Palais Augarten is a

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

palace in the district of Leopoldstadt,

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

.Gaillemin 1994, p. 269. Constructed in the late seventeenth century by

Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach (20 July 1656 – 5 April 1723) was an Austrian architect, sculptor, engraver, and architectural historian whose Baroque architecture profoundly influenced and shaped the tastes of the Habsburg Empire. His inf ...

on the site of a

Jagdschloss A ''Jagdschloss'' is a hunting lodge in German-speaking countries. It is a ''schloss'' set in a wildlife park or a hunting area (such as a forest, field or by a lake) that served primarily as accommodation for a ruler or aristocrat and his ent ...

and gardens, the palace and gardens were expanded in the nineteenth century under Emperor

Franz Joseph I of Austria Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I ( ; ; 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the ruler of the Grand title of the emperor of Austria, other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 1848 until his death ...

. Despite extensive damage suffered during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the palace has been maintained almost in its original appearance, and many of the original furnishings can still be found there. Today, Palais Augarten is the home and rehearsal space of the

Vienna Boys' Choir The Vienna Boys' Choir () is a choir of boy sopranos and altos based in Vienna, Austria. It is one of the best known boys' choirs in the world. The boys are selected mainly from Austria, but also from many other countries. The choir is a privat ...

, who also have their own school there. The palace is located in the 130-acre

Augarten The Augarten is a public park of situated in the Leopoldstadt, the second district of Vienna, Austria. It contains the city's oldest Baroque park. In the north-west and north-east it borders (since 1900) on the 20th district, Brigittenau, in ...

park, which is the oldest

garden in Vienna.

History

Until the 18th century, the present-day Leopoldstadt district consisted of forestland used by the Emperor and his court as a hunting ground. In 1614, Emperor

Matthias Matthias is a name derived from the Greek Ματθαίος, in origin similar to Matthew. Notable people Notable people named Matthias include the following: Religion * Saint Matthias, chosen as an apostle in Acts 1:21–26 to replace Judas Isca ...

built a hunting château on the site. In 1649, Emperor Ferdinand III added a Dutch-style gardens. Under his successor, Emperor Leopold I, the

area saw increased settlement by nobility and Carmelite monks and eventually became part of Vienna. In 1677, Leopold I, who gave his name to the district (''Leopold's City''), added an extensive Baroque garden to the hunting château of his predecessors. In 1683, during the

Battle of Vienna The Battle of Vienna took place at Kahlenberg Mountain near Vienna on 1683 after the city had been besieged by the Ottoman Empire for two months. The battle was fought by the Holy Roman Empire (led by the Habsburg monarchy) and the Polish–Li ...

, Turkish forces used the area as a military base, and by the end of the war, the Baroque gardens were completely destroyed. In 1688, the Augarten hunting château was sold to businessman Zacharias Leeb, who hired

to construct a palace on the site. Augarten park remained the possession of the Emperor. Palais Augarten was completed in 1692, and was originally called "Palais Leeb". In the coming decades, the palace was expanded and remodeled several times, changing owners more than once. In 1712, Emperor Charles VI hired landscape gardener Jean Trehet to redesign the Baroque park in the French style. In 1780 this palace came into the possession of

Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II (13 March 1741 – 20 February 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from 18 August 1765 and sole ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 29 November 1780 until his death. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Francis I, ...

. Until the beginning of the twentieth century it remained in the possession of the Habsburg family. During this period, and especially in the nineteenth century, many balls were held in the palace, and a salon was opened. Among the guests at that time were

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...

Franz Liszt Franz Liszt (22 October 1811 – 31 July 1886) was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor and teacher of the Romantic music, Romantic period. With a diverse List of compositions by Franz Liszt, body of work spanning more than six ...

, and Hans Makart. The greatest ball in the Palais Augarten took place on the occasion of the Viennese World's Fair of 1873; among the guests were Emperor Francis Joseph I and Czar

Alexander II of Russia Alexander II ( rus, Алекса́ндр II Никола́евич, Aleksándr II Nikoláyevich, p=ɐlʲɪˈksandr ftɐˈroj nʲɪkɐˈlajɪvʲɪtɕ; 29 April 181813 March 1881) was Emperor of Russia, Congress Poland, King of Poland and Grand Du ...

. In 1897 the palace was significantly remodeled for the family of Archduke Otto, the nephew of Emperor Francis Joseph. From 1934 to 1936 the palace was inhabited by the

Austrian Chancellor The chancellor of Austria, officially the federal chancellor of the Republic of Austria (), is the head of government of the Republic of Austria. Twenty-nine people have served as chancellor. The current holder of the office Christian Stocke ...

Kurt Schuschnigg Kurt Alois Josef Johann von Schuschnigg (; 14 December 1897 – 18 November 1977) was an Austrian politician who was the Chancellor of Austria, Chancellor of the Federal State of Austria from the 1934 assassination of his predecessor Engelbert D ...

. During the Second World War, the estate was badly damaged, but after the war it was completely restored. In 1948 it was given to the Vienna Boys' Choir. The porcelain manufactory Vienna Porcelain Manufactory Augarten is also located there. Today the palace, along with the rest of the Augarten, is in the possession of the state of Austria.

References

Citations

Bibliography

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External links

Augarten Wien
{{Coord, 48, 13, 20, N, 16, 22, 46, E, region:AT-9_type:landmark, display=title

Baroque architecture in Vienna Imperial residences in Austria