Laxenburg castles are imperial

palace A palace is a large residence, often serving as a royal residence or the home for a head of state or another high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whi ...

s and castles outside

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. ...

, in the town of Laxenburg owned in equal parts by

and

Lower Austria Lower Austria ( , , abbreviated LA or NÖ) is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the northeastern corner of the country. Major cities are Amstetten, Lower Austria, Amstetten, Krems an der Donau, Wiener Neustadt and Sankt Pölten, which ...

."Hebeins Radweg-Debakel und Brauners umstrittener Job"
Kurier, March 10, 2021. Retrieved 2021-03-15. The castles became a Habsburg possession in 1333 and formerly served as a summer retreat, along with Schönbrunn palace, for the imperial Habsburg dynasty. ''Blauer Hof'' Palace was the birthplace of some members of the royal family, including Crown Prince Rudolf. Another castle nearby is named Franzensburg castle. Today the castles are used for events, conferences, and

concert A concert, often known informally as a gig or show, is a live performance of music in front of an audience. The performance may be carried by a single musician, in which case it is sometimes called a recital, or by a musical ensemble such as an ...

s. The castles also acts as a museum in preserving the various paintings and furnishings contained within.

History

Old Laxenburg Castle became a Habsburg possession in 1333 and was extended in the 17th century by Lodovico Burnacini. The ''Blauer Hof'' (German for: blue court) or ''Neues Schloss'' (German for: new castle) was built around 1745 during the reign of empress Maria Theresa and has a

Rococo Rococo, less commonly Roccoco ( , ; or ), also known as Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and dramatic style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpte ...

interior. The church of Laxenburg, which was the first building north of the

Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...

containing swung facade components (characteristics of the high

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 ...

), was built between 1693 and 1703 by Carlo Antonio Carlone and continued between 1703 and 1724 by Matthias Steinl. After 1780, the castle garden was rearranged as an English landscape garden. It contains several artificial ponds, and, on an island, the Franzensburg castle, named after emperor Franz I, can be found. Franzensburg Schlosspark Laxenburg

In 1919, the city of Vienna took over the war-damaged castle and became the property owner of the park area of Laxenburg. After the

Anschluss The (, or , ), also known as the (, ), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into Nazi Germany on 12 March 1938. The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a "German Question, Greater Germany") arose after t ...

of Austria in 1938, the municipality of Laxenburg became part of the city Vienna. In 1954, the place became independent again and was returned to

. In 1972, Schloss Laxenburg became the home to the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, (IIASA), and brought together the best scientists from either side of the iron curtain to study global problems. After the Cold War, the Institute broadened its mandate from the East and West to a truly global focus and, today, it brings together researchers from all over the world to provide science-based insights into critical policy issues in international and national debates on global change. Several members of the imperial family were born at Laxenburg: * Archduchess Gisela of Austria, (15 July 1856 in Laxenburg, 27 July 1932 in Munich), Archduchess of Austria-Hungary, daughter of Franz Joseph I of Austria and Elisabeth of Bavaria. * Crown Prince Rudolf (21 August 1858 in Laxenburg, 30 January 1889 in Mayerling) – son of Franz Joseph I and Elisabeth. * Archduchess Elisabeth Marie of Austria (2 September 1883 in Laxenburg, 16 March 1963 in Vienna), daughter of Crown Prince Rudolf. Archduke Maximilian married at Laxenburg in 1917.

Gallery

Altes Schloss Laxenburg.JPG, Altes Schloss etching from the 17th century File:Salomon Kleiner 015.jpg, View of the altes Schloss with surrounding service buildings, around 1720, by Salomon Kleiner Anton Perko 001.jpg, Blauer Hof painting, 1884 Blauer Hof Laxenburg 39-Blauer Hof Laxenburg 47.jpg, Blauer Hof Laxenburg - Lichtergarten im Schlosspark (Illumina).JPG, Illumination in the Laxenburg castle park

References

* Wolfgang Häusler. ''Laxenburg: Franzenburg Castle''. Schnell & Steiner, Regensburg (2006).

External links

Schloss Laxenburg Homepage

{{Imperial and Royal residences Mödling District Palaces in Austria Imperial residences in Austria Castles in Lower Austria Museums in Lower Austria Gardens in Austria

History

Gallery

See also

References

External links