alfredlexx60 (Soldat Chvéïk de retour)
Wien, 3. Bezirk, Schlosspark Belvedere (Parc du Palais de Belvedere, Parque del Palacio de Belvedere, Parco del Castello di Belvedere, Castle Grounds of Belvedere), Prinz-Eugen-Straße/Landstraßer Gürtel
Belvedere Castle
Upper Belvedere, 2011
(further pictures you can see by clicking on the link at the end of page!)
Lower Belvedere, 2010
Vienna's most famous castles system, the Upper Belvedere and Lower Belvedere Palace, the city owes the former champion in the fight against the Ottomans, Prince Eugene of Savoy. This one had for himself the of two castles (Lower Belvedere, Upper Belvedere Palace ) consisting and with a park and other side attractions equipped estate as a summer residence in the style of Versailles built. Within ten years (1714-1723/24) Lukas von Hildebrandt built his biggest project, which is one of the most beautiful Baroque works in the world.
After the death of Prince Eugene, who remained unmarried, his whole estate passed to his sister Victoria, who sold it low priced to the imperial court in 1752. So the estate 1894-1914 served as a residential area for the heir to the throne, Franz Ferdinand, dying in the attack in Sarajevo with his wife in 1914. Even Chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg lived from 1934-1938 in the Upper Belvedere Castle. 1955 the plant became the scene of a major political event, the foreign ministers of France, Britain, Soviet Union, United States and Austria signing the treaty for independence in the Marble Hall of the Upper Belvedere. Today, in the formerly as a residential complex and representation residences used palaces are especially exhibitions of Austrian artists located.
Lower Belvedere Palace
The 1716 finished Lower Belvedere Palace looks in comparison to its opposite counterpart quite modest, though the castle has a rich interior decoration in the Baroque style. So forms the center of the mainly single-storey building the two-story marble hall, which with golden ornaments and painted mock architecture (Gaetano Fanti) was decorated. The famous frescoes by Martino Altomonte (1914) in the Marble Hall show the original owner of the castle Prince Eugene as he receives his hat and stick - alike Apollo on clouds dormant. In addition, invites the Golden Room, with its mirrors, the golden paneling as well as paintings of personalized continents, elements and seasons to marvel. This space, especially the interior, was once part of the city palace of the Türkenbesiegers (vanquisher of the Turks) before anything was transferred in 1770 to the Lower Castle. In addition to the Marble Hall and the Golden Room convince the other rooms in their equipment and artistic design. In the former bedchamber visitors can admire the relief of Raphael Donner and in the Marble Gallery stucco decorations by Santino Bussi with life-size mythological niche figures by Domenico Parodi. The Hall of Grotesques also could be interesting for art lovers: On one hand, the grotesque paintings by Jonas Drentwett can be viewed, which are intended to represent the Prince in his functions as a warlord and patron of the Arts. On the other hand, attracts the ceiling fresco depicting the four seasons as well as the design of the corners of the room with the four elements everyone's attention.
Upper Belvedere Palace
The representation castle of the former Prinz- Eugen-estate served primarily of the joyful coming together for lavish celebrations or enjoyment of many art treasures. It was completed in 1724 and is, due to its richly decorated façade, considered as the more marvelous of the two castles. The mentioned enjoyment of art is already visible at the richly decorated facade and is continued in the design of the castle rooms. Four powerful atlases of Mattielli in the Sala terrene carry the vault of the room and the white stucco decorations by Santino Bussi are continued in the hallway under the theme of the prince virtues. The two-story marble hall is here - as well as in the Lower Belvedere Palace - the center of the building. The ceiling painting "Allegory of Glory " by Carlo Innocenzo Carlone symbolizes the eternal glory of the prince in the midst of princely virtues. The Apollo-Aura-Fresco ("victory of light over darkness") in the garden room, too, also by Carlo Innocenzo Carlone, heroises Prince Eugene as a bringer of light and Türkenbesieger (defeater of the Ottomans). The frescoes in two other Ostsälen (east halls) are continuing the topic, yet these have been created by Ciacomo del Pò. Other images of high quality, thematically but biblically oriented can be found in the chapel and in the south-east tower of the castle. Here is on one hand, the dome image "God the Father" (Carlo Carlone ) to mention, as well as the altarpiece "Resurrection of Christ" (Solimena). "In the Gold Room in the Northwest Tower arised Canelettos famous view of Vienna from 1760".
Garden
Between the Upper and Lower Belvedere Palace is the beautifully landscaped garden. This one was layed out by the Parisian garden architect Dominique Girard. The axially landscaped terrace garden with symmetrical staircases, however, goes back to a concept of Hildebrandt. This construction permits from the front terrace of the Upper Belvedere a beautiful view over the sloping gardens to the towers of Vienna and the mountain ranges of the Vienna Woods behind them. The upper lawn area designed Girard in accordance with French geometries with cascades, stairs and water features, as well as laterally limited hedges and avenues. Once adorned numerous sculptures the garden grounds, too. Those have been distributed thematically and according to the altitude. So were found on the lower garden level sculptures which should symbolize the four elements. In the central region was the Parnassus represented and on the higher garden level have been found sculptures to Olympus. However, hereof have been preserved only a few sculptures, including eight muses and the symbolic figures of the Prince of Hercules and Apollo in the lower ground floor. Furthermore, two sphinx figures are standing as stone guards in front of the garden side main entrance of the upper Belvedere.
The garden also includes a botanical garden and an Alpine garden. In the former, the personal physician of Maria Theresia Gerard van Swietjens grew various medicinal herbs. Today, the Botanic Garden is owned by the University of Vienna. In contrast, the Alpine Garden was founded in the Schönbrunn Palace in 1803 by the Archdukes Johann, Rainer and Anton and 1865 moved to the Belvedere gardens. In this oldest alpine garden in Europe today can be visited the historic Alpine Plants collection of federal gardens. The there cultivated 4,000 plant species encompass in addition to numerous rare alpine plants also a rhododendron and a bonsai collection.
On the way from one to the other castle you get not only to a number of commercial buildings in the palace complex but also to the Menagerie and the famous Orangery, which served during the lifetime of Prince Eugene as heated winter garden for the orange trees.
Exhibitions and collections
The palace complex for several decades already no longer serves as a residential area for rulers or politicians. Instead, most of the spaces, especially in the Upper Belvedere Palace, are being returned to their original functions. They serve today primarily for presentation and admiration of many valuable art treasures. So can be found in the individual buildings different, always changing exhibitions such as the current on the topic of "gold". This exhibition could be visited until 17th June 2012. In addition, the Austrian Gallery Belvedere has numerous collections of different art directions. So are included in the stock collections to the Middle Ages, Baroque, Classicism, Expressionism and Impressionism as well as works of Art Nouveau, postwar and contemporary art. Particularly noteworthy at this point are the collection of Messerschmidt with his character heads, of Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller, of Gustav Klimt, of Egon Schiele and of Oskar Kokoschka.
www.belvedere.at/de/ausstellungen/aktuelle-ausstellungen
wienwiki.wienerzeitung.at/WIENWIKI/Schloss_Belvedere
Wien, 3. Bezirk, Schlosspark Belvedere (Parc du Palais de Belvedere, Parque del Palacio de Belvedere, Parco del Castello di Belvedere, Castle Grounds of Belvedere), Prinz-Eugen-Straße/Landstraßer Gürtel
Belvedere Castle
Upper Belvedere, 2011
(further pictures you can see by clicking on the link at the end of page!)
Lower Belvedere, 2010
Vienna's most famous castles system, the Upper Belvedere and Lower Belvedere Palace, the city owes the former champion in the fight against the Ottomans, Prince Eugene of Savoy. This one had for himself the of two castles (Lower Belvedere, Upper Belvedere Palace ) consisting and with a park and other side attractions equipped estate as a summer residence in the style of Versailles built. Within ten years (1714-1723/24) Lukas von Hildebrandt built his biggest project, which is one of the most beautiful Baroque works in the world.
After the death of Prince Eugene, who remained unmarried, his whole estate passed to his sister Victoria, who sold it low priced to the imperial court in 1752. So the estate 1894-1914 served as a residential area for the heir to the throne, Franz Ferdinand, dying in the attack in Sarajevo with his wife in 1914. Even Chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg lived from 1934-1938 in the Upper Belvedere Castle. 1955 the plant became the scene of a major political event, the foreign ministers of France, Britain, Soviet Union, United States and Austria signing the treaty for independence in the Marble Hall of the Upper Belvedere. Today, in the formerly as a residential complex and representation residences used palaces are especially exhibitions of Austrian artists located.
Lower Belvedere Palace
The 1716 finished Lower Belvedere Palace looks in comparison to its opposite counterpart quite modest, though the castle has a rich interior decoration in the Baroque style. So forms the center of the mainly single-storey building the two-story marble hall, which with golden ornaments and painted mock architecture (Gaetano Fanti) was decorated. The famous frescoes by Martino Altomonte (1914) in the Marble Hall show the original owner of the castle Prince Eugene as he receives his hat and stick - alike Apollo on clouds dormant. In addition, invites the Golden Room, with its mirrors, the golden paneling as well as paintings of personalized continents, elements and seasons to marvel. This space, especially the interior, was once part of the city palace of the Türkenbesiegers (vanquisher of the Turks) before anything was transferred in 1770 to the Lower Castle. In addition to the Marble Hall and the Golden Room convince the other rooms in their equipment and artistic design. In the former bedchamber visitors can admire the relief of Raphael Donner and in the Marble Gallery stucco decorations by Santino Bussi with life-size mythological niche figures by Domenico Parodi. The Hall of Grotesques also could be interesting for art lovers: On one hand, the grotesque paintings by Jonas Drentwett can be viewed, which are intended to represent the Prince in his functions as a warlord and patron of the Arts. On the other hand, attracts the ceiling fresco depicting the four seasons as well as the design of the corners of the room with the four elements everyone's attention.
