Hofburg, Vienna

Conveniently located on the "Ringstrasse" within the Inner City, this former palace of the Habsburg emperors contains the imperial apartments of Empress Sissi (Elizabeth) and Franz I., the imperial treasury with the "Reichskleinodien" (the imperial insignia: crown, holy lance, sword, golden apple) as well as a number of interesting museums (weapons & armory museum, silver collection, national library, ethnological collection, musical instruments).

The living quarters of Hofburg, these were once occupied by Franz Josef and Empress Sissi as their winter residence (the summer one being in Schoenbrunn). Although not all of these are open - the museum continues to also function as the seat of government, being home to a number of government ministries and the presidential chancellery. Those that are showcase an impressive collection of furniture, crystal chandeliers, tapestries, and other fittings dating to the 19th century.

A number of rooms are devoted to the numerous sets of tableware dating to the same period - the Hoftafel und Silberkammer (Court Tableware and Silver Depot).

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The "Hofjagd-und Rüstkammer" - Armour and Arms collection is located in the Neue Burg at the Heldenplatz which is a monumental wing of the Hofburg planned to house the new living quarters of the emperor as evidenced by the stairway and marble hall.
Actually this museum belongs to the KHM.

This is the most beautiful collection of suits of armour in Europe.

The collection of weapons ( Hofjagd-und Rüstkammer) of the Kunsthistorisches Museum is centred on ceremonial or parade weapons and offers a very wide panorama of the evolution of what was a real art for the 15th century in Europe and in the Middle East.
The emperor Maximilien I devoted gladly to the tournaments and incited the young noble persons to devote to the joust and especially the running which was practised with sharp lances, more dangerous than the joust, but much less expensive because she could be practised in the battle armour.
Things did not stay in the field of ordinary armour because the Habsburg (notably both brothers Maximilien II and Ferdinand II) by taste for art and splendour led the technique of armours to a real art close to the goldsmith's art. The connoisseur will find in this museum numerous chiselled armours, inlaid armours, the fluted armours, the costume armours, greek-roman style armours, and darkened armours from the Baroque period.

Considerable financial means were needed to pay such works of art. Ferdinand II of Tyrol excelled at this passion of the beautiful suits of armour. Not satisfied with his own armours he collected armours and weapons of 125 famous persons of his time. We can see the suit of armour of Philippe II of Spain.
These collections are well presented in a number of rooms where the visitor is often alone! This museum still has not the chance (or misfortune for the connoisseurs) to be on the visit program of the groups.
There is also on show a collection of hunting weapons.

Open: Tuesday - Sunday 10 - 18 h (Thursday 10 - 21 h).
Closed: Monday.
Price (2011): 12 €, Vienna card 11 €, <27 yr & > 65 yr 9 €.
Free < 19 yr.
The ticket is valid for the Neue Burg & KHM main building.

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I had some odd feelings before going to this museum with my son and daughter-in-law, mainly due to my love of animals, especially live ones, but this was a one-of-a-kind experience walking through the rooms full of every kind of animal known to the world. Rooms of Elk, wolves, tigers, elephants, birds, insects, fish, minerals and gems, even a room near the end set up with microscopes to see microorganisms! A truly wonderful setup, we took around an hour and a half walking through this great museum, while it was raining buckets outside in Vienna. My favorite room was the birds with all colors and sizes represented. Also the original 25,000 year old Venus Von Willendorf statue is here on display---I am glad to have seen the original displayed to perfection here in Vienna. 10 euros.

the neue burg is located on the heldenplatz in the hofburg complex. this massive building was built between 1881 and 1913 at the end of the habsburg dynasty. today the neue burg houses the reading room of the national library and several small museums.

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Avoiding the erzatz-Mozarts that lay in wait for unwary tourists, as you cross the Michaelerplatz, you cannot help but be impressed by the great sweeping curve of the Michaeletrakt, the facade of the Hofburg, and the Michaelertor, with its massive copper dome and classical sculptures flanking either side of the entrance. Behind this facade (built in the late 1800s in the dying days of the Austro-Hungarian Empire) lies the vast complex of palaces and chapels, gardens and royal apartments and offices that was the seat of Hapsburg power more than 500 years. Add in the surrounding streets, once home to the aristocracy and clergy that revolved around the court, and you could spend days in this quarter of Vienna and still not see the half of it.

Passing under the gate, the Spanish Riding School is on your left, the ticket office and entrance to the State Apartments of Franz Joseph, last Emperor of Austria, and his beautiful Empress Elizabeth, and the Silberkammer - a treasure house of the plate and porcelain - is on your right. They're housed in the Amalienburg, a palace built in 1575.

This time I'm heading for the Schweizertor though, the entrance to the oldest part of the complex, the Schweitzer Hof (Swiss House), the mediaeval core of the Hofurg. Here, in the Burgkapelle (Royal Chapel), the angel voices of the Wiener Sangerknaben (Vienna Boys Choir) have been heard on high days and holy days for 500 years. Plan ahead and you too may be lucky enough to get a ticket for an exquisite Mozart or Haydn mass. After that, it's the Schatzkammer (Treasury) when 21 rooms contain the fabulous treasures of 1000 years of church and state, including the 1100 year-old crown of the Holy Roman Empire - to my mind the most amazing object in the whole museum, with its barbaric chunks of precious gems, huge pearls and Byzantine enamels set in an extraordinary crown of gold.

State Apartments, Silberkammer and Burgkapelle are open daily
Schatzkammer is closed on Tuesdays.

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In between and around the Hofburg complex, beautiful gardens are inviting the visitors for pleasant walks. Especially when the weather is good, lots of Austrians - above all students - gather aruond in the park to read their study books, chat, discuss or just lay in the sun. In the park the small squares are decorated with large statues and small pavillions that house café's or restaurants make an afternoon in the Hofburg park a very pleasant time.

Hofburgs is a big structure of palaces and it has gates for the entrance to the area of palace. These gates can be seen from the side there museum of history is.

I could imagine Emperors carriage going through these gates to his winter residence.