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Since I mentioned it in my last post on Vienna's Belvedere  I thought I should write next about Schonbrunn Palace . Sick of palaces yet? I saw so many on my trip that there is so much to share!  A rare image of me, ArchitectDesign, as it was the only picture I have that includes the front entry court.  Yes I can play typical tourist and get my picture taken in front of the Eiffel Tower, haha!  I'm blinking, which is one of many reasons I never have my picture taken or post them on my blog. Back to architecture.... A mansion has been on these grounds since before the 15th century as there is a fresh spring (hence the name Schon Brunn or "beautiful spring" in German) but the present building could finally be termed palace when it was added onto by the widow of Ferdinand II , Eleonora Gonzaga , and finished in 1643. The large grounds just outside of Imperial Vienna made this the perfect summer estate for the Habsburgs. The present palace owes its' baroque interior...

Just outside of the Ringstrasse in Vienna, Austria, is arguably the most famous palace in Austria, the Belvedere. This complex was also one of the first art galleries open to the public in Europe since 1776 based on Enlightened Absolutism . The complex is so impressive Sophia Coppola used it in her movie, Marie Antoinette, as a stand in for Antoinette's childhood home, more properly Schonbrunn . I also visited Schonbrunn on my trip and can attest that the Belvedere , while smaller, is a much more beautiful palace. Sitting high above the historic center of Vienna the view has not changed much since the 18th century when Canaletto captured it in the above painting (1758) - compare my photograph with the painting; a few more trees and thats all. The main event of the palaces however is not the architecture but the baroque gardens. Dominique Girard , who had worked earlier at Versailles, designed the gardens here with flowing fountains and intensely planted beds which are now unfortun...

Vienna is a city known for its' baroque architecture and within that city the best example is the Karlskirche. Consecrated in 1737 the Roman Catholic church was built by Emperor Charles IV in honor of the saint Charles Borromeo.   Borromeo is revered as the saint of plague sufferers and Vienna had suffered its last tremendous plague in 1712 (construction began in 1713).  The prolific Viennese architect Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach designed the church which was later finished after his death by his son Joseph Emanuel.  Located in the narthex is this wonderful clay model of the church.  Above the altar the gold statue represents the symbol Yahweh. The high altarpiece below shows the intercession of Charles Borromeo.  Many of the churches in Vienna had wonderfully ornate glassy interior bay windows overlooking the Apse.  I can't help but wonder who these were built to house!  Many of the frescos are by the important artist Daniel Gran and were rec...