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 | Vienna Schönbrunn Reviews | Tips 1 - 10 of 95 |  |
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This is probably on the top of many people's list of things to see in Vienna. It's massive. The palace itself, the gardens, the zoo; everything about the place is on a grand scale. If you suddenly have flights of fancy about the wonderful life it must have been, pause to reflect here on the maxim "money doesn't buy you happiness". Franz Joseph's life had its highs to be sure, but it wasn't all roses. Of their large family, one son committed suicide, another daughter died at 2, his brother was assassinated in Mexico and his wife murdered in Italy. If all that wasn't bad enough, the youngest daughter went by the name of Marie Antionette, married off to the French king to avoid conflict with them, something the Hapsburgs were cannily adept to. As for Marie Antionette, as they say, the rest was history.
The vast acreage of the park is larger than the CBD of Vienna itself and , the thing I really liked about that was, it's free. Leave a Comment
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| | | | Schönbrunn: A bit of history | Tip Rating: | | | | |
In their present form, the gardens were designed by Louis Gervais and John Jadot, though later additions by Adrian von Stekhoven and Ferdinand von Hohenberg did take place. The inspiration came from Maria Therese and the baroque-styled layout commenced in 1750. It has always been well maintained and, in 1996, was accorded UNESCO World Heritage listing. This path leads to the famous zoo and the massive Palm House (Palmenhaus) that is the largest of its kind in continental Europe. It was commissioned in 1882 by the then emperor, Franz Josef.
I recall thinking that it didn't matter which path you took, you were bound to end up with surprises and the only thing I found no delight in was the zoo. I didn't go in because, in walking beside it, I noticed a cage with a massive condor imprisoned. I'm sorry, but I can't help but call to mind all the times I have watched raptors riding the updrafts in Australia, giving me hours of pleasure, and to see them contricted to a few square metres of space is depressing in my eyes. Leave a Comment
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Vienna
on May 21, 2004
on March 5, 2004
on August 2, 2003
