Palais Lobkowitz, or Palais Dietrichstein-Lobkowitz, 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 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 ...

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 ...

. It was owned by the noble

Lobkowitz The House of Lobkowicz (''Lobkovicové'' in modern Czech, sg. ''z Lobkovic''; ''Lobkowitz'' in German) is an important Bohemian noble family that dates back to the 14th century and is one of the oldest noble families of the region. Over the cent ...

family. Today, it houses the

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...

museum, which is a part of the

Kunsthistorisches Museum The Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien ( "Vienna Museum of art history, Art History", often referred to as the "Museum of Fine Arts, Vienna") is an art museum in Vienna, Austria. Housed in its festive palatial building on the Vienna Ring Road, i ...

History

The palace is located on the ''Lobkowitzplatz'', a square which previously had been called the "pig market", at which time it was a less distinguished address. The ''Lobkowitz Palace'' ranks among the oldest palace buildings of Vienna. The palace is the first important baroque city palace built after 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 ...

(''die zweite Türkenbelagerung''), when the aristocracy no longer had to invest its money only for military purposes. The palace façade, unlike its interior, is still to a large extent in its original condition from the time of its construction. The original building that stood where the palace now stands was sold in 1685 by Leopold Baron von Felss to the imperial Colonel stable master

Philipp Sigmund of Dietrichstein Philipp Sigmund of Dietrichstein (9 March 1651 – 3 July 1716), was a German prince member of the House of Dietrichstein. He was the fourth child and third (but second surviving) son of Maximilian Maximilian or Maximillian (Maximiliaan in Dut ...

. This led to the current palace, built between 1685 and 1687 by Giovanni Pietro Tencala. The new palace occupied not only the site of the house of the Baron von Felss, but also the original site of a neighbouring bathhouse, which was also bought by Philipp Sigmund Count von Dietrichstein. After repeated ownership changes (among the owners, Count Wenzel Gallas), the palace was bought in 1745 by Ferdinand Philipp Prince von Lobkowitz. The palace remained from that time up to 1980 in the possession of the Lobkowitz family. Under the Lobkowitz family, the palace underwent several renovations. At the beginning of the 18th century, most notably,

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 ...

and his son

Joseph Emanuel Fischer von Erlach Joseph Emanuel Fischer von Erlach, also ''Fischer von Erlach the Younger'' (13 September 1693 in Vienna – 29 June 1742 in Vienna) was an Austrian architect of the Baroque, Rococo, and Baroque- Neoclassical. Biography Joseph Emanuel was the son ...

were entrusted with the project. In the early 19th century,

Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

was often a guest in the palace, since the owner at that time, Joseph Franz Maximilian von Lobkowitz, was an important

patron Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, art patronage refers to the support that princes, popes, and other wealthy and influential people ...

of the composer. Beethoven's '' Third Symphony'' was dedicated to the prince, which is why the festival room of the palace was named " Eroica Hall". In 1804, Beethoven's ''Third Symphony'' was performed for the first time in Vienna in this hall, with the composer as conductor. During the Congress of Vienna, numerous celebrations and balls were held in the palace. Around the middle of the 19th century, the Lobkowitzes transferred their major residence to their hereditary palace in

Roudnice nad Labem Roudnice nad Labem (; ) is a town in Litoměřice District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 13,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an Cultural monument (Czech Rep ...

, northern Bohemia, and released their Viennese residence for letting. Between 1869 and 1909, the house was used as the French

embassy A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a Sovereign state, state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase ...

. From 1919 to 1938, the

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

n legation was accommodated there. After end of the

Second World War 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 house was used as seat of the

Institut Français de Vienne An institute is an organizational body created for a certain purpose. They are often research organisations (research institutes) created to do research on specific topics, or can also be a professional body. In some countries, institutes ca ...

. In 1980, the palace became government property, and since 1991, after a comprehensive renovation, it has served as the theatre museum of the

Notes

References

Homepage of Theatermuseum
– museum group in the Palace

External links

* {{Coord, 48, 12, 20, N, 16, 22, 05, E, region:AT-9_type:landmark, display=title

Dietrichstein family Baroque architecture in Vienna Buildings and structures in Innere Stadt Houses completed in 1687 1687 establishments in the Habsburg monarchy 17th-century establishments in Austria

History

See also

Notes

References

External links