🇦🇹 The Hofburg

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The Hofburg

The Vienna Hofburg – former winter residence of Austria's ruling Habsburg dynasty – can be found on the famous Ringstraße, home to one magnificent urban palace after another. On its other side, the palace complex – which has evolved incrementally over the course of more than seven centuries – is bordered by Michaelerplatz, Herrengasse and Albertinaplatz. The Habsburgs governed their imperial possessions from here for most of this time, until Emperor Karl I. abdicated in 1918, as the monarchies collapsed across Europe in the aftermath of World War I. The Vienna Hofburg has functioned as the official seat of the Austrian Federal President since 1946. The rooms used to this end are located in what is known as the Leopoldine Wing, constructed in the 1660s under Emperor Leopold I.

The origins of the Hofburg lie in a simple castle dating back to the thirteenth century, built to strengthen the city fortifications. It was Duke Albrecht II who first selected Vienna as his residence in 1339, after which the castle gradually began to be extended, transforming it into to a suitably prestigious seat of royal governance. The site only began to take on the appearance of what we now think of as the Hofburg, however, when Emperor Ferdinand I. extended and redesigned the existing wings in the mid-sixteenth century, while also creating entirely new ones. After a number of smaller construction projects had been undertaken by subsequent rulers, Emperor Karl VI. and his daughter Maria Theresia implemented further major structural changes to the castle. Emperor Franz and Emperor Joseph I also left their own personal stamps on the Hofburg, in the shape of the works they were destined to commission in subsequent years. The grounds of the Hofburg now cover some 240,000 m2 - making it the largest palace in the world, ahead of the Louvre in Paris.

The sprawling complex is home to a number of different museums - the perfect spaces for you to get a genuine feel for how life at court at the Habsburgs’ winter palace. The lavish Imperial Apartments, for instance, contain the rooms in which Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Elisabeth - 'Sisi’ - lived and worked, highlighting fascinating details of how the monarchs lived with their children. The Turnzimmer, or Exercise Room, with its high bar, wall bars and rings - was Sisi's favourite room, and can also be viewed. An advocate of strict diets and physical fitness, this is where the great lady liked to spend the majority of her time. Nowadays, the specially-created Sisi Museum gives you a chance to admire a vast array of the Empress’ personal items, as well as her famous portraits. These include not only several of her artistically-worked gowns, but also gloves, fans and much more besides.

In the Imperial Silver Collection, you can discover a huge amount about dining culture at the imperial court at the time, with fine porcelain pieces, luxurious dining services and centrepieces, and even crystal glasses exhibited there. One of the most notable exhibits is the incredible 30 metre-long 'Mailänder Tafelaufsatz', or 'Milanese Centrepiece', originally produced in 1838. The Imperial Apartments, Sisi Museum and Silver Collection are some of the most-visited tourist attractions in Austrian history - and not without good reason.

The Church of St. Augustine's was formerly the imperial parish church. And as such, of course, celebrations marking accession to the throne and royal marriages would have been held here. Examples of these include the marriage of Archduchess Maria Theresia to Franz von Lothringen in 1736, and that of Emperor Franz Joseph I. to Sisi - the Bavarian Princess Elisabeth - in 1854. Although the façade of the Gothic church has been kept relatively austere, the interior positively sparkles with impressive architecture.

One particularly interesting feature of St. Augustine's is the Loreto Chapel, where the hearts of members of the House of Habsburg used to be interred. The hearts of 54 Habsburgs are preserved here, in urns made of metal, in what has come to be known as the 'Hearts Crypt’ over the centuries.

The Great Hall of the Austrian National Library is the largest Baroque library in Europe - and widely considered one of the most beautiful library halls anywhere on Earth. It is located in the former Court Library, which was constructed by Joseph Emanuel Fischer von Erlach, under Kaiser Karl VI, as a free-standing wing of the Hofburg. The hall is almost 80 metres in length and 20 metres high, and home to more than 200,000 precious tomes.

There's much more than just this to see at the Hofburg, however. Other attractions include the Spanish Horse Riding School, known and loved around the world for its stately Lipizzaners, and the Albertina, one of the widest-ranging and most valuable collections of graphics anywhere in the world. The Imperial Court Chapel is the Hofburg's oldest chapel, and was once the private chapel of the Habsburgs. Today, with its unrivalled acoustics, the chapel is not just home to religious masses participated in by the Vienna Boys' Choir, members of the Vienna Philharmonic and the male choir of the Vienna State Opera, but is also the venue for concerts by the Imperial Court Chapel.

The Imperial Treasury is home to a vast range of priceless pieces, including the treasure of the Order of the Golden Fleece and two imperial crowns, and is another of the highlights of the Hofburg. But that's a story for another day…

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