Hofburg Imperial Palace

Hofburg Imperial Palace, or just “the Hofburg”, is a grand palace in Vienna. It was owned by the Austro-Hungarian Habsburg Dynasty until 1918, when it passed to the Austrian Republic. Today it is a buzzing network of museums, restaurants and halls as well as the seat of the President of Austria.

Although the oldest, square parts of the building date back to the 13th century, Hofburg Imperial Palace became a residence of the emperors of the Holy Roman Empire from the 15th century. Schönbrunn Palace did undergo some renovation during the 19th century, including the removal of much of its Rococo façade and the repainting of its exterior to a colour known as “Schönbrunn Yellow”.

Hofburg Imperial Palace contains a wealth of architectural gems and a part of most beautiful historical sites in Austria. It includes works by Filiberto Luchese, Lukas von Hildebrandt and Joseph Emanuel Fischer von Erlach. Joseph Emanuel also designed parts of Schonbrunn Palace. Hofburg Palace is now made up of a series of museums, such as the Sisi Museum, housing the imperial silver collection, the Euphesus Museum of neo-baroque architecture, the natural history museum and the collections of military armour.