belvedere vienna

Belvedere, Vienna, Austria

Welcome to Prince Eugene of Savoy’s summer “cottage.” In the minds of its creators, it was regarded as the Mt. Olympus of Vienna.

The Belvedere was built in the early 18th century by Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt, the architect of Graz’s Mariahilferkirche and rival of Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach. Flushed from his victories over the Turks, Prince Eugene wanted Hildebrandt to create something suitably grand. The court architect did his best. When it was finished, the summer palace – split into the Lower Belvedere and the Upper Belvedere – had formal parterre gardens, pools of water, an orangery, and a zoo.

After Prince Eugene’s death, the palace eventually passed into the hands of the Imperial family. In A.D. 1770, Joseph II hosted a grand supper at the Belvedere in honor of the marriage between his sister, Marie Antoinette, and Louis, Dauphin of France. 600 guests in masks, white dominoes, or hooded cloaks danced in the pavilion. 800 firemen and even a few dentists (!) were on hand for emergencies. The ball lasted until 7 in the morning.*

You can read more about the Belvedere’s history on its excellent website.

* See Marie Antoinette: The Journey by Antonia Fraser

Lower Belvedere, Vienna, Austria

by Elinor

The Lower Belvedere is just as magnificent as the Upper Belvedere, and often hosts temporary exhibitions that are far more interesting than the permanent collection. In 2015, for example, the curators had amassed a ton of information on the Congress of Vienna. Jacques-Louis David’s gobsmacking portrait of Napoleon Crossing the Alps (the version owned by the Belvedere) took pride of place.

The Lower Belvedere is where surviving members of the French royal family were housed after they fled from the Revolution. Like today’s tourists, they would have wandered through the Golden Cabinet, the Hall of the Grotesques, and the Marble Gallery. It would be interesting to ask them what they thought of the ceiling fresco on the Marble Hall. That’s the one that shows Prince Eugene, in the nude, being elevated to the status of a god.

Upper Belvedere, Vienna, Austria 1

by Elinor

The Upper Belvedere houses the Belvedere Museum, where Austrian art mixes with grand state rooms. Like the Louvre, you’re liable to run into a mass of people standing around one famous painting – in this case, Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss.

To tell you true, I think you’ll find better art (and fewer people) in the Schloss Eggenberg in Graz. However, there is plenty to see beyond Klimt, including portraits by Thomas Lawrence & François Gérard and work by Klimt’s contemporary, Egon Schiele. If you’re tired of oils, don’t miss the contorted “character heads” carved by the 18th century sculptor Franz Xaver Messerschmidt.

Upper Belvedere, Vienna, Austria 2

by Elinor

Garden & Upper Belvedere, Vienna, Austria

by Elinor

Prince Eugene Statue, Hofburg, Vienna, Austria 1

by Elinor

Prince Eugene of Savoy, the grand military maestro of 18th century Austria, was born in Paris. A short and sickly boy from the cadet branch of the house of Savoy, Eugene was supposed to end up where all sickly aristocrats go – the Catholic Church.

But the boy known for playing a woman in games with his pages had a secret military dream. At the age of 19, he bravely volunteered for the French army. Who turned him down flat.

In a fit of pique, Eugene went east. The Austrians were desperately battling the Ottoman Turks, and were willing to take whoever was foolhardy enough to join them (even a Frenchman). Eugene tasted blood in the Siege of Vienna and never looked back.

Over the reigns of 3 Emperors, Eugene conquered the Turks, made friends with the Duke of Marlborough, and – you guessed it – successfully vanquished the French in the War of the Spanish Succession. His later career was less starry, but he endured in the public imagination. Napoleon dubbed him one of the seven greatest commanders in history.

Reputed to be gay, Eugene never married or had children. You’ll find his body in the Stephansdom and his ghostly presence in the Upper Belvedere, the Prince’s summer palace.