Schönbrunn palace
When visiting Vienna, Schönbrunn palace is one of the hotspots that really needs to be seen!
It is so huge, not only the palace with its 1.441 rooms but the ground around it aswell.
There is a Zoo (the oldest in the world), the crownprince gartens, an orangery, carriage museum, statues, fountains a palmhouse and on top of a hill the glorious Gloriette which gives a beautiful view over Vienna.
All which leads to around 3 million visitors each year.
Long ally's with trees, here and there a squirrel.
There is so much to discover and visit in this palace and its park.
Sometimes there are concerts in the courtyard.
Like Andre Rieu with his Johann strauss orchestra and the anual Midsommer night concerts by the vienna philharmonic orchestra, which is free voor visitors.
The musical Elisabeth Open air edition was held here for the first time which i have visited.
Just at the age of 6, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart gave a concert in the palace for empress Maria-Theresia in 1762. It is said that after rhe concert he jumped on the empress her lap.
The origin of the name Schönbrunn came from Emperor Mathias, he had discovered a spring here in 1619, before the exsisting palace was build, and word goes he has said " what a beautiful well".
Schön is german for beautiful and brunn is german for well.
Emperor Franz-Joseph was born here and died here on the 21th of november 1916.
Two years later emperor Karl I signed his abdication in schönbrunn palace, which led to the end of the habsburg monarchy.
In the second world war the palace, Gloriette, palmhouse and even the zoo had been damaged badly by bombs, which also killed alot of the zoo animals.
The palace and its grounds is so rich of history.
The park has different entrances and good to reach with public transportation.
It's like stepping back in time re-living the imperial days, which is even made possible by dressing up as Elisabeth or Franz-Joseph in one part of the palace with a fotoshoot, more about that later.
The opening hours of the palace are from 09:30 till 17:00.
The park itself is open from 06:30 till 17:30
For more information of the opening hours and floorplan you can click the button below to be redirected to the website of schönbrunn.
You can buy diffirent tickets which allows you to visit the imperial rooms and even in comination with other atractions in the park.
Click on the button below to be directed to the website for ticket information.
Lets start with the Palace and after that the other sights that you should visit during your time at the schönbrunn park will be described
The Palace
This beautiful summer residence of the Habsburg imperial family is situated in the Hietzing district on the Schönbrunner Schloss Strasse 47.
It can be reached with public transportation.
The palace has a history going back more than 300 years.
This will be described in another part of this website soon but you can also explore this during tours.
Palace Tours
Schönbrunn is a roccoco palace with 1,441 rooms.
Unfortunatly you can't visit them all and they made the following arragement packages:
~Imperial Tour~
This tour will lead you through 22 rooms.
This tour gives you a inside in the privat lifes of emperor Franz-Joseph and Empress Elisabeth.
You will also get to see their representation rooms.
~Grand Tour~
With this tour you will go through 40 rooms.
With this tour you will also have a look back in the days of Maria Theresia.
Her magnificent rooms, the great gallery, the bergl rooms and ofcourse the rooms of Franz-Joseph and Elisabeth will not be forgotten in this tour.
Imperial Photoshoot
In the palace is also a unique chance to dress up as Empress Elisabeth and emperor Franz-Joseph.
They have copies of the dresses from Elisabeth but also from the Sissi movies with Romy Schneider.
This has been made possible by professional stylists and photographers from Culties.
When you walk through the main entrancegates towards the palace they are on the right side near the entrance of the kids museum.
This imperial photostudio is located underneath the famous Blue chinese room.
This is such a unique experience, the employees are so nice and patience.
They make proffesional photograps they will print out.
I've been here in 2019 as you can see in the pictures, an unfogertable experience!
I was there with my mother and next to the proffesional photos that were made they allowed my mother to make as much pictures as she liked with her mobile phone.
So you can really treasure this unique memory with much photo's.
By clicking on the button below you can visit their website:
Spending the night
Also a unique chance in the palace itself.
A colleboration between Austria trend hotels and schloss Schönbrunn made it possible to sleep in the palace to complete your imperial adventure.
