Cultural: i, iv |
| Inscription | 1996 (20th Session) |
| Area | 160 ha (400 acres) |
Schönbrunn Palace (which means "beautiful spring" in German) is a famous palace in Vienna, Austria. It was once the main summer home for the Habsburg family, who were powerful rulers. The palace got its name from a special spring that provided water for the court.
This huge palace has 1,441 rooms and is built in the Baroque style. This means it has lots of fancy details and grand designs. Schönbrunn Palace is one of Austria's most important buildings. Its history and large gardens go back over 300 years. They show how the tastes of the Habsburg rulers changed over time. Since the 1950s, it has been a very popular place for tourists to visit.
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Exploring the History of Schönbrunn Palace
The story of Schönbrunn Palace began in 1569. That year, Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II bought a large area of land. This land was near the Wien river and had a mansion called Katterburg. The Emperor wanted the area to be a hunting ground for the royal family. He had fences built and brought in animals like pheasants, ducks, deer, and wild boars. There was also a special area for "exotic" birds like turkeys and peacocks. Fishponds were also created.
How the Palace Grew Over Time
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For the next hundred years, the area was used for hunting and fun. Eleonora Gonzaga, who was the wife of Emperor Ferdinand II, loved hunting. She spent a lot of time there. After her husband died, she received the area as her home. Between 1638 and 1643, she added a new palace next to the Katterburg mansion. In 1642, the name "Schönbrunn" was first written down. Eleonora Gonzaga also started the Schönbrunn orangery, which is a special greenhouse for orange trees.
The palace you see today was mostly built and changed in the 1740s and 1750s. This happened when Empress Maria Theresa ruled. She received the estate as a wedding gift. Later, Franz I had the outside of the palace redecorated. This gave it the neoclassical style it has today.
Schönbrunn After the Habsburgs
Franz Joseph was the longest-reigning emperor of Austria. He was born at Schönbrunn and lived there for most of his life. He passed away there in 1916, at 86 years old. After the Habsburg monarchy ended in 1918, the palace became property of the new Austrian Republic. It was then turned into a museum for everyone to visit.
After World War II (from 1945 to 1955), Schönbrunn Palace was used by the British. They had offices there and it was the headquarters for their military in Vienna. When Austria became a republic again in 1955, the palace went back to being a museum. It is still used for important events sometimes. For example, U.S. President John F. Kennedy and Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev met there in 1961.
Since 1992, a special company owned by Austria has managed the palace and its gardens. This company takes care of keeping the palace beautiful without needing money from the government. In 1996, UNESCO added Schönbrunn Palace and its gardens to the World Heritage List. This means it is a very important place in the world.
Exploring the Beautiful Gardens
The large, sculpted garden area between the palace and the Neptune Fountain is called the Great Parterre. In 1695, a gardener named Jean Trehet designed this French-style garden.
The palace grounds also have many other cool features. These include the Tiergarten, which is a zoo. There's also an orangerie, built around 1755, for growing citrus trees. A large palm house was built in 1882. It replaced about ten smaller glasshouses that were there before.
The area called Meidlinger Vertiefung (which means "Meidling depression") was once a play and drill area for the Habsburg children. This was common back then for training young princes. The miniature fort built for this is gone, but a garden building used as a shelter is still there. It became a café in 1927 and is now called Landtmann's Jausen Station.
At the far western side, there is a botanical garden. It was rearranged in 1828 when the Old Palm House was built.
The Gloriette
The main path through the garden leads to a 60-meter (about 200-foot) high hill. Since 1775, this hill has been topped by the Gloriette building.
Empress Maria Theresa wanted the Gloriette to show the power of the Habsburg family. She ordered builders to use "otherwise useless stone" from a nearby building that was being taken down.
The Roman Ruins
The Roman Ruin is a set of follies designed by architect Johann Ferdinand Hetzendorf von Hohenberg. It was built in 1778. Follies are buildings that look old or ruined but are built for decoration.
