Savvy Sightseer - tips and insights for seasoned travelers!
Displayed at the Imperial Treasury in Vienna, these vestments are laced with gold and silver.
Austrian Royal Residences
Hellbrunn, Schonbrunn and the Hofburg - three of Austria's famous palaces - couldn't be more different. One was a capricious playground of a prince archbishop, the others were the summer retreat and formal homes of the ruling Habsburg family. Visits to all three are entirely unique!
Hellbrunn
Whether Prince Archbishop Markus Sittikus was just a fun prankster when he commissioned the building of his Hellbrunn "pleasure palace" (Lustschloss) in the early 1600s, or a little bit of a sadist depends on just how much you enjoy getting a good soaking! A 20-minute ride on direct bus #25 from Salzburg's Altstadt, this unique water park is a perfect destination, especially on a hot summer day.
The trick fountains, called Wasserspiele, comprise a unique waterpark on the grounds of Hellbrunn palace. They are masterfully engineered; the park is full of surprises and bursts of laughter as waterjets suddenly erupt and shower unsuspecting guests. The first stop is a massive stone dining table where part-way through a meal guests were shocked as water erupted through the stone seats and from the surrounding walls and ground - all seats that is, except for the Prince's! Playful statuary and grottos, bushes and walkways are all fair game for unexpected dousings. A hydro-powered city with 141 characters in action is mesmerizing. The palace is pleasant and has several interesting artworks and acoustics, the gardens are beautifully tended and the gazebo of Sound of Music fame is on the grounds, but it's easy to see that the real attraction that has kept visitors coming to Hellbrunn for over 400 years is the Wasserspiele.
Little mechanical vignettes show workers toiling to move along the water.
Click on the set of pictures to the left for a slideshow and more information.
Click on the table picture above or town picture to the right for a video of these attractions.
Click on the set of images for an expanded slide-show view and additional information.
Schonbrunn
As a little girl, the future Queen of France, Marie Antoinette, played at her family's summer residence outside of Vienna along with some of her 15 brothers and sisters, and her mother, Habsburg Empress of the Holy Roman Empire, Maria Theresa.
Tickets to see Schonbrunn are sold in increments; some include a few rooms (there are over 1400, but not all are open to the public) and a stroll in the gardens; the Classic Pass Plus ticket covers 40 rooms along with a visit to the palace bakery for an entertaining lesson in making apple strudel, a piece of the delicacy and the recipe to try at home; other ticket levels include various additional sights on the grounds, such as the zoo. The palace is an easy 15-minute train ride on the U4 from Schwedenplatz in the old town.
Schonbrunn's rooms are captivating and informative (an English-speaking audioguide corresponds to numbered exhibits). Perks of being royalty are everywhere: ceramic stoves with no front opening for wood (they were stoked from behind the walls), an array of brushes Empress Elizabeth used to stroke her floor-length hair, elaborately set tables, gilded crystal chandeliers, gigantic frescoes, inlaid wood. There's also reminders the people who lived here ruled a mighty kingdom: Emperor Franz Josef's study and work desk with neatly stacked papers, the guard room adjacent to the apartments and photos or paintings of important events held at Schonbrunn. Leave the camera in its bag here, unfortunately, indoor photos are strictly forbidden. The gardens are enormous, originally designed to rival those of France's Versailles palace, and provide delightful surprises for strollers.
Click here to try my adaptation of the palace's incredible Apple Strudel.
The Hofburg
The Hapsburg family's formal and winter residence sprawls over the southwestern region of Vienna's Old Town, consisting of several buildings, wings, courtyards and passageways. The compound dates back to the 13th century and was added to and refurbished by succeeding rulers. The balcony of the New Wing was used by Austrian-born Hitler to announce his Anschluss, or annexation of Austria in 1938.
Among the palace's more popular places to visit are the Imperial Apartments, Court Chapel (where the Vienna Boys' Choir sings), Spanish Riding School (home of the famously white, dancing Lipizzaner stallions), Augustinan Church, several museums, and a tribute to the trinkets of royalty - the Hofburg Treasury.
Royal trappings held at the Treasury include crown jewels - the oldest is the Emperor's Crown of the Holy Roman Empire (circa 962), vestments, statues, portraits, and even the Cradle of the King of Rome, used by the son of Napoleon and his Habsburg wife, Marie Louise. (His first wife, Josephine, couldn't produce heirs and so was replaced.)
The array of jewels is typically impressive, but the up close view of robes and intricately crafted vestments of gold and silver threads is a true standout of the collection.
Lest anyone forget the breadth of the Habsburg holdings, there's a map prominently displayed.
Eleventh century jewel encrusted cross, believed to have been made in part from the original wood used for Christ's cross.
Emperor Rudolf II's personal crown dates back to 1602 and contains elements of all three of his roles as Holy Roman Emperor (bishop's miter, Roman helmut and king's crown). The orb's four diamonds represent the four corners of the earth, over which the emperor ruled.
Click on the set of images for an expanded slide-show view and additional information.
Continue your trip through Austria with a visit to the Salzburg and Vienna or Sights Nearby pages, or go back to the Austria home page.
