Belvedere, Vienna

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The Belvedere was built by Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt for Prince Eugene of Savoy. The Prince was the most celebrated of the Habsburg generals due to his defeat of the Turks in 1683. The Prince acquired the land in 1697 but had to wait until he received his reward money from his victories during the Spanish succession to start work on the Lower Belvedere in 1714 and finished in 1716. The Lower Belvedere was used by the Prince as a residence but he required something grander so work was started on the Upper Belvedere in 1721 and was completed in the record time of 1 year. The Upper Belvedere was used for receptions, negotiations and feasts. At the time the grounds contained various gardens, an aviary and a small zoo.

Tourists flock to this place especially because of the works of art exhibited inside. The galleries do indeed deserve a visit, however this palace, built at the beginning of the 18th century, deserves a visit in its own right, for its architecture and its beautiful formal gardens.

There are two magnificent palaces on the Belvedere grounds who lie in the middle of a splendid park. They were constructed for Prince Eugene of Savoy by J.L. von Hildebrandt, a famous Baroque architecture. Palaces' architecture and interior design are typical for Rococo style.
Entrance to park is free and for museums standard ticket is 13,50 eur.

In the lower palace (Austrian Museum of Baroque Art) displays Austrian Art of the 18th century. In the upper palace you can visit the Austrian gallery with a collection of 19th- and 20th-century Austrian paintings.

Upper Belvedere daily from 10 am to 6 pm
Lower Belvedere daily from 10 am to 6 pm
Wednesday from 10 am to 9 pm

I recommend that you take tram 71 and get off at the station Unteres Belvedere. You will enjoy the walk uphill and when you are face to face with the magnificent building where freedom has been declared by the state's head at the end of WWII, your jaws may drop a little when you look at the view behind you (but I am sure you have seen parts of it as you won't be able to look back as you enjoy looking at the garden when you go your way up). If you have time, sit down on one of the benches and rest. Otherwise, go inside the castle. Don't frown when you pay for the entrance because it's worth it. You will love the paintings and the architecture, I promise you. When you're done with the visit, then don't go back downhill but go behind the building and another sight awaits you. You can take some nice photographs here. At the end of the gate you will have a glimpse of the South Train Station (Suedbahnhof). Many destinations can be reached from here - one of them is Sopron (Hungary) - but this my friend is another tip.

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This is the 3rd largest palace in Vienna, after Schonbrunn and Hofburg and is the site of a collection of Gustav Klimt's best known works. The palace grounds are free but the art museums in both the upper and lower belvedere charge admission

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“Oh, my friends, if you knew how wonderful Vienna is! It cannot be compared to any of the cities I have seen in my whole life — wide streets, exquisitely paved, a multitude of boulevards and plazas, all the houses six and seven stories high, and stores.”
— Anton Chekhov (1860-1904), from a letter written upon his arrival in Vienna, 20.March.1891

The five lead/pewter alloy figures that make up this former fountain are collectively known at times as the Danube Well, at other times as the Providence Fountain, and still at other times as the Donner Fountain, in honor of their creator, Georg Raphael Donner (1693-1749). Four river gods of the Danube’s tributaries, the Ybbs, Enns, March, and Traun, surround the central figure, Providence. The River Traun caught my attention more than the others (see photos 2, 3 & 4).

When these originals were placed around the fountain in the Neue Markt in 1739, two years after they were commissioned by the city of Vienna, Empress Maria Theresa’s sensibilities were ruffled by the nudity. She ordered them removed. Not until the reign of her grandson, Franz I in 1801, were copies put in their place. The soft lead decayed over the years and in 1873 bronze replicas were put in their place. Since 1921 the originals have been on display here in the Lower Belvedere’s Marble Hall.

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This is the basic description of the Belvedere layout and what to see. There is an upper palace and lower garden retreat and orangerie, and in between is the gardens. Both buildings are great and hold a lot of treasures to view. They were completed around 1716 for the lower part and 1720-23 for the palace. It was sold in 1752 to Maria Teresa and then the palace was named Belvedere.

Schloss Belvedere was built from the plan of Prince Eugene of Savoy, and consists of 2 complexes, Upper Belvedere (1722) and Lower Belvedere (1716). Upper Belvedere is in the photo, and was intended more for display than Lower Belvedere which served as living quarters during the summer. Today the palaces house the museum of midevil art and baroque museum, as well as changing exhibitions. A large collection of Klimt paitings are displayed here.