Schloß Schönbrunn - The State Rooms and Imperial Apartments on the piano nobile

Schloß Schönbrunn - The State Rooms and Imperial Apartments on the piano nobile

By Schloß Schönbrunn Kultur- und Betriebsges.m.b.H.Society & CultureEducationArtsHistory
Download on the App Store

Schloß Schönbrunn - The State Rooms and Imperial Apartments on the piano nobile episodes

  • 33 - Gobelin Salon
    Both the walls and the armchairs in this room are covered in Brussels tapestry dating from the 18th century. The tapestries on the walls depict market and harbour scenes while the chairs are upholstered with tapestries representing the twelve months of the year. The following room, which was the study of Archduchess Sophie (Room 34) was part of the apartments of Franz Joseph’s parents, Archduke Franz Karl and Archduchess Sophie, who resided here in the 19th century. Sophie was an ambitious mother who energetically and successfully pursued her aim of putting her son on the Habsburg throne. She was also his most important political advisor – contemporaries described the archduchess as the “only man at the Viennese court”. Her relations with her daughter-in-law, Empress Elisabeth, who was also her niece, were tense, and she was one of the main reasons why Sisi always felt ill at ease at the Viennese court. Elisabeth frequently complained about the way her mother-in-law constantly kept her in check, treating her as if she were child.
    2 min
  • 35 - Red Salon
    The portraits in this room show the emperors from the end of the 18th century, starting with Maria Theresa‘s son Leopold II, who followed Joseph II on the throne. Beside him is his son Franz, the last Holy Roman Emperor. In 1806, under pressure from the military victories won by Napoleon, he dissolved the Holy Roman Empire and proclaimed the Empire of Austria. Thus Franz II became the first emperor of Austria as Franz I. Following the Habsburg tradition of pursuing alliances by marriage to acquire influence and territory rather than by waging war, he married his eldest daughter Marie Louise to Napoleon, and his second daughter Leopoldine to the emperor of Brazil. Her portrait is displayed here on the easel. The other portraits show Emperor Ferdinand and his wife Maria Anna. Ferdinand was the eldest son of Emperor Franz and was popularly known by the affectionate nickname of “Ferdinand the Kind-hearted”. He was epileptic and incapable of ruling. The real ruler of the Austrian monarchy during that period was State Chancellor Metternich, who was known as the “coachman of Europe” for the way he controlled European policy with his skilful diplomatic manoeuvrings.
    2 min
  • 37 - Rich Room
    The Rich Room is named after the only surviving bed of state from the Viennese court. It was made at the time of Maria Theresa’s wedding and originally stood in Maria Theresa’s private apartments in the Vienna Hofburg. The wall hangings with embroidered architectural elements also belong to this bed of state with its draperies of red velvet and gold and silver embroidery.
    1 min
  • 38 - Study of Archduke Franz Karl
    Together with the adjoining salon, this room was part of the suite occupied by Archduke Franz Karl, the father of Franz Joseph, in the 19th century. The paintings again take us back to the reign of Maria Theresa. The famous family portrait by Martin van Meytens shows Emperor Franz Stephan and Maria Theresa surrounded by their off-spring. The imperial couple had 16 children – eleven daughters and five sons – of whom eleven survived into adulthood. Missing from the painting are two children who were born later and three who had already died. One of the main duties of a ruling family was to produce as many heirs to the throne as possible in order to ensure the continuation of the dynasty. Opposite the family portrait are likenesses of the women who played an important role in the life of Maria Theresa. To the right of the mirror is her mother, Elisabeth Christine, and on the left is Countess Fuchs, once the governess and later the close confidante of the monarch. As an expression of her attachment Maria Theresa had her buried in the imperial tomb in the crypt of the Church of the Capuchin Friars, the only imperial court servant to be accorded this honour.
    2 min
  • 40 - Hunting Room
    The Habsburgs were passionately fond of hunting and shooting. On the left-hand side of the room you can see portraits of Maria Theresa’s parents, Charles VI and his wife Elisabeth Christine in hunting costume; between them is Franz Stephan, later husband of Maria Theresa, as a boy. Franz Joseph was also famous for his passion for shooting; even as a child he shot sparrows and pigeons in the park at Schönbrunn. One of the paintings shows Schönbrunn in its earlier form as the hunting lodge designed by Fischer von Erlach.
    2 min

About Schloß Schönbrunn - The State Rooms and Imperial Apartments on the piano nobile

From the publisher's feed

Back in the 17th century, the Habsburgs had a small summer palace on this site. However, this was destroyed during the second Turkish siege of Vienna in 1683. After the defeat of the Turks, Emperor…