They made a suite in the eastwing of the palace.
It has 2 bedrooms, a saloon, livingroom, 2 bathrooms and a kitchenette.
The vieuw from the rooms are the crownprince gardens, gloriette and the neptune fountain.
Palace gardens
The area is huge!
Alot to discover, from ruines, pavillions, flowers, statues, fountains.
Back in the days of the empire in 1779 visitors were allowed in the park of the palace.
You can enter the park for example from the maxingstrasse at the hietzingertor entrance.
Emperors and empresses loved 2 walk in the park or ride horses. Franz joseph walked alot through the park visiting his friend katherina schratt who lived nearby the palace.
And you can step in their footprints.
the garden itself exist of a botanical garden, lanes which leads to fountains and alot of statues.
But also the famous Neptune fountain below the gloriette.
Gloriëtte
The Gloriette is build in 1775 by the imperial architect Johann Ferdinand Hetzendorf von Hohenberg.
The sculptures were made by Johann Baptist von Hagenauer.
Maria theresia commissioned the gloriette as a monument for "just war" which leads to peace.
On the facade is the following inscription:
IOSEPHO II. AVGVSTO ET MARIA THERESIA AVGVSTA IMPERANTIB. ERECT. CIƆIƆCCLXXV.
"Erected under the reign of Emperor Joseph II and Empress Maria Theresa, 1775."
It was the lookout point of the gardens and was used as dining hall.
Emperor Franz Joseph used it as his breakfast room.
And on top there is an amazing view over vienna.
You can still take the stairs and have a look over the beautiful palace grounds and city.
During the second world war the germans placed a flak unit on the gloriette and thats why the allied forces bombed the gloriette and it was badly damaged.
In 1947 restauration works were finished.
Today you can drink the coffee or cake Franz Joseph used to drink here.
The cafe is opend every day from 9:00 till the sun goes down.
Palmhouse
The palm house is the largest botanical exhibit in the world.
Build on the former grounds of the dutch gardens, the palmhouse opened in 1882 by emperor Franz-Joseph.
After the end of the habsburg monarchy in 1918, the palm house is run by the bündesgarten.
During the second world war the palmhouse has been badly damaged and many plants died.
The surviving plands has been transfered to the sonnenuhrhaus which stands in the schönbrunn zoo.
There are palmtrees named after maria-theresia and sisi.
In 1947 reconstruction of the palm house began and it was reopend for public again in 1953.
the palmhouse is opened daily.
From may 1st until september 30th the opening hours are from 9:30 untill 18:00
From oktober 1st until april 30th the opening hours are from 9:30 untill 17:00
Imperial carriage museum
The imperial carriage museum (wagenburg) is in the former winter ridingschool of the palace.
Located at the hietzinger fahrstrasse next to the kammergarden and ridingschoolgarden.
After the monarchy ended they wanted to make a museum but in the hofburg area they didnt have a large hall to exhibit the carriages.
Thats why they were transefered to the winter riding school in schönbrunn.
Also this building and the carriages in it was damaged during the second world war.
In 1947 it was restored and reopend for visitors.
This museum is worth the visit!
Especially for sisi fans!
It has carriages from Maria Theresia, Franz Joseph and Elisabeth, sledgecarriages, funeral carriage, the car of Franz Ferdinand.
Even it has dresses and uniforms of Sisi and Franz.
Even a piece of her wedding dress and the saddle on which sisi rode her horses is on display!
They are opened daily.
from march 15th till november 30th from 9:00 till 17:00
And from december 1th until march 14th from 10:00 till 16:00
After or before your visit you can eat and drink.
Next to the museum there is a tavern.
Schönbrunn zoo
the schönbrunner zoo is the oldest zoo in the world.
Kammermeierei
Empress Elisabeth loved milk, it was a huge part of her diet.
Because she wasn't satisfied with the quality of milk, she had turned the hunting lodge into the a diary farm in 1895.
This was on the southwestern area of the Schönbrunn palace grounds which was closed for visitors.
This was build with a cowshed, milk parlor,
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