The Belvedere Palace
The two magnificent Baroque Belvedere Place – Upper and Lower – are the most visited cultural sites in Vienna. They were built in the early years of the 18th century as a summer residence by Prince Eugene of Savoy, one of the Holy Roman Empire’s most distinguished statesment, military commanders and most beautiful historical sites in Austria.
Built by world-renowned Baroque architect Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt, Lower Belvedere where Prince Eugene lived was completed in 1716 and Upper Belvedere in 1724. The palaces are connected by a spectacular garden designed by Parisian garden designer Dominique Girard.
The Lower Belvedere Palace includes the Marble Gallery with plaster medallions of the Greek god Apollo, the Grotesque Hall’s detailed wall paintings and the richly decorated Sale Terrene and Garden Pavilion. Meanwhile the Upper Belvedere Palace contains one of Europe’s finest art collections.
Prince Eugene was a famous patron of the arts and was an avid collector of 16th and 17th century Italian, Dutch and Flemish art. The palace features the world’s largest collection of Gustav Klimt paintings. It also has famous works by Monet and Van Gogh, and the grimacing character heads of sculptor Franz Xaver Messerschmidt.