In the 18th century, it was popular to have picturesque ruins in gardens. These ruins showed the decline of old powers and honored a heroic past. The Roman Ruin has a rectangular pool surrounded by a large arch and walls. It looks like an ancient building slowly falling apart.
Visiting Schönbrunn Palace Today
Schönbrunn is Vienna's most popular place to visit. In 2017, about 3.8 million people visited the palace. If you include the Tiergarten Schönbrunn (zoo), the Palm House, the Desert House, and the Imperial Carriage Museum, over five million people visited the Schönbrunn complex in 2009.
You can buy tickets online for tours of the palace. Besides tours, you can also enjoy classical concerts. These concerts often feature music by Mozart and other famous composers. They are held in the palace's beautiful halls, the Orangery, or the palace theater.
The yearly Summer Night Concert Schönbrunn is also held in the Schönbrunn gardens.
Schönbrunn Palace Concerts
The Schönbrunn Palace Orchestra performs the Schönbrunn Palace Concerts. This orchestra started in 1997. Since 1998, it has been led by Maestro Guido Mancusi. He also started the Chamber Opera Schönbrunn.
In Vienna, the orchestra performs daily concerts. They play in the same place where Mozart and Salieri had a famous music contest in 1786. The orchestra often performs with singers and ballet dancers. They also travel and perform around the world.
Schönbrunn in Movies and TV
The palace and gardens have been used as a filming location for many movies and TV shows.
- The Sissi movies from the 1950s were filmed here.
- A Breath of Scandal with Sophia Loren also used the palace.
- The James Bond movie The Living Daylights briefly shows the palace garden.
- The comedy The Great Race was filmed here in 1965.
- Jackie Chan filmed scenes for Armour of God on the grounds.
- The TV drama The Crown Prince was filmed here.
- The Austrian TV series Kommissar Rex has filmed several episodes at Schönbrunn.
- In the anime Kuroshitsuji, Sebastian Michaelis mentions being a guest at Schönbrunn Palace.
- Dutch violinist André Rieu and the Johann Strauss Orchestra used the palace as a backdrop for a version of the "Ode to Joy" in 2003.
Schönbrunn has also been featured in reality TV shows:
- In The Amazing Race 4, a team had to carry champagne glasses across a ballroom.
- In The Amazing Race 23, teams had to race through the garden's maze to find the finish line.
The Disney animated TV show Little Einsteins featured Schönbrunn Palace in an episode called The Glass Slipper Ball.
Images for kids
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Panorama of Schönbrunn main facade
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Panorama of Schönbrunn from the Gloriette, with Vienna in background
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Panorama of the entrance court
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Schloss Katterburg and Gonzaga's palace, 1672
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Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach's first design, 1688
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Fischer von Erlach's second design, after 1693
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Soviet troops in the Schönbrunn Palace gardens, 1945
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Schönbrunn during British occupation, 1951
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A garden pavilion, Kammergarten pavilion
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Cafe Gloriette Schönbrunn
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The Roman Ruin.
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View from Great Parterre towards the Gloriette
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View of the gardens
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View of the gardens in autumn
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Orangery, in NE part of the gardens.
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Columbary
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Palm pavilion in western part of the gardens
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The Palm House
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Sundial House
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Privy garden in winter
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Schönbrunn seen through Neptune Fountain
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Schönbrunn
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The Schönbrunn Palace Silver Coin
Schönbrunn Palace was chosen to be on a special silver coin. This coin is an Austrian 10-euro coin, minted on October 8, 2003. One side of the coin shows the front of the palace behind one of its large fountains.
See also
In Spanish: Palacio de Schönbrunn para niños
- Imperial Carriage Museum
- Chinese Cabinets in Schönbrunn Palace
- Tiergarten Schönbrunn, the zoo in the palace gardens that claims to be the oldest one in the world
- Gloriette
- List of Baroque residences
- List of World Heritage Sites in Austria