Upper Belvedere Palace
The representation castle of the former Prinz- Eugen-estate served primarily of the joyful coming together for lavish celebrations or enjoyment of many art treasures. It was completed in 1724 and is, due to its richly decorated façade, considered as the more marvelous of the two castles. The mentioned enjoyment of art is already visible at the richly decorated facade and is continued in the design of the castle rooms. Four powerful atlases of Mattielli in the Sala terrene carry the vault of the room and the white stucco decorations by Santino Bussi are continued in the hallway under the theme of the prince virtues. The two-story marble hall is here - as well as in the Lower Belvedere Palace - the center of the building. The ceiling painting "Allegory of Glory " by Carlo Innocenzo Carlone symbolizes the eternal glory of the prince in the midst of princely virtues. The Apollo-Aura-Fresco ("victory of light over darkness") in the garden room, too, also by Carlo Innocenzo Carlone, heroises Prince Eugene as a bringer of light and Türkenbesieger (defeater of the Ottomans). The frescoes in two other Ostsälen (east halls) are continuing the topic, yet these have been created by Ciacomo del Pò. Other images of high quality, thematically but biblically oriented can be found in the chapel and in the south-east tower of the castle. Here is on one hand, the dome image "God the Father" (Carlo Carlone ) to mention, as well as the altarpiece "Resurrection of Christ" (Solimena). "In the Gold Room in the Northwest Tower arised Canelettos famous view of Vienna from 1760".
Garden
Between the Upper and Lower Belvedere Palace is the beautifully landscaped garden. This one was layed out by the Parisian garden architect Dominique Girard. The axially landscaped terrace garden with symmetrical staircases, however, goes back to a concept of Hildebrandt. This construction permits from the front terrace of the Upper Belvedere a beautiful view over the sloping gardens to the towers of Vienna and the mountain ranges of the Vienna Woods behind them. The upper lawn area designed Girard in accordance with French geometries with cascades, stairs and water features, as well as laterally limited hedges and avenues. Once adorned numerous sculptures the garden grounds, too. Those have been distributed thematically and according to the altitude. So were found on the lower garden level sculptures which should symbolize the four elements. In the central region was the Parnassus represented and on the higher garden level have been found sculptures to Olympus. However, hereof have been preserved only a few sculptures, including eight muses and the symbolic figures of the Prince of Hercules and Apollo in the lower ground floor. Furthermore, two sphinx figures are standing as stone guards in front of the garden side main entrance of the upper Belvedere.
The garden also includes a botanical garden and an Alpine garden. In the former, the personal physician of Maria Theresia Gerard van Swietjens grew various medicinal herbs. Today, the Botanic Garden is owned by the University of Vienna. In contrast, the Alpine Garden was founded in the Schönbrunn Palace in 1803 by the Archdukes Johann, Rainer and Anton and 1865 moved to the Belvedere gardens. In this oldest alpine garden in Europe today can be visited the historic Alpine Plants collection of federal gardens. The there cultivated 4,000 plant species encompass in addition to numerous rare alpine plants also a rhododendron and a bonsai collection.
On the way from one to the other castle you get not only to a number of commercial buildings in the palace complex but also to the Menagerie and the famous Orangery, which served during the lifetime of Prince Eugene as heated winter garden for the orange trees.
Exhibitions and collections
The palace complex for several decades already no longer serves as a residential area for rulers or politicians. Instead, most of the spaces, especially in the Upper Belvedere Palace, are being returned to their original functions. They serve today primarily for presentation and admiration of many valuable art treasures. So can be found in the individual buildings different, always changing exhibitions such as the current on the topic of "gold". This exhibition could be visited until 17th June 2012. In addition, the Austrian Gallery Belvedere has numerous collections of different art directions. So are included in the stock collections to the Middle Ages, Baroque, Classicism, Expressionism and Impressionism as well as works of Art Nouveau, postwar and contemporary art. Particularly noteworthy at this point are the collection of Messerschmidt with his character heads, of Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller, of Gustav Klimt, of Egon Schiele and of Oskar Kokoschka.
www.belvedere.at/de/ausstellungen/aktuelle-ausstellungen
wienwiki.wienerzeitung.at/WIENWIKI/Schloss_Belvedere