We arrived at the palace about 10 am. We were told the name means "beautiful brown" and, while the palace was originally gray, it was later painted this colour by the Habsburgs which meant it then quickly came into vogue. However, the word "Brunn" means fountain and it seems to make more sense that the name would be "Beautiful Fountain". Not sure if something was lost in translation, the guide was in error, or there are two meanings, perhaps from an old dialect or something. Regardless, it is worth visiting. The palace is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The information below is from that website:
The site of the Palace and Gardens of Schönbrunn is outstanding as one of the most impressive and well preserved Baroque ensembles of its kind in Europe. Additionally, it is a potent material symbol of the power and influence of the House of Habsburg over a long period of European history, from the end of the 17th to the early 20th century.
Schönbrunn Palace is one of Austria’s most important cultural assets, and since the 1960s has been one of Vienna’s major tourist attractions, drawing millions of visitors each year. It is an excellent example of the concept of Gesamtkunstwerk, a masterly fusion of many art forms. We had planned ahead and bought tickets online so we were able to enter the palace at 10:30 as we had planned. Without the pre-timed ticket, we would not have been able to enter it until sometime after 11:30. The interior of the palace was very much like Versailles and the other grand palaces of that day: gilded and ornate walls and furniture in every room. Unfortunately, no photos were permitted inside the palace. We learned about Franz Joseph and his wife, Marie Theresa whose nickname was Sisi. it appears she was, in some ways, a woman ahead of her time. From the family tree we looked at before the tour started, it appeared those Habsburgs were everywhere and, when they didn't marry for regions and power, they waged war for it!
A bit about the Habsburgs from Wikipedia:
The House of Habsburg (traditionally spelled Hapsburg in English), also called House of Austria was one of the most influential and outstanding royal houses of Europe. The throne of the Holy Roman Empire was continuously occupied by the Habsburgs between 1438 and 1740. The house also produced emperors and kings of the Kingdom of Bohemia, Kingdom of England, Kingdom of Germany, Kingdom of Hungary, Kingdom of Croatia, Kingdom of Illyria, Second Mexican Empire, Kingdom of Ireland, Kingdom of Portugal, and Kingdom of Spain. From the 16th century, following the reign of Charles V, the dynasty was split between its Austrian and Spanish branches. Although they ruled distinct territories, they nevertheless maintained close relations and frequently intermarried.
The route back took us through some interesting areas of Vienna with streets lined with apartments most of which, we were informed, had been built in the 1920s and early 1930s for social housing. Today, a significant portion of apartment buildings are owned by the city; in fact, around 500,000 people live in these types of building which makes for affordable housing for a significant portion of the population here. While many of these buildings were originally constructed to house workers (the "proletariat", so to speak), today this housing is made available to seniors and young families. We thought it was an interesting approach to social housing and one, at least according to the bartender in our hotel whom my sister talked to about it, works.
 |
| It might be difficult to see but the inscription on both buildings says they were built by the government and then gives the dates the apartments were built. |
No comments:
Post a Comment