Gate of the Hofburg Palace
The outer gate of the Hofburg Palace is a product of the era of Emperor Franz I. It was designed by Peter Nobile. It was designed by Peter Nobile and built entirely by the hands of soldiers. In 1824, this magnificent gate was inaugurated on the anniversary of the Battle of Leipzig (the first time the Allies regained lost territory from Napoleon's army) as a way of honoring Emperor Franz's defeat.
Heroes' Square
Passing through the gates of the Neuhofburg Palace, you come to the imposing Heroes' Square. The two bronze statues on the Heroes' Square commemorate: 1. Prince Eugen, who was invincible in the battle of the Turks; 2. Grand Duke Karl, who successfully fought off Napoleon. New Hofburg Palace
The New Hofburg Palace was commissioned by Emperor Franz Joseph I in 1881 to Karl von Hasenauer and Gottfried Semper.
In 1926, when the new Hofburg Palace was completed, the last Habsburg emperor, Karl I had already abdicated for eight years. On March 15, 1938, Hitler announced from the balcony of the New Hofburg Palace that Austria would henceforth merge with Germany. While the crowds in Heroes' Square cheered Hitler, the Nazis had already begun their bloody terror and slaughter ......
Today, there are several exhibition galleries inside the Neuhofburg Palace, among them an exhibition gallery of human culture, an exhibition gallery of musical instruments (including instruments used by famous musicians!) ), and the Weapons Gallery. On the first floor of the Neuhofburg Palace is the reading room and catalog search hall of the current National Library.
Ceremonial Hall
Connecting the New Hofburg Palace and the Old Hofburg Palace is the Ceremonial Hall, built in 1804, a 1,000-square-meter hall where emperors were enthroned and balls were held. Today, it is the place where the United Nations and other organizations hold large conferences and banquets.
Emperor Franz's Square
Through the corridors of the Ceremonial Hall you come to the old Hofburg Palace. The statue of Emperor Franz II is seen in the square. This Emperor Franz II of the Holy Roman Empire of Germany took the initiative to dissolve the empire in 1806 in order to dash the dream of Napoleon, who claimed to be the Emperor of France, to be the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire of Germany and at the same time established the Austrian Empire, and Emperor Franz II thus became Emperor Franz I of the Austrian Empire. Banquet and Silverware Gallery
From the Emperor Franz Square, we can walk into the Palace Banquet and Silverware Gallery for a visit. This exhibition hall was refurbished until 1995 when it was opened to visitors. In the hall of the exhibition hall, there is a model of the Hofburg Palace, you can see the complex internal structure of the palace at a glance. The gallery displays the tableware used by the emperors for their banquets, including Chinese porcelain, known as white gold, the earliest porcelain treasures in Europe, gifts from the French court, and fine Italian silverware.
Swiss Gate To the right of Franzplatz is the Swiss Gate. During the Middle Ages, many royal palaces preferred to have their gates guarded by tough and honest Swiss, and the Habsburgs were no exception, hence the name of this oldest gate. Between 1547 and 152, Emperor Ferdinand I transformed the old castle into a Renaissance-style palace. The Swissmen's Gate is also a product of this era. In those war-torn times, there was of course a moat outside the gates, and connecting the inner and outer parts of the city was a drawbridge. Castle Chapel
The courtyard inside the Swiss Gate is also known as the Swiss Courtyard. Through the Swiss courtyard you can visit the castle chapel. Today, it is the place where elegant people hold their weddings. The adjoining Hofmusikkapelle is the cradle of the Vienna Children's Choir. Today, the Vienna Boys' Choir, which is celebrating its 500th anniversary, sings in the castle chapel on Sundays and religious holidays. Reservations are essential as the choir is always in demand.
Treasure house
From the Swiss courtyard, you can also visit the Habsburg treasure house. In the early years, the Habsburgs kept their treasures in separate places. The first treasure house was inaugurated during the reign of Karl VI, and the inscription 1712 on the iron gate marks the year in which it was built. Currently, crowns, scepters, imperial robes, clothes, jewelry, badges used by the Habsburg family, as well as some of the Church's precious items are treasured here.
The Emperor's Apartment
In the Hofburg Palace, the most worthwhile visit is the Emperor's Apartment. The Emperor's Apartment Exhibition I*** consists of twenty-one display rooms*** divided into three display areas, which are the Franz Josef Apartment, Elizabeth's Apartment and Alexander's Apartment. The Franz Josef Apartment includes the Emperor's audience hall, conference room, office, and banquet hall. The bedroom of Franz Joseph I was very simple, with an iron bed and minimal toiletries outlining the life of the longest-reigning emperor. Quite the opposite was the apartment of his wife, Elisabeth (Princess Sissi). Here we find a small marble altar, furniture from Louis XIV and works by famous painters. In one of the dressing rooms, Elisabeth also had a climbing frame erected and a hanging ring installed, specifically for physical exercise. The Alexander Apartment was named after the Russian Tsar. It was his apartment during the Congress of Vienna. Nowadays, the end of the Habsburg Empire is recorded here. We can see portraits of Crown Prince Rudolf, who committed suicide because of love, Crown Prince Ferdinand, who was assassinated in Sarajevo, and the last emperor Karl I.
Spanish Riding School A few dozen steps west along the wall at the rear entrance of the Hofburg Palace brings you to Vienna's famous Spanish Riding School. The history of the Spanish Riding School goes all the way back to the year one thousand five hundred and seventy-two. Emperor Maximilian II began to herd Spanish horses from this time. The performance of this horse trotting and dancing, which began at the Royal Court in the 16th century, reached its peak in the era of the Humanist Revival and was popular at all European courts. But today only Vienna has managed to preserve this ancient tradition. In 1735, the Winter Riding School, commissioned by Karl VI, was inaugurated. The magnificent riding hall was seventeen meters high, eighteen meters wide and fifty-five meters long, and was surrounded by a peristyle supported by forty-six columns. Since then, it has been a place where people have been able to watch equestrian masterpieces. Joseph's Square
Passing the Spanish Riding School, we arrive at Joseph's Square. In the center of the square is the bronze statue of Emperor Joseph II, built in 1806. This son of Empress Maria Theresia has a reputation as an enlightened monarch and reformer.
National Library
The most splendid building to be seen on Josephplatz is the Austrian National Library, which is attached to the Hofburg Palace. This baroque building, like many of Vienna's famous buildings, is by the hand of Fischer von Erlach. The first records of the book collection date from the fourteenth century, and by the sixteenth century this library was already taking shape. In 1920, the library was nationalized. Today, the Austrian National Library has a collection of two and a quarter million volumes and is one of the most famous libraries in the world. One of the best things to see in the National Library is the Prunksaal. This luxurious hall can be called a masterpiece of baroque style. It is 78 meters long, 14 meters wide and 19 meters high. The marble columns and colorful dome decorations are amazing. The most valuable collection in the hall is the 16,000 volumes of hardcover books with gilt covers, which were moved from the Prince Eugen's Library. Today, the lavish hall is used mainly for exhibitions.
Augustinian Chapel
Walking out of the National Library, we can see a church. Since the eighteenth century, this Augustinian church has been the court church. Royal weddings and funerals were held here. Among the most notable weddings were those in which Napoleon was so busy fighting that he didn't even have time to attend his own wedding to Maria Louise, so he had to have someone else perform the marriage by proxy. The wedding of Franz Joseph and Princess Sissi was also held here. In addition, there is a small crypt in the Augustinian Church, which treasures fifty-four small canisters, small canisters are the hearts of the Habsburg royal relatives! Habsburg burials were very strange. A body was buried in three places: the heart was placed in the Augustinian Church, the other organs in the Stefan Church, and the bones in the Royal Crypt. Among the members of the Habsburg dynasty, the least fortunate was Napoleon's son. A young man who died of tuberculosis at the age of twenty-one, his bones were returned to France before the Second World War, but his heart remained forever in the Augustinian Chapel! The Royal Catacombs The catacombs of the Habsburg dynasty are housed in a church with an unassuming exterior. The Kapuzinerkirche (Kapuziner Church) was originally a part of the Order of the Innocents, and as such the church's architecture is virtually uncarved. However, it is in the nine crypts of this church that the zinc or bronze coffins of one hundred and thirty-eight members of the Habsburg dynasty are housed. The last of these funerals took place in 1989. The expelled last emperor, Karl I, and his wife, Zita, spent their lives in Switzerland and were not able to return to their own country alive. At the time of Zita's death, the Austrian **** and state finally agreed to bury her bones in the royal crypt. Although, it has been more than seventy years since the abolition of the Austrian imperial system, you will surely have the unforgettable feeling of being in the Austro-Hungarian Empire if you watch Zita's burial ceremony